can not stop nouveau at run level 3 to install nvidia driver script

On a fresh install of opensuse leap 64 bit, I can boot into run level 3, but am unable to stop nouveau from loading. The box has the nvidia 6200 video card and I see that yast does not support it. The nvidia run file writes 2 nouveau disable files in modprobe.d folder, but on reboot, the run file detects that nouveau has not been disabled and stops. I have 3 video driver files in yast:
libdrm_nouveau2
xf86-video-nouveau
xf86-video-nv

The xf85-video-nv I installed hoping it would stabilize the video. I thought about deleting the 2 nouveau drivers in yast, then rebooting, but not sure if that would cause a crash.

xf86-video-nv is for relics. Which 6200 do you have? GeForce from 15 years ago? They can be tricky. I'd be surprised if there is an NVidia driver to support something that old.

Don't confuse nouveau the kernel module with nouveau the DDX provided by xf86-video-nouveau. All FOSS DDX for NVidia GPUs that aren't truly ancient depend on the nouveau kernel module. Historically, NVidia's drivers depend on the nouveau kernel module being disabled. You must utilize its driver installation instructions to know whether it needs to be disabled.

If you uninstall xf86-video-nouveau and the nouveau kernel module is enabled, X will try to use the upstream default DDX, modesetting, which, if run from within X, will look approximately as follows if working normally:

# inxi -GxxSza
System:    Host: mcp61 Kernel: 4.12.14-lp151.28.20-default x86_64 bits: 64 compiler: gcc v: 7.4.1
           parameters: root=UUID=... noresume consoleblank=0 mitigations=auto nouveau.noaccel=1
           Desktop: KDE Plasma 5.12.8 tk: Qt 5.9.7 wm: kwin_x11 dm: KDM Distro: openSUSE Leap 15.1
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA C61 [GeForce 6150SE nForce 430] vendor: Micro-Star MSI driver: nouveau v: kernel
           bus ID: 00:0d.0 chip ID: 10de:03d0
           Display: server: X.Org 1.20.3 driver: modesetting compositor: kwin_x11 resolution: 1680x1050~60Hz
           OpenGL: renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 7.0 128 bits) v: 3.3 Mesa 18.3.2 compat-v: 3.1 direct render: Yes

Note on the end of the parameters line 'nouveau.noaccel=1'. It's possible your 6200 may need it added to your grub's linu line, either for a single boot (for testing it) by adding it after striking the E key at the grub menu, or more permanently on the GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT= line in /etc/default/grub (after which grub.cfg must be regenerated before it will be applied).

If an NVidia driver is only partially installed, then usually nothing will work as expected. If X is to use either the nouveau or the modesetting DDX, /etc/X11/xorg.conf* files created by NVidia installation almost certainly must be removed.

Nvidia 304.137 from the nvidia site should support your 6200. To disable nouveau add "blacklist nouveau" (without "") to either the end of /etc/modprobe.d/50-blacklist.conf or a newly created conf file in /etc/modprobe.d/.
When that's done run dracut or mkinitrd then reboot to init 3. Run the nvidia run file as instructed.
You would have to run the nvidia driver file each time the kernel changes so you may prefer mrmazda's solution. Also it may not work if you're using newer kernels than the standard or you're doing this on your tumbleweed system

I would see in the Nvidia Repo for Leap 15.1 if there is an 304 driver.
If there is no one, than I would say the driver does not work anymore and downloading from Nvidia will not help.
So stay on the nouveau, maybe try a newer kernel to see, if the nouveau is better working.

Originally Posted by Sauerland I would see in the Nvidia Repo for Leap 15.1 if there is an 304 driver.

The driver still works if your kernel is not too new. As it isn't maintained anymore it won't compile against those newer kernels.
I do not know which kernel Leap 15.1 is using, but in Slackware 14.2, with a 4.4.xxx (currently 4.4.208) kernel it still works. as far as I know (I didn't update to that kernel yet).

It's hard to know what support is or is not in any Leap kernel. Nominal current version in 15.1 is 4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default #1 SMP Fri Dec 6 13:50:27 UTC 2019 (8f4a495) x86_64 x86_64 x86_64 GNU/Linux but it is loaded with backports, being nominally different and derived from SLE 15's kernel.

Leaps 15.0 kernel 4.12 was backported from kernel 4.14.
Leaps 15.1 Kernel 4.12 has backports from kernel 4.19.

I build some kmps in my Repo and had to patch some insertions of kernel 4.19 to 4.12 f.e. a Leap 15.1 patch for the rtl8821ce-kmp:

diff -U 3 -H -d -r -N -- a/include/osdep_service_linux.h b/include/osdep_service_linux.h
--- a/include/osdep_service_linux.h	2019-08-10 08:16:52.000000000 +0200
+++ b/include/osdep_service_linux.h	2019-10-20 10:14:32.809412595 +0200
@@ -345,13 +345,13 @@
 	return &(queue->queue);
 }
 
-#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 14, 0))
+#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 12, 0))
 static inline void timer_hdl(struct timer_list *in_timer)
 #else
 static inline void timer_hdl(unsigned long cntx)
 #endif
 {
-#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 14, 0))
+#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 12, 0))
 	_timer *ptimer = from_timer(ptimer, in_timer, timer);
 #else
 	_timer *ptimer = (_timer *)cntx;
@@ -364,7 +364,7 @@
 	ptimer->function = pfunc;
 	ptimer->arg = cntx;
 
