Problem with GeForce4 Ti4200 AGP 8x with SuSE 8.0

[Antwnhs]

Hello to all.
I have a problem and I need some help.
I have the XFX GeForce4 Ti 4200 AGP8x card, and I can't run SuSE 8.0 using it. Here's the story:
Whenever I booted my computer to install Linux, I could read the first screen where I chose to perform an installation, but after that the screen was unreadable. The picture was as it would be if I had set a screen resolution which my monitor wouldn't support. I could see four distorted copies of the same screen (four mouse pointers for example) but they were totally unreadable. I use the Sony SDM S71 monitor, and I have also tried another CRT monitor, with the same results. I thought that the problem could be my graphics adapter, so I plugged it out, and enabled the onboard adapter of my motherboard. The problem then disappeared, and I was able to install Linux. After the installation, I switched back to the XFX card, but whenever I choose to boot in Linux the screen remains blank (the card works perfectly with Windows). There is no problem with the onboard adapter. Everything seems to work fine when I'm using it. I tried to install the drivers for SuSE 8.0 that I found at the NVIDIA page but I am a new Linux user and I am not sure that I have done everything correctly.
I would like some simple, specific steps to perform and verify the installation of the drivers.

If someone knows anything and/or has experienced something similar, please let me know.

Thanks,
Anthony

[bonni]

Hi Anthony

I had the same problem with Suse 8.1. I solved this by installing Suse 8.1 in text mode.
On the first screen where you chose to perform an installation select the most left button on the bottom.
Since you know have already installed your Linux you have now to get your Ti 4200 card running.
1. switch the starting runnlevel to 3 (No X-Server), reboot your system and login as root on the command prompt.
2. Start yast2 and select install new software and search for nvidia packages (you can navigate with the TAB-Button). select them for installation.
3. Search for your current driver modules and mark them to remove.
4. start update (ok)
5. select Hardware -> Graphic Card and start the configuration.
6. leave yast 2
7. type startx.
The X-Server should now start.

But I have also a problem to install the NVIDIA drivers version 1.0 4191. This driver I couldn't get to work and I asked for support by nvidia. If you can manage to get this driver to work please let me know.

Hope I could help

Christian

[Antwnhs]

You sure did help. At least I have some more attempts to make. Since I know practically nothing about linux, could you describe your instructions in a more simple way? for example what do you mean by "switch the starting runnlevel to 3"? how should I do that?

Thank you, and sorry about the trouble I'm putting you in...

Anthony

[bonni]

Hi Anthony

Yes sure. I played around to get the TI card running with the driver from Nvidia but didn't succed so far so I went back to the "original" driver from Suse.

Ok you are new at Linux (welcome) so I had to be a bit clearer.


As for all unices the GUI is not part of the OS. It is a client server program in which the GUI (KDE,GNOME and many more) is the client and the X-Server is the server.
You can know tell your system which programs (processes) it should start and in which order during booting short with which runlevel it should start. There are several predefined runlevels which are the same for most unices (shutdown (0), single user mode, no network, no X-Server (3), with X-Server (5) etc..)

If you boot your Linux and it asks you for login in a graphically environment than it booted under runlevel 5. But because you will install a new graphic card and driver which could fail, your system should boot up with runlevel 3. So you only have a commandline console.
How to do this.

Under X (KDE) start the Control Center and there under Yast2/modules/System/Bootloader you can select the runlevel 3.

-Reboot your system. After starting up again it should show you the login prompt in a DOS like environment (But your system is completle started execpt the X-Server for the GUI).
-Login as user root (Administrator under Windows)
-Shutdown your system (type init 0) and install the new card.
-Boot your system and login as root.
Than follow the instruction from 2-7

If your GUI is running (now logged in as root) you can put back your runleve to 5 (Same way as before as you put it to 3).

I hope it's now a bit clearer.
If you really are interested in Linux you should read the documentation comming with Suse, because it an other world than Windows.

Christian

PS: I found some interesting solutions for the insatllation of the driver (1.0 4191) downloaded from Nvidia. I'll check out this and if I find out more I'll let you know.

[Antwnhs]

Thank you very much Christian. I understood your instructions and I'm going to test them as soon as possible. Unfortunately I'm leaving on a trip tomorrow and I'll be back in 4-5 days. I'll contact you then in case I need more details.
For now, I'd like you to tell me how to locate the original driver modules in Yast2.

Thanks,
Anthony