Green display on GeForce2 MX 200 with 96.43.11 driver

[CharlesWGreenJr]

Hi all,

A search of the Linux and Legacy forums didn't turn up any likely-looking matches, so here goes:

According to ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/185.19/README/appendix-a.html it appears my GeForce2 MX 200 should be supported under the 96.43.11 driver; however, this gives me a green monochrome screen. If I run under the 71.86.09 driver it looks fine.

The reason this is more of an issue now than in the past is that the 71.86.09 driver doesn't appear to support the new X.Org 1.5+ servers, while per http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_x86_96.43.11.html the 96.43.11 driver does, so I'm unable to upgrade to the latest X11 software.

I'm not sure what other features / performance I'm missing by not being able to run my card under the 96.43.XX legacy drivers, but if anyone has a suggestion for how to get past the 'green screen of incompatibility' I'd appreciate hearing about it!

I'll collect more data and post it as a followup when I get a chance, assuming this isn't a known (by someone somewhere) issue.

Thanks,

Charles Green

[saturnotaku]

First, this question should have been posted in the Linux forum itself. Second, why not spend a little bit on a newer video card that will have support for more current drivers? Assuming that you don't have a PCI-Express motherboard, you can buy a PCI GeForce 8400 for less than $50.

[CharlesWGreenJr]

First, this question should have been posted in the Linux forum itself. Second, why not spend a little bit on a newer video card that will have support for more current drivers? Assuming that you don't have a PCI-Express motherboard, you can buy a PCI GeForce 8400 for less than $50.

S-

Thanks for your comments. In reference to your first statement, the Linux forum appeared to be oriented more toward the newer cards, so I felt that posting here might be more appropriate, since the drivers in question are referred to as 'legacy'; however, per your suggestion I have also posted there as well.

In response to your question, the system involved actually belongs to my company, so I'm reluctant to put too much cash into it only to have to walk away from it whenever I must leave in the future. It's also a bit of a 'showcase' to demonstrate Linux's flexibility with supporting older, limited hardware.

It originally had a VGA card and I wanted a graphics adapter which supported DVI at 1600x1200 to give the best possible image on the monitor provided by the company (I find lots of 'xterm's with tiny fonts all displayed simultaneously are the most productive for my situation). It also has an older AGP slot which does not support the newer, faster, lower voltage cards (I've already tried two), and I was able to find this GeForce card for about $4 plus shipping.

(I also find the fact that this chip doesn't even require its own heat sink, much less cooling fan, to be more environmentally-conscious than a higher-powered solution, since its mission in life right now is simply to display Xwindows to support my workday tasks.)

-Charles