Fedora Core 3 and nVidia drivers - Solution

[pucko]

So I just installed Fedora Core 3 plus the nVidia drivers on my Amd64, and the result was a system that hang on "Configuring kernel parameters.

Here what I did to fix it:

1) Interrupt Grub from booting, edit the bootparameters with "e"-key, and remove the "rhgb"-parameter from the boot parameters. The continue booting normally. (This will skip the graphical boot in Fedora.)

2) Fedora complains about not being able to start GDM, ignore it and cancel all questions to get to the login prompt.

3) Login as root, enter "init 3" to go to single-user mode. Enter "modprobe nvidia" to load the nvidia-module.

4) Finally, enter "cp -a /dev/nvidia* /etc/udev/devices/" to fix the boot problem.

5) Now just enter "init 5" and you're back in business.

This solved my problem and now it boots fine. Maybe my experience will help others too?

Fedora Core 3 Amd64 (final release)
Geforce 2MX400
nVidia Amd64 drivers (NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-6629)

[Spyke]

This post relates to any FC3 install, so somebody should sticky this thread so others can see it. Many people have posted about this problem.

[morr]

3) Login as root, enter "init 3" to go to single-user mode. Enter "modprobe nvidia" to load the nvidia-module.

4) Finally, enter "cp -a /dev/nvidia* /etc/udev/devices/" to fix the boot problem.

5) Now just enter "init 5" and you're back in business.

This solved my problem and now it boots fine. Maybe my experience will help others too?

A couple of points. init 3 isn't single user mode. It's standard multi-user mode, non-graphical log in. You could achive the same result by either changing the default runlevel in /etc/inittab, or adding a '3' to the end of the boot parameters at boot time interactively or thru editing /boot/grub.conf.

Secondly, I have a similar config, though 32 bit. I would be curious to see if you could logout and back in several times after doing the above. I can get the system to work (mostly) the first time I start X with 6629 drivers, but subsequent startups cause the system to hang hard. I am reasonably sure it's related to the 2.6 kernel, but it would be interesting to know if the same behaviour occurred on a 64 bit system.

[pucko]

No problem here. I've rebooted several times, and it just works.
I did however ran an up2date to update everything to current before installing the nv-drivers.

[Seve]

Pucko:

Just wanted to pass on a note ot thanks

Your solution seems to work.

Seve

[Spyke]

Can somebody sticky this???????
Or are we going to have the same situation like last time with the million threads of 2.6.9 not working due to a VMALLOC symbol?

[ExileInParadise]

Pucko,
Thanks very much for figuring out the udev updates needed to make the NVidia driver work through RHGB and persistent reboots.

Without the step to copy the /dev/nvidia* to /etc/udev/devices the NVidia driver would work, then "disappear" on the next reboot.

I have a Fedora Core 3, i686 box and your steps worked for me.

Thanks again!

[molten2]

same for me thx

[ciper]

What about the problems with the TNT2 users? Has anyone got the latest drivers to work with this? Any patch available?

[stanmc]

Originally Posted by pucko

Here what I did to fix it:

1) Interrupt Grub from booting, edit the bootparameters with "e"-key, and remove the "rhgb"-parameter from the boot parameters. The continue booting normally. (This will skip the graphical boot in Fedora.)

I haven't the foggiest idea of how to interrupt Grub, <newbie at this level> and I don't know about the "e"-key. Are you referring to the option of entering I for interactive? Could I just remove "rhgb" from the grub.conf file and achieve the same result?

[jpmcc]

Originally Posted by stanmc

I haven't the foggiest idea of how to interrupt Grub, <newbie at this level> and I don't know about the "e"-key. Are you referring to the option of entering I for interactive? Could I just remove "rhgb" from the grub.conf file and achieve the same result?

When you get to the grub screen where you can choose the OS, move the selection to another OS (if you have one configured). This stops the 'will boot in 5 secs' timer.

Move the selection back onto the Linux install that you are interested in and press 'e'. you are then presented with the contents of the grub.conf file for that entry. Select the line to edit, then press 'e' again and you are taken into the grub 'shell' where you can edit the line. I think, pressing enter takes you back, then pressing 'b' resumes the boot process.

I hope that is correct as I'm doing this from memory cos I'm not infront of a linux box at the moment, and I only discovered how to do that the other night, however there are prompts (I think).

[Groovel76]

Originally Posted by stanmc

I haven't the foggiest idea of how to interrupt Grub, <newbie at this level> and I don't know about the "e"-key. Are you referring to the option of entering I for interactive? Could I just remove "rhgb" from the grub.conf file and achieve the same result?

At the menu where you choose what OS you want to boot just press E on your keyboard. Unless you have FC3 in which a splash screen was added so you don't see your choices unless you press ESC winthin 5 seconds or something. I can't remember, I removed that splash screen line from grub.conf after my first boot.

But yes you can edit grub.conf.