Mandrake 9 & NVIDIA driver problems

[Rodney]

I cannot get an X session to start on my computer. I did a fresh install of Mandrake 9 and downloaded the NVIDIA kernel & GLX files as mentioned on the NVIDIA site. I successfully installed both and edited my XF86Config-4 file, but I still cannot start X. When I try to, the screen flickers and then garbage comes on screen and locks up the computer. I have tried using a XF86Config-4 file that works on another computer, but no luck, the computer still freezes when I try to start X.

I have attached my XFree86.0.log file..HELP! :confused:

please let me know if you need more info.

[kenmhall1]

Originally posted by Rodney
I cannot get an X session to start on my computer. I did a fresh install of Mandrake 9 and downloaded the NVIDIA kernel & GLX files as mentioned on the NVIDIA site. I successfully installed both and edited my XF86Config-4 file, but I still cannot start X. When I try to, the screen flickers and then garbage comes on screen and locks up the computer. I have tried using a XF86Config-4 file that works on another computer, but no luck, the computer still freezes when I try to start X.

I have attached my XFree86.0.log file..HELP! :confused:

please let me know if you need more info.

I'm not seeing your log file...if you could just cut and paste it to here or email it to me....also, if you could post a copy of your XF86Config-4 file - that would help...

Also, we have another thread under 'Mandrake 9 and nVidia' that you may glean useful information from.

[Rodney]

Here is my XF86Config-4 file:

# File generated by XFdrake.

# ************************************************** ********************
# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of
# this file.
# ************************************************** ********************

Section "Files"
# Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together)
# By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of
# the X server to render fonts.
FontPath "unix/:-1"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
#DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort)
#DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)
AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse doesn't work
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension
Load "v4l" # Video for Linux
Load "extmod"
Load "type1"
Load "freetype"
Load "glx" # 3D layer
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Keyboard1"
Driver "Keyboard"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "us"
Option "XkbOptions" ""
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Mouse1"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "IMPS/2"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "monitor1"
VendorName "Generic"
ModelName "1600x1200 @ 76 Hz"
HorizSync 31.5-94.0
VertRefresh 85-90

# Sony Vaio C1(X,XS,VE,VN)?
# 1024x480 @ 85.6 Hz, 48 kHz hsync
ModeLine "1024x480" 65.00 1024 1032 1176 1344 480 488 494 563 -hsync -vsync

# TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output.
# 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630

# 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync
ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "device1"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "screen1"
Device "device1"
Monitor "monitor1"
DefaultColorDepth 24

Subsection "Display"
Depth 8
Modes "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 15
Modes "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 16
Modes "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection

Subsection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1152x864" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"
EndSubsection
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "layout1"
InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer"
Screen "screen1"
EndSection

[bsaunder2002]

I get the exact same problem:
start X with the nvidia driver and the screen gets corrupted garbage. Typically white dots seperated by black as if a smaller screen had been shifted and enlarged to fit a higher resolution.

Guess what: I have the Gigabyte GA-7DPxdw too. (piece of stinking @$!&... pay extra for onboard audio and they dont support it in Win98...I only boot win98 for certain games why the hell am I going to pay to upgrade to xp/me/2k)

Sometimes the keyboard still works and ctrl-win-alt-printscreen-k will clear the screen but I get nothing else. Have to reset the machine.

Things I've tried(besides the correct config):
1- disableing AGP fast write in bios
2- setting AGP speed to 1x in bios
3- using NvAGP set to 0 ie Option "NvAgp" "0"
4- setting append="devfs=mount mem=nopentium" in lilo.conf
5- attempted to apply patch amd-adv-spec-caching-disable-2.4.19pre10-2 against stock 2.4.19 but it succeeded in only about 1/2 the hunks

Next attempt recompile kernel without agpgart.

Oh yeah this is a stock 2.4.19 kernel recompiled for SMP on a GA-7DPXDW. This is NOT a Mandrake kernel.

The system works fine with the "nv" driver.

Help!!!!!!!!!
Bill

[bsaunder2002]

Forgot my signature

[bwkaz]

2.4.19 should have the amd-adv-spec-cache-disable patch in it already. That's probably why your patch attempt failed.

ctrl-win-alt-printscreen-k Does Alt-SysRq-K (i.e. without all those extraneous keys) do the same thing? Since print-screen is the same key as SysRq, my guess is that you killed everything on that console when you hit that. Which would explain the black screen, sort of. Also try Alt-SysRq-U, S, and B, in that order. The first two should remount everything readonly (so you don't lose stuff when you reboot) and force a filesystem sync (again, to help with data loss on reboot), and the third insta-reboots.

Does telnet or ssh (preferably ssh, since telnet is inherently insecure, but whatever) work when then box is hung? Actually, make sure it works even when the box isn't hung, first.

Although it does sound like it could be a motherboard problem. I don't know, but that sounds reasonable at least... Might be something with SMP too, though I doubt it. Kernel SMP stuff gets a good bit of testing (and actually, I'm using a lot of it on my UP machine -- the -preempt kernel patch uses SMP's locking mechanisms to let the kernel be preempted at almost any point).

[bsaunder2002]

Well I recompiled my kernel without AGPGART but that didnt help. Still getting black screen or corrupted screen.

Thought I might try uni processor and it worked.

So now I have 2 boot entries in my lilo.conf
1- a kernel with SMP
2- a kernel without SMP

And I have 2 XF86Config-4 files I switch between
1- one that uses the "nv" driver for SMP
2- one that uses the "nvidia" driver for use without SMP when I want to play games

Just ran UT2003 with AGP in uniprocessor mode. Looks great.

Nvidia! Fix the SMP stuff. Remember HW accelerated graphics arent just for games. A lot of apps I have need both HW accel and SMP.

Bill

[bsaunder2002]

Well I was wrong...
The Gigabyte GA-7DPXDW I recieved came with version F2 of the bios. (See boot screen right where it counts memory, 3rd or 4th line down). We to the Gigabyte site and F3-F5 were available. F3 said "fixes lockups". I applied F5 and set everything up as specified in the readme and now I have OpenGL working with SMP.

YEAH!!! Baby...