NVIDIA-Linux-x86-71.86 patch?
 

I cannot find any patch to the NVIDIA-Linux-x86-71.86.14-pkg1.run. I know it needs a patch just like the other NVIDIA-Linux-x86 driver installers do. Sorry, but I am stuck with a Riva TNT2 video card, and the Nouveau driver just will not suffice for me. Mainly because there is no clear way described how to install it on Slackware 13.37.

OH! But there is a way to BLACKLIST the Nouveau driver (like that would help people).

In other words, because I have little money to go buy a good graphics card (BELIEVE IF I HAD IT I WOULD BUY IT!!!) I am STUCK with the crappy open source NV driver and have to use the swrast driver with Mesa3d. Does that sound fair to anybody else?

Nouvau is pre-installed on slackware 13.37.

I don't know of any patches for the nvidia drivers, if you can provide links to these patches I'll take a look.

links to patches
 

There are two of them on this page

Hope this helps. Thank you, tremendously. :D

Chaz

BTW: this is my error that kills it for me from the nvidia-installer.log file:

"/tmp/selfgz31279/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-71.86.13-pkg1/usr/src/nv/nv.c:317:5: error: unknown field 'ioctl' specified in initializer"


End result:

"... nvidia.ko failed to build! ..."

Try the latest version 71.86.14. If not, then try the source provided here:
http://packages.atrpms.net/dist/f14/...3.src.rpm.html
Just extract the RPM. It works on newer Fedora, so it should work here too.

nVidia tends to lag a bit behind the kernel release (depending on what you call 'released'). This is fairly typical set of events-

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=110088

Then a few days, weeks or months later-

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_d..._71.86.06.html

(I'm pretty sure that it was the 71.86.06 drivers that worked with kernel 2.6.25, if it wasnt them it was the 71.86.09 drivers from March 9, 2009).

They are still making new releases on even the ancient 71.XX drivers, and there is one comment in the "release highlights" page for the newest drivers-

Because the driver was realsed before the kernel (I'm assuming that you are using a 2.6.37 kernel, released January 05, 2011) if the driver needs patching it should be fixed in the next stable release. If not that release then the one after that. :|

But even if the 71.XX drivers are were your current problem is, the kernel is the least of your problems. 71.XX drivers will not support any version of xorg above xorg-server1.4.X. Slackware13.37 is using xorg-server-1.9.5, so your out of luck. Well, you could possibly try downgrading xorg-server, but thats where the breakage would start.

Even though the 71.XX cards are ancient, I'd almost expect a new release of 71.XX drivers some time over the next few months. Unless nVidia decides to stop playing with peoples minds by releasing drivers that will work with newer kernels, but only if you are going to use xorg-sever versions that were current in 2008....

So I am forced to figure out how to get nouveau working on my system. There is NO other way. Since 71.86.xx cards only work with xorg-server1.4.X, they are pretty much USELESS (thanks ever so much Nvidia). I had a old computer with a built-in matrox 8mb G-200 agp graphics, and I have had no problems getting that to function to date. Now I get this newer 32mb Nvidia Riva TNT2 graphics (built-in) desktop, and I cannot find support for it.


Okay. So I re-installed the xf86-video-nouveau graphics package, and let go of the open source xf86-video-nv package. How do I go about setting up /etx/X11/xorg.conf? How do i set the proper resolution 1280x960 and so forth?

Actually, Nvidia have 4 current drivers on their web site:

Latest Version: 270.41.19
Latest Legacy GPU version (71.86.xx series): 71.86.14
Latest Legacy GPU version (96.43.xx series): 96.43.19
Latest Legacy GPU version (173.14.xx series): 173.14.30

The 96.43.19 and 173.14.30 drivers only need an #include statement removed for kernel 2.6.39 (I posted the patch the other day), and 270.41.19 compiles up to 2.6.39 without patches. Unfortunately, I have no experience with the 71.86.14 driver.

does the same happen with 71.86.14?

