New Drivers and My Kernel Headers?

[Big Bear]

nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Mon Apr 14 18:04:56 2003

option status:
license pre-accepted : false
update : false
force update : false
expert : false
uninstall : false
driver info : false
no precompiled interface: false
no ncurses color : false
query latest driver ver : false
no OpenGL header files : false
no questions : false
silent : false
XFree86 install prefix : /usr/X11R6
OpenGL install prefix : /usr
Installer install prefix: /usr
kernel include path : (not specified)
kernel install path : (not specified)
proc mount point : /proc
ui : (not specified)
tmpdir : /tmp
ftp site : ftp://download.nvidia.com

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
-> License accepted.
-> No precompiled kernel interface was found to match your kernel; would you li
ke the installer to attempt to download a kernel interface for your kernel f
rom the NVIDIA ftp site (ftp://download.nvidia.com)? (Answer: Yes)
-> No matching precompiled kernel interface was found on the NVIDIA ftp site;
this means that the installer will need to compile a kernel interface for
your kernel.
ERROR: Unable to find the kernel header files for the currently running kernel.
Please make sure you have installed the kernel header files for your
kernel; on Red Hat Linux systems, for example, be sure you have the
'kernel-source' rpm installed. If you know the correct kernel header
files are installed, you may specify the kernel include path with the
'--kernel-include-path' commandline option.
ERROR: Installation has failed. Please see the file
'/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for details. You may find suggestions
on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux
driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

That is my error log, I am new to linux, pretty much anyways, I have SOME understanding, but it is extremmly basic. Only today was I able to install something, XPde, and that didn't install correctly, but it "ran". Just so you get the idea of how new I am.

But one thinG Ih ave never been able to do is install drivers for anything in Linux, including these new drivers. Yesterday I installed Slackware 9, until then I hadn't used Linux for months. But when it tried finding a kernal header, it couldn't so it asked if it could download one off of NVIDIA's site, but it couldn;t find one there either.

Any help?

Ohh yeah, and hello, I am new :afro:

[Big Bear]

I forgot to add...

Slackware 9 semi-Freshly Installed
Pentium4 2.4B @ 2.716
512MB DDR434 Corsiar XMS
Gigabyte 8SG667(SiS648)
ABIT Siluro GeForce4 Ti4600

[bwkaz]

Grab Slack's kernel-source package, and install it. That should fix the problem.

Alternatively, I believe (though I'm not sure) that Slack recommends you install a fresh kernel from kernel.org after installation of the operating system. I don't know for sure, but I heard that about one distro, and it was either Debian or Slack.

Anyway, installing a new kernel from source will also fix the problem -- but make sure you boot to the new kernel before trying the installer again.

[Big Bear]

Originally posted by bwkaz
Grab Slack's kernel-source package, and install it. That should fix the problem.

Alternatively, I believe (though I'm not sure) that Slack recommends you install a fresh kernel from kernel.org after installation of the operating system. I don't know for sure, but I heard that about one distro, and it was either Debian or Slack.

Anyway, installing a new kernel from source will also fix the problem -- but make sure you boot to the new kernel before trying the installer again.

And how would I go about doing all of that?

[Big Bear]

I've looked all over and cannot find any of what you say, I did find a kernel update, but I dunno what to do to get it installed.

[bwkaz]

That would be a question for someone that actually uses Slackware, I don't really know...

Unless you meant to ask how to compile a kernel? There's a decent HOWTO at www.tldp.org, and there are also some pretty good help files at www.justlinux.com/nhf. I'd recommend the "Kernel Configuration and Compilation" one if you go there, even though it's a bit old (mentions incompatibilities beween 2.0 and 2.2 -- these exist between 2.2 and 2.4 as well, but that shouldn't be a problem for you).

[Big Bear]

If 2.4.20 is the latest, then Slackware 9 already has it, I guess that isn't my problem.

Anyone have any ideas?

[Andy Mecham]

The problem is that you don't have your kernel sources installed, or have them installed in a nonstandard place. If you don't have them installed, you need to grab the ones that match your kernel and install them. I'm not a Slackware expert either, but they should be on your install media somewhere.

--andy

[bwkaz]

Yes, I wasn't saying to upgrade your kernel because it has bugs (or whatever -- lack of features), I was saying to recompile it so that you'll have the sources in the right place.

[Big Bear]

OK, so how do I do that?

[bwkaz]

Originally posted by bwkaz
Unless you meant to ask how to compile a kernel? There's a decent HOWTO at www.tldp.org, and there are also some pretty good help files at www.justlinux.com/nhf. I'd recommend the "Kernel Configuration and Compilation" one if you go there, even though it's a bit old (mentions incompatibilities beween 2.0 and 2.2 -- these exist between 2.2 and 2.4 as well, but that shouldn't be a problem for you). I think this answers the question. If not, what are you confused about?

[Dreoth]

(make sure you have X dev files installed and other required packages)


download 2.4.20 from kernel.org
download 2.4.21-pre7 patch from kernel.org

unpack the 2.4.20 kernel into /usr/src
bunzip the patch file
mv /usr/src/linux-2.4.20 /usr/src/linux-2.4.21-pre7
cd /usr/src/linux-2.4.21-pre7
patch -p1 < /path/to/patchfile
make mrproper
make menuconfig
(configure you kernel, please rtfm on this)
make dep
make bzImage
make modules
make modules_install
cp arch/i386/boot/bzImage /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.21-pre7
cp System.map /boot/System.map-2.4.21-pre7
(edit your lilo or grub or whatever to see the new kernel, if lilo make SURE you run lilo after you edit)

reboot and reinstall nvidia drivers, alsa drivers, whatever is needed.

(Please read the justlinux site, this is just a rough rundown of how easy it is done...)