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-   -   Installing Graphics card drivers - Nubiddy nub (https://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/installing-graphics-card-drivers-nubiddy-nub-849587/)

EonSlack 12-10-2010 11:26 PM

Installing Graphics card drivers - Nubiddy nub
 
Okay, so for about 4 hours now ive been reading reading reading on how to install this Nvidia Geforce 8800 driver, and have gotten about halfway to nowhere. I've been told that the installation files i got will do everything - it doesnt. I've been told about some kind of xorg.conf file that doesnt exist- xorg.conf-vesa does though, i assume thats vesa drivers and theres something else for other drivers.. I'm extremely confused right now.. so many controdictions .... D:

How do i install the drivers!!!???

Drakeo 12-10-2010 11:45 PM

next time post your system 64 or 32 bit. for 32 bit here for 64 bit here down load it save it. now you have to be in telinit 3 run level 3.
how open a terminal and type su then password the type killall kdm or telinit 3.
or you could reboot to slackware default run level 3. login as root
then cd (change directory) /to/your/saved/ nvidia driver type
Quote:

sh NV then press the tab button let it finish the command then press enter
build it install it then xorg-config it now type kdm and have fun

Daedra 12-11-2010 12:09 AM

Yes to everything above.

Just save the nvidia driver, like above get the correct arch 32 or 64. Save that file somewhere.
CTRL+ALT+DEL to kill X. If your not root, then logout and log in as root. Go to the directory where you saved the file. then run ./NVIDIA-<version>.run. Follow the on screen instructions, just let it do its thing. The last question asks if you want the installer to make a xorg.conf file for your, In your case select "yes". After that your the installer will finish and you shold be good to go.

Noway2 12-12-2010 06:00 PM

I am happy to see that this thread was started just two days ago. I am new to slackware, but have several years of Linux experience and just went through the process as described in the above posts. At first, all appeared to be working. However, I found that some thing did not. For example, glxgears would not run, the Composting kept disabling itself, and many of the effects would not 'load'. Looking at the /var/log/Xorg.0.log indicated that a lot of the modules were not correct stating as an error (EE) that it needed to be using NVIDIA GLX.

I re-ran the 260.19.21 .run script with the --UNinstall option. This crashed my X display completely. I recovered it by launching the other Linux install on this machine and restoring the xorg.conf file to the original VESA one installed.

I then followed the instructions here. Basically, I downloaded the 256 run rile (from nvidia), and then the kernel-driver and the nvidia-drive from Slackbuilds. You need to put the nvidia .run driver in the folder to run the pkgbuild script, but they compile without difficulty and install themselves into the /tmp folder. I then used installpkg on those two packages. Note, it was not necessary to stop X for this process. I then logged out of X and then re-entered it. All functions appear to be working now.

My question is, what did I miss or what wasn't done as part of the .run file from nvidia that should (?) have installed everything? Do you still need to install the kernel-driver and was that my missing piece?

Drakeo 12-12-2010 08:08 PM

Quote:

Noway2
if you did the install like we posted you would have been fine. the 260 is the newest driver. Slackbuilds is one way and sbopkg is another it all comes down to compile and install and run nvidia-xconf the simple way is download install the. if you want to run the switch script fine.
I am using the gallium nouveau open source driver from slackware64-current /extra and it does a great job with Three D openGL rendering.

Daedra 12-12-2010 08:36 PM

What is the model of your video card?

Noway2 12-13-2010 04:42 AM

1 Attachment(s)
Quote:

What is the model of your video card?
According to the output of lspci it is an nVidia Corporation C67 [GeForce 7000M / nForce 610M] (rev a2). I started at the nvidia drive download site and entered this model. This model matches under the GeForce Go 7 Series for notebooks (this installation is a laptop). What is absolutely interesting is that there has been an update just this morning: to version 260.29.19 released on 2010-12-13 (today).

Quote:

if you did the install like we posted you would have been fine. <snip> it all comes down to compile and install and run nvidia-xconf
This is why I stated that I am not a complete novice when it comes to Linux, I know how to read and follow basic instructions and do things like run the process from run-level 3. The download that was pointed to, and the updated one, are shell scripts with binary attached that you make executable and run. There is no "build and install" it per se. At the end it will ask you if you want to update your xorg-conf, which it will do (see attached). In my case, the xorg log file showed that a lot of the support libraries were still wrong after using this method and this resulted in an error. This did not happen when I used the package build method. After installing the drive package that I built, I simply changed the driver to nvidia and left the xorg-conf file alone otherwise (per the instructions of the document that I linked to).

Drakeo 12-13-2010 09:26 PM

yes I have run into this before nvidia will merge the the xorg.config and this can be a problem if you have installed nvidia drivers more than once. a old nvidia config with a newer xorg. this will creates
Quote:

the xorg log file showed that a lot of the support libraries were still wrong
an incorrect xorg.conf The back up copy actually becomes merged if you do a uninstall. So what I do is run nvidia-settings as root set it up like I want it, and then when I go to save it; it asks if I want to merge I say no and get a complete new auto configured nvida xorg.conf.
we had a major xorg upgrade if using current.
Yes I know you have been around the block a few time around here.