The first thing you need to do is get rid of any change in the system made installing the proprietary driver, see basic questions #1 and #2 here
You shouldn't need to set up a an xorg.conf file as in Slackware-13.37 the X server is patched so that the nouveau X driver be preferred if available and if a nVidia GPU is detected.
And, make sure you made an 'upgradekg' (*not* 'installpkg') of xf86-video-nouveau-8bb82312-i486-1 as otherwise it will stay blacklisted. To make sure: 'removepkg' followed by 'installpkg' - but may be that's what you have already done ;)

P.S. I almost forgot: to set-up the resolution, use the 'xrandr' command. And if you have KDE installed, 'krandrtray' comes with a handy GUI.

By and large, for any GPU driver to work properly, I still set up a full xorg.conf as this makes my life a lot easier. YMMV. Also, for nv, nouveau, nvidia, and interestingly enough the vbox video driver, I still need to add, either in xorg.conf or in /etc/X11/xorg.conf.d/disable-composite.conf:
when using KDE (Xfce, fluxbox, blackbox are ok without it).

I maintain the slackbuilds on Slackbuilds.org for the proprietary nvidia drivers. I submitted an update for 270.41.19 (using it now, including multilib compatibility), but have not had a chance to properly test the slackbuilds for older cards. My 32-bit box has a gimpy AGP slot, the 64-bit box has no AGP, and my Geforce4 and 7600GS are kaput. I do still have 2 Riva TNT2 cards somewhere but I don't plan on supporting those. In fact, I may drop SBo support for all the older, legacy, cards as I have no way to properly test the packages - just because they build in a VM does not mean they will actually work.

In the meantime, at least for 13.37 as I plan providing SBo support, if anyone has suggestions, patches, etc for the legacy nvidia drivers, you can email me (see the slackbuild .info files) or ping my on the slackbuild-users mailing list.

The 270.xx.xx series supports Geforce 6, 7, 8, and 9. A bit of poking around may turn up these cards dirt cheap. For example, in my area Free Geek (a used computer recycle non-profit) http://www.freegeek.org/ has quite a number of "newer" Geforce cards, for $5-20US. That's basically a 2-3 six packs of quality microbrew craft beer, or a few less trips to a coffee shop. Newegg http://www.newegg.com has a few cheap deals on Geforce 6 and 8 cards.

Hello,

First post in LQ.
I can confirm that nVidia's 270.41.19 builds correctly and works with my lowly GE Force Fx540, on both the stock 13.37 release as well as with the most recent updated gcc additions. I will be trying out beowulf999's slackbuild package to standardize on the rest of my slackbuilds additions to the stock 13.37.

I tried using the nouveau as well as the vesa-fb drivers with Kaffeine 1.22 and have been unable to get kaffeine to play any files although kaffeine loaded normally. ( kaffeine xbu segmentation faults ).
The proprietary nVidia 270.41.19 solved the problem and my kaffeine installation works again.

Other than Kaffeine, the nouveau drivers works well in Slackware-13.37 with my nvidia Fx-450.

You get support, but only with the nv drivers (discontinued now) or nouveau. Cards that run 71.XX drivers should all run with either of those driver, so they arent exactly 'useless'. The closed drivers would (could? should?) be a bit better than nouveau, but with 12 year old cards you are never going to get great performance, no matter the drivers.....

FX540? *blinks* It cant be a geforce card (the FX series cards are all 4 digit numbers, wont run with the 270.XX drivers, and there never was a FX5400 anyway). Its probably some quadro version, most likely a quadro FX540.

NVIDIA-Linux-x86-71.86 patch? Reply to Thread
 

FX540? *blinks* It cant be a geforce card (the FX series cards are all 4 digit numbers, wont run with the 270.XX drivers, and there never was a FX5400 anyway). Its probably some quadro version, most likely a quadro FX540.[/QUOTE]

My mistake. QUADRO FX540 it is.
Thanks for pointing it out.