descriptor table corrupt after nVidia driver install

[Chris Fink]

We have a dual-boot dual-processor Dell Precision 420 running Win2000Pro and RedHat 7.1. We just installed an MSI G4Ti4200 nVidia card and got it working under Windows, but are having problems doing the same in Linux.

The short version is this -- the driver installation procedure left us with a corrupt descriptor table, as evidenced by an otherwise blank screen with the letters "LIL-". I understand this is LILO speak for a corrupt descriptor table.

The long version: We visited the nVidia site
http://www.nvidia.com/view.asp?IO=linux_display_1.0-3123
and downloaded the following:

README
NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-3123.tar.gz
NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-3123.rh71up.i686.rpm
NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-3123.rh71smp.i686.rpm

(I didn't know the difference between UP and SMP versions at the time, so I downloaded both. Only one (the UP version) was installed, since I recognized Linux-UP as a boot option).

I then booted into Linux-UP console mode, and followed the directions in the README file. These are the commands used:

tar xvzf NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-3123.tar.gz
rpm -ivh NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-3123.rh71up.i686.rpm
cd NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-3123
make install

Everything looked OK, though I wouldn't know what to look for anyway. I then checked the XFree86.0.log file to see where the XF86Config file was, moved to that directory and updated it (XF86Config-4) to:

a. Replace: Driver "nv" with Driver "nvidia"
b. Confirm: Load "glx"
c. Remove: Load "dri" and Load "GLcore"

The directions state that I'm now ready to restart X. Not knowing how to do so, I blundered ahead by typing "X" [return]. I got an nVidia splash screen which quickly turned into a sort of textured background with an "X" cursor. But nothing I did or clicked at this point would proceed or get me out of there short of a reboot.

So, I rebooted. What usually happens is that I receive a Microsoft boot loader which asks whether I want Windows or Linux, then after selecting Linux I get a second boot loader (LILO, I guess) which asks if I want Linux or Linux-UP. This time, after selecting Linux on the first screen, the screen went blank except for the "LIL-" message described above.

I'm not sure how to fix corrupted descriptor tables, but if it requires being at a Linux prompt, then I guess I'm out of luck. I can, however, access the files on my Linux partition through Windows via explore2fs.

Any solutions would be greatly appreciated.

- Chris Fink, cfink@jrmtech.com


LILO Configuration:

boot = /dev/sda
map = /boot/map
timeout = 50
linear
prompt
message = /boot/message
default = linux
vga = normal
read-only
install=/boot/boot.b
image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.2-2smp
label = linux
append = "hdc=ide-scsi"
initrd = /boot/initrd-2.4.2-2smp.img
root = /dev/sda6
image = /boot/vmlinuz-2.4.2-2
label = linux-up
append = "hdc=ide-scsi"
initrd = /boot/initrd-2.4.2-2.img
root = /dev/sda6

[crimsun]

Sounds like you need to reinstall LILO (or use GRUB instead?) on the partition where it was initially installed. If you have a rescue boot diskette, boot into Linux using it (passing LILO the 'root=/dev/sda6' line), then rerun '/sbin/lilo -v' (as root).

When you rebooted instead of using ctrl+alt+backspace to kill X, depending on what filesystem type you're using in RH 7.1, the journal needed to be replayed (the scripts will run fsck to do this for you), or fsck needed to be run (ditto). I assume you should have used 'startx' instead of invoking 'X' directly.