Quote:

What is the model of your video card?
9400GT and 9600GT

Noway2 12-14-2010 11:54 AM

Interesting. I still have copies of the various xorg.conf files. It might prove enlightening to compare them for the differences. In my case, I was installing the driver into a virgin Slackware install that had only been using the default vesa-compatible driver. I am curious if the problem was entirely in the xorg.conf file or if something went wrong with the .run file install. It might be an interesting experiment to remove the current drivers and try the new one again and manually modifying the xorg.conf file, only changing what is necessary.

It turns out that there is a rather lengthy release notes read me file for the driver (link available from the additional information tab on the driver download page). Looking through it, I found an answer to one of my own questions, regarding the kernel-module. Specifically the document says: "The NVIDIA kernel module has a kernel interface layer that must be compiled specifically for each kernel. NVIDIA distributes the source code to this kernel interface layer.". I assume that if it does not find this that the installation will fail and that this can be ruled out as part of the problem.

As an aside, since encountering this a few days ago, I have also been looking at the Slackbook, which has a large section on configuring X and I also noticed that there is a sticky thread regarding the drivers. As a quote I saw before trying Slackware said, "I have learned more by using Slackware for 6 months that I have learned from other distributions in 6 years". I am starting to understand what they meant by this and it is a lot of the reason why I decided to give it a try.

cwwilson721 12-14-2010 06:06 PM

Wow...

Everybody is STILL confused...Nvidia is, by far, the easiest proprietary driver to install and configure. Why use package managers? It adds a layer that is, IMO, useless. The driver itself can, and does, uninstall nicely. So, I just use the NV*run file ONLY.

Here's how to install a Nvidia driver:
  • Get the CORRECT Nvidia driver for your machine at Nvidia.com (64bit or 32bit, and MAKE SURE the chip is correct)
  • If you already installed or modified xorg.conf, then make a backup of it, then delete the original ('rm /etx/X11/xorg.conf')
  • Boot into a CLI (If you don't know how, search this forum. MANY ways to do this, but MAKE SURE XORG IS NOT RUNNING
  • Log in as root
  • cd to where you saved the NV*run file
  • Type 'NV*run'
  • Almost ALWAYS answer 'Yes' except to 'Do you want to download a module' question
  • If you run a 64bit OS, ALWAYS install the 32bit libraries (Or you won't get opengl to work correctly)
  • You're done. If you have a modified copy of xorg.conf that you saved earlier, compare the old xorg.conf and the old xorg.conf, and modify your xorg.conf to reflect your older copy as needed (Special keyboards, displays, etc). DON'T change anything that says "nvidia' instead of 'nv'
  • Reboot.
Except for the xorg.conf (If you have a previously modified version), it's as easy as saying 'Yes'

How much easier CAN it get?

mlangdn 12-14-2010 07:12 PM

I run a 64 bit system only and I never say yes to installing the 32 bit libraries. I've never had a problem running only the Nvidia binary.

T3slider 12-14-2010 07:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cwwilson721 (Post 4191603)
Everybody is STILL confused...Nvidia is, by far, the easiest proprietary driver to install and configure. Why use package managers? It adds a layer that is, IMO, useless. The driver itself can, and does, uninstall nicely. So, I just use the NV*run file ONLY.

If you want to switch back and forth between the nVidia drivers and nv or nouveau or what have you, you would have to reinstall xorg-server every time you switch (and reinstall the nVidia drivers every time you switch back, or if you upgrade xorg-server [which has been updated in patches/]). With the packaged drivers using the SlackBuild from slackbuilds.org, the convenient nvidia-switch script is included and files are renamed and symlinked instead of overwritten. No reinstallation needed. Additionally it is nice to have as many applications packaged up as possible to make their removal consistent (otherwise you begin to build up an 'exception' list that needs tending to).
Quote:

Originally Posted by cwwilson721 (Post 4191603)
Here's how to install a Nvidia driver:
...
  • If you run a 64bit OS, ALWAYS install the 32bit libraries (Or you won't get opengl to work correctly)

Only if you run multilib. Otherwise 32-bit libraries are pointless. Having said that, I'm not sure if it even prompts you on pure 64-bit systems.
Quote:

Originally Posted by cwwilson721 (Post 4191603)
How much easier CAN it get?

Having a good open source driver included with the kernel that can be autodetected by Xorg without having to go through this process in the first place. Of course, that is out of the question at the moment (at least for nVidia).

Noway2 12-15-2010 03:17 AM

I agree that in theory is quite easy and in most cases I am sure that it is. In fact, installing the drivers in slackware is easier than it used to be in Ubuntu where you used to have to go through a whole process with depmod and insmod and the driver would clobber your wireless networking in the process. In simple terms there appears to be three major components: the kernel module, the driver, and xorg-conf and the .run file is supposed to modify all three of them. I had the experience of having something go wrong in the process and used an alternative method to success. I don't recall being asked if I want to download a module, but I do recall it running a build process. I am not certain of what part of the process went wrong but I haven't taken the time to investigate it thoroughly either. I am reasonably certain that I did not do anything unwarranted or make a procedural mistake.

Drakeo 12-15-2010 09:08 PM

Quote:

It turns out that there is a rather lengthy release notes read me file for the drive
if you just extract the the driver and compile it you can go in and read that read me file it has been there a long time.
I thought that was already covered.Diferent kernels different xorg's in current it was a must to do a full unistall.
do to the newer mesa and xorg lib's

EonSlack 12-15-2010 11:54 PM

I got it awhile ago, sorry. I was so excited to get it working i played HoN for a week straight... :D I got it with the 2nd posts idea. So thank you, kind sir.


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