X won't start after installing drivers

[poppa_pump]

I'm a newbie at this.
I just downloaded and installed the nvidia drivers for my geforce 2 ultra graphics card. I followed instructions from a thread I read from the nvidia's forum and everything installed perfectly. The only thing I didn't do is restart my X-Server because, I installed it from out of X-Windows. Now when I try to start X-Windows, the nvidia splash screen pops up for a second and disappears. (That's what it should do, I think?) But then it sits there for about 1-2 minutes with a blue screen and the nvidia splash screen pops up and diappears 3-4 more times, 1 second apart each time and then takes me to a command prompt.
I looked at my /var/log/XF86Config file (I forget the exact name) and it shows no errors, none that I can see. I'm thinking it has something to do with the X-Server not being restarted. By rebooting the system, does that restart the X-Server? If it does, then I get the same thing. How can I restart the X-Server and when I boot up my system, how can I get to a command prompt without going right into X-Windows from LILO Boot screen?

Any help is greatly appreciated?

[bwkaz]

Post your /var/log/XFree86.0.log file. You're running into errors trying to get X started, and the errors will be somewhere in that file.

You can boot to non-graphical mode by editing your kernel command line at the lilo prompt before you hit return to do the booting -- add a space and a 3 to the end of it.

Once you get to a runlevel-3 boot (which is what this does), then log in as your normal user, su to root, modprobe NVdriver, then exit and try to startx. If it doesn't work, then post the log file (as an attachment).

[Skilless]

Originally posted by poppa_pump
I'm thinking it has something to do with the X-Server not being restarted....

Actually, just the opposite. XFree86 is being restarted everytime, right after it fails. If you time it right, you could try hitting Alt + Ctrl + F2 (or F3, F4, F5 or F6) to switch to another terminal, or just enter runlevel 3 (init 3) at boot. X is trying to start in the first terminal, so you want to try and switch to another terminal, and then kill the X process so that it doesn't keep restarting over and over again. Once you get to a different terminal, run "top" and kill the X process and anything associated to it (kdm, gdm, kde3, etc.). Now, reinstall the nvidia kernel/GLX and edit your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file as mentioned elsewhere (nv -> nvidia, Load "glx").



Originally posted by poppa_pump
I... how can I get to a command prompt without going right into X-Windows from LILO Boot screen?


While you're here (alternate terminal), you need to edit how you boot. You probably should boot using rc3.d (don't boot X automatically) instead of rc5.d (boot into X automatically) so that you can check your changes. If X crashes in init =3, you'll fall back to the CLI with an error message and you can make some changes. Otherwise you'll stay in that infinite loop of; startx, X crashes, startx, X crashes, etc, etc, etc.