Unofficial nVidia HOWTO [RPM version]

Hi,

I have just got a Toshiba Satellite Pro 6100 and I installed Red Hat 7.3. I can install Nvidia driver but I cannot configure correctly my video resolution.

Can anyone help me please ? Can anyone send me a working XF86Config-4 file?

thanks a lot in advance

Actually, I used Phlanx's instructions (before they existed) with a generic Slack 8.0 install, and they worked fine... going to install 8.1 now, and I'll tell you if they work.

Nice tutorial, but I still cant get mine to work:

Ive got Geforce4 ti4200 on a clean mandrake 8.2 setup, and ive downloaded the correct kernel and glx packages and installed them, but then i get stuck:

The XFree86 -configure command doesn't seem to exist on my system. I get an error, something like "bash: XFree86 no such command" or something to that effect.

Also i cant find the XFree86 log file anywhere, not in /var/log or anywhere else (did a search, found nothing). Also in my /etc/X11 theres both XFConfig and XFConfig-4 files. No changes i make to the v4 config files seem to have any effect, also my XFConfig file doesnt hava a module section. Can i just squeeze one in there?

Please note, ive not installed any other nvidia driver as of yet, is there something i'm missing, or should have installed already? Ive also followed the nvidia driver setup readme step by step, and to no avail.

Pleeeaaassseee help!

ever thought of submitting your tutorial to linuxnewbie.org ?

Hi:
I am a nooby to linux, and I have a problem:
I have read all the postings in this forum and many others, and I have read and followed the directions of the README file of nVidia. Here is the situation:
I was able to install Redhad Linux 7.3 on my machine (which already has WinME and WinXP...long story!). I have a 1.3 MHz Pentium 4 HP pavilion with 640 megs of RDRAM and have recently installed the nVidia G4 TI 4600, 128 megs. When I installed Linux, the choices I was given for video card included G4 generic, which I chose. I also have a Pavilion mx90 CRT, but the exact monitor was not available as a choice upon installation. Instead, I chose the Pavilion M90 19inch screen.
Upon rebooting, I get the flickering screen that is followed by automatic pausing of X-server for 5 minutes.
Since my bootloader is Grub, I booted to a command line and downloaded the nVidia drivers using lynx (I also used the wget command). I tried all of the steps described here and in the README file. I have tried the rpm versions, the src versions and the tar versions. I have corrected the config file as described in all these documents.

In spite all this I keep running into the same problem.

My guess is that my screen configuration is causing the problem. But I don't know how to manipulate the config file to make it suite my screen. Another possiblity (I could be wrong) is that something is wrong with my XFree86 and perhapse installing linux without x then installing X could help (I really don't know if that is possible). And the last possiblity is that the motherboard somehow has a video component that is just not recognized by linux. I don't know how to find that out. The system works perfectly on the other OSs on my machine.

I would appreciate any help I could get...Thanks.

something is wrong with xf86config file at a guess, you need to change the screen section so the monitor is the same as yours or a generic one,

yes you can install linux without x, or (don't know if this works with red hat) you can use recovery mode i think

[utiel]

For Mandrake 8.2 users, you have to download these files ( if you have NO plans of compile your own kernel)

http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86_4...k82up.i586.rpm
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86_4...-2960.i386.rpm

The easy way to get Nvidia work is install both files:

rpm -i NV*.rpm

if they are installed, then rpm -U --force NV*.rpm

Then , editing manually /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 ( or XF86Config it -4 not exist )

Search "nv" and change to "nvidia" in section "Device"

Section "Device"
# no known options
Identifier "RIVA TNT2"
Driver "nvidia" # Changed <----------
VendorName "RIVA TNT2"
BoardName "RIVA TNT2"
# These are my own options

Option "IgnoreEDID" "true"
Option "NoLogo" "true"
Option "NvAGP" "1" #AGP internal
EndSection

In section module, Delete or comment "dri" and "GLcore"

Section "Module"
# Load "dri"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod" # Load "fbdevhw"
Load "glx" # Load "record"
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"
EndSection


Now, when you restart your Xserver, Nvidia should work,
try:
/sbin/modprobe NVdriver
before restarting, to avoid problems with not installed Nvidia's rpm's

good luck

[utiel]

Originally posted by yaddab
Hi:
I am a nooby to linux, and I have a problem:
I have read all the postings in this forum and many others, and I have read and followed the directions of the README file of nVidia. Here is the situation:
I was able to install Redhad Linux 7.3 on my machine........

Try this:

boot in "init 3", or when X crash, enter as root and write "init 3" ( to kill your X Server )

If you have installed Nvidia RPMs, uninstall it.

To know if the are installed
~$ rpm -qa | grep NV
NVIDIA_GLX-1.0-2960
NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-2960

To erase
rpm -e NVIDIA_GLX NVIDIA_kernel

Now we have a clean system.

Starting from 0:

Run XConfigurator
select you graphic card(generic), monitor, etc.

Now we have an XFree86 config file, like when instaling From CD.

install Nvidia RPM's
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86_4...-2960.i386.rpm
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86_4...h73up.i686.rpm


rpm -i NV*.rpm

Now, edit the config file

vi /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
or this if above doesn't exist
vi /etc/X11/XF86Config

Delete or comment "dri" and "GLcore" lines (if they exist )

Section "Module"
# Load "dri"
Load "dbe"
Load "extmod"# Load "fbdevhw"
Load "glx"# Load "record"
Load "freetype"
Load "type1"
EndSection


Change "nv" to "nvidia" in Device Section

Section "Device"
# no known options
Identifier "RIVA TNT2"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "RIVA TNT2"
BoardName "RIVA TNT2"

# These are my personal options
Option "IgnoreEDID" "true"
Option "NoLogo" "true"
Option "NvAGP" "1"
EndSection

I think that's ALL, save your config file, try to load Nvidia driver doing

/sbin/insmod NVdriver (or /sbin/modprobe NVdriver ) and start Xserver, with

startx

(You can now if it works)

"NvAGP" Option: In my system, I use Nvidia internal AGP (440BX, intel PII )

1: Nvidia AGP
2: kernel AGP
3: kernel AGP, then Nvidia AGP
0: disable AGP, act as PCI

"IgnoreEDID" option:
My monitor suports 1280x1024, but tells to driver that 1280x968 is max resolution, ignore monitor PnP


I hope that this can help you, and I didnt forget nothing important.

NOTE:
If you compile a new kernel, you need to recompile NVdriver ( and install it too )

The only thing I need to know is where exactly in the XF86Config-4 file do you put "NvAGP" "1"? I can't keep experimenting becuase it's locking the system up so hard that I'm not shutting the system down correctly. That's hard on the drives.

I'd appreciate it if someone can let me in on it.

Thanx,
BDKR

Doh!



OK, Now that I see, what's curious is that I have TWO device sections.

Strange.

Thanx,
BDKR

Utiel:

-----------------------------------------------------------
rpm -i NV*.rpm

if they are installed, then rpm -U --force NV*.rpm

-----------------------------------------------------------


that's where ya lose me. Do I need to log out of my account, into root and get all that into a terminal or can I do that in su terminal from my own account?


Just making sure that "rpm -i NV*.rpm" is short for the entire file name of the kernal and GLX file?

its not short for it, if you run that command it'll uninstall any files that start with NV and end with RPM,