-#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 14, 0))
+#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4, 12, 0))
 	timer_setup(&ptimer->timer, timer_hdl, 0);
 #else
 	/* setup_timer(ptimer, pfunc,(u32)cntx);	 */
diff -U 3 -H -d -r -N -- a/include/wifi.h b/include/wifi.h
--- a/include/wifi.h	2019-09-18 18:43:05.000000000 +0200
+++ b/include/wifi.h	2019-10-19 15:50:57.000000000 +0200
@@ -1027,7 +1027,7 @@
  * According to IEEE802.11n spec size varies from 8K to 64K (in powers of 2)
  */
 #define IEEE80211_MIN_AMPDU_BUF 0x8
-#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4,19,0)
+#if LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4,12,0)
 #define IEEE80211_MAX_AMPDU_BUF_HT 0x40
 #define IEEE80211_MAX_AMPDU_BUF 0x100
 #else
diff -U 3 -H -d -r -N -- a/os_dep/linux/os_intfs.c b/os_dep/linux/os_intfs.c
--- a/os_dep/linux/os_intfs.c	2019-08-10 08:16:52.000000000 +0200
+++ b/os_dep/linux/os_intfs.c	2019-10-19 16:00:44.000000000 +0200
@@ -1322,7 +1322,7 @@
 }
 
 
-#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4,19,0))
+#if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE >= KERNEL_VERSION(4,12,0))
 static u16 rtw_select_queue(struct net_device *dev, struct sk_buff *skb
     , struct net_device *sb_dev
     #if (LINUX_VERSION_CODE < KERNEL_VERSION(5,2,0))

But I have only build Network-driver, no graphics.
The 304 Nvidia-driver is not in the Repo, so it might be not building.
You can ask the maintainer:
https://build.opensuse.org/package/s.../nvidia-gfxG02

If you choose recovery mode in grub and add nomodeset 3 to the boot line, Opensuse Leap will boot to a login prompt. As root, I ran the nvidia script. It complained with the following:
Unable to build the nvidia kernel module. Installation has failed. Please see the file....
The compiler gcc 7.5 does not match the compiler used to compile the kernel (gcc 7.4).

The log file suggests a fix. It is very long and I have pasted the first page below:

nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Sat Jan 25 08:27:27 2020
installer version: 304.128

PATH: /sbin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/sbin:/root/bin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/bin:/bin

nvidia-installer command line:
./nvidia-installer

Unable to load: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface

Using built-in stream user interface
-> License accepted.
-> Installing NVIDIA driver version 304.128.
-> Running distribution scripts
executing: '/usr/lib/nvidia/pre-install'...
grep: /etc/sysconfig/kernel: No such file or directory
-> done.
-> Performing CC sanity check with CC="cc".
-> Performing CC version check with CC="cc".
-> The CC version check failed:

The compiler used to compile the kernel (gcc 7.4) does not exactly match the current compiler (gcc 7.5). The Linux 2.6 kernel module loader rejects kernel modules built with a version of gcc that does not exactly match that of the compiler used to build the running kernel.

If you know what you are doing and want to ignore the gcc version check, select "No" to continue installation. Otherwise, select "Yes" to abort installation, set the CC environment variable to the name of the compiler used to compile your kernel, and restart installation. Abort now? (Answer: No)
-> Kernel source path: '/lib/modules/4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default/source'
-> Kernel output path: '/lib/modules/4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default/build'
-> Performing rivafb check.
-> Performing nvidiafb check.
-> Performing Xen check.
-> Cleaning kernel module build directory.
executing: 'cd ./kernel; make clean'...
-> Building kernel module:
executing: 'cd ./kernel; make module SYSSRC=/lib/modules/4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default/source SYSOUT=/lib/modules/4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default/build'...
NVIDIA: calling KBUILD...
make -C /lib/modules/4.12.14-lp151.28.36-default/build KBUILD_SRC=/usr/src/linux-4.12.14-lp151.28.36 \
-f /usr/src/linux-4.12.14-lp151.28.36/Makefile modules
test -e include/generated/autoconf.h -a -e include/config/auto.conf || ( \
echo >&2; \
echo >&2 " ERROR: Kernel configuration is invalid."; \
echo >&2 " include/generated/autoconf.h or include/config/auto.conf are missing.";\
echo >&2 " Run 'make oldconfig && make prepare' on kernel src to fix it."; \
echo >&2 ; \
/bin/false)

You could try running the nividia run file with --no-cc-version-check but I think the 304 driver is just too old for you 4.12 kernel. It will most certainly be too old for your tumbleweed.
If you really want nvidia running rather then nouveau you can still buy a cheap gforce 710 which works with the latest proprietary nvidia driver. I think that would compile with both your opensuse systems without patching (kernel-5.5-rc needs a patched driver at the moment).

Post:

zypper se -si gcc make kernel

I will try the suggested hardware/software remedies and post back my results.

I have decided on a work around with the driver issue. The nouveau driver works well enough when running 3d games and does not tear the screen during game play that I have decided to keep using it for now. When I am not using 3d, I can black list the nouveau driver. The nvidia 2d driver is adequate for non-game play use. I could not compile the nvidia driver. The ati video cards do not seem to have the driver issues and I have seen very nice graphics with ATI and tumbleweed on a laptop.