I'm writing this out because I've been having troubles getting the latest ati driver to compile and install on a mostly stock Slackware 11.0. I have a FireGL T2 card in my machine, and I'm running a 2.6.19.7 kernel. I should add that the 8.34.8 fglrx driver compiles and installs without any issues. Has anyone else had troubles getting the latest ati driver to install? Do I need to patch it like you need to with a 2.6.20 kernel?

I got a ati radeon 9200 graphics card
in my linux box and I installed the driver with
no problems.It's a .run file so I don't know why
you're having problems.I
usually install the driver like this,
I cd 2 the location where the driver is, then I su
and run sh ./ati-driver-installer-8.28.8.run
and follow the setup instructions.
Then I run /usr/X11R6/bin/aticonfig --initial
to configure the driver and I then reboot.

Yeah, that's the process I've been going through, right up until I get through the setup instructions, then when exiting, I get an error saying that the module failed to compile. Can you tell me what kernel your running on? I'm thinking that that may be the problem, but I am loathe to recompile an earlier kernel version just to test whether that's the source of the problem. Maybe that's what I'll have to do though.

I'm running the 2.6.17.13 kernel that can with my slackware install dvd.
I don't know maybe you can try redownloading the driver maybe it was a bad driver who knows.
You installed the kernel headers and kernel source ?

Hi
I've got the same problems, but i got no solution for you. I've tried with kernel 2.6.19.4 & 2.6.19.7. The old driver 8.34.8 compiles without any issues.

The error log:

[Message] Kernel Module : Trying to install a precompiled kernel module.
[Message] Kernel Module : Precompiled kernel module version mismatched.
[Message] Kernel Module : Found kernel module build environment, generating kernel module now.
ATI module generator V 2.0
==========================
initializing...
cleaning...
patching 'highmem.h'...
assuming new VMA API since we do have kernel 2.6.x...
Assuming default VMAP API
Assuming default munmap API
doing Makefile based build for kernel 2.6.x and higher
make -C /lib/modules/2.6.19.7/build SUBDIRS=/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x modules
make[1]: Entering directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.19.7'
CC [M] /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.o
In file included from /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/drm_proc.h:41,
from /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:357:
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/drmP.h:126:1: warning: "DRM_DEBUG_CODE" redefined
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:177:1: warning: this is the location of the previous definition
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:475: warning: initialization from incompatible pointer type
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c: In function `firegl_stub_open':
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:598: warning: assignment discards qualifiers from pointer target type
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c: In function `__ke_request_irq':
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:2676: warning: passing arg 2 of `request_irq' from incompatible pointer type
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c: In function `KAS_ExecuteAtLevel':
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:4789: warning: 'flags' might be used uninitialized in this function
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c: In function `KAS_SlabCache_Destroy':
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:5008: error: void value not ignored as it ought to be
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c: At top level:
/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.c:2425: warning: 'deferred_flush' defined but not used
make[2]: *** [/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x/firegl_public.o] Error 1
make[1]: *** [_module_/lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod/2.6.x] Error 2
make[1]: Leaving directory `/usr/src/linux-2.6.19.7'
make: *** [kmod_build] Error 2
build failed with return value 2
[Error] Kernel Module : Failed to compile kernel module - please consult readme.

Edit 1.
I use the driver on my laptop on a x700 mobility btw

I got the fglrx 8.35.5 drivers to install with kernel 2.6.20.4 .

I had an incredibly hard time getting the proprietary drivers installed on my Thinkpad T60. I had to use them because the open source ones don't support my card yet, Mobility x1400.I found a fix for either fglrx 8.32.5 and a 2.6.19 kernel and fglrx 8.34.8 or fglrx 8.35.5 with the 2.6.20 kernel(Bottom of page). http://www.thinkwiki.org/wiki/Problems_with_fglrx

Basically, try one of those kernels that match the fglrx driver. Go through the usual install, which will probably fail, and then when we begin the patching.

Grab the patch specific to your kernel and driver. As root,cd to /lib/modules/fglrx/build_mod. Execute . If it patches successfully, then execute ./make. If you didn't get any error messages, cd to /lib/modules/fglrx and execute ./make_install . If again you don't get any error messages, it has successfully compiled and test loaded the module. You will probably want to run aticonfig --initial to have it set up your xorg.conf. Restart X and enjoy.

You may have to try a newer kernel to match the driver patch, but unfortunately, this is the only way I figured out how to do it. But it works.

Hope this helps,

Josh