XF86Config problems **RESOLVED**

[kmc77]

Just got a Nvidia Geforce 5500 card for Christmas. In the process of trying to set the thing up, I fudged up my XF86Config file. Now I'm stuck. Can't use my new Nvidia card and can't use my old ATI card. I need a little advice on getting my comp back. I'm pretty sure I can get the old card working again if spend some time on it, but that's kind of counter productive, as I would rather spend my time getting the Nvidia card working.

 

I've followed the instructions in numerous threads that I've found, while googling (that's part of the reason I'm where I'm at) and haven't been able to get it going.

 

No luck with nvidia-glx

No luck with Nvidia's official drivers. ( It keeps saying It can't find my kernel source files, although I've downloaded)

 

Can someone with a little patience show some mercy on this poor fool. This is my first dance with Nvidia, so I'm probably overlooking something obvious. Any help would be appreciated.

Edited January 2, 2005 by kmc77

[polemicz]

Don't know if it will help, but I recently changed video cards for my 10.1 system from ati to nvidia. First off I booted into console, not X and changed the driver from radeon to nv in X config. No special drivers. Went back to X and all was fine. I then dl'd the kernel sources for my kernel and followed the nvidia directions for installing their drivers with no porblems. I assume you did all your installing not in X but console (init 3 or init 1). You should make sure your kernel sources match your kernel. Also the README with the nvidia drivers has some decent pointers (you can read it on their web site) if you have problems.

[kmc77]

Well I edited xF86Config again, and replaced "nvidia" with "nv", even tho all the guides specify "nvidia", and I can launch X now, but it doesn't seem right. Can't play games, screen's offset a little, etc. I'll google around for some exp. If anyone else can help me with some hints, I'd appreciate it.

[bvc]

Here my xorg.conf in ubuntu. Don't worry if you are XFree...same thing when concerning this file.

# XF86Config-4 (XFree86 X Window System server configuration file)

#

# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using

# values from the debconf database.

#

# Edit this file with caution, and see the XF86Config-4 manual page.

# (Type "man XF86Config-4" at the shell prompt.)

#

# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xfree86 package upgrades *only*

# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xfree86

# package.

#

# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated

# again, run the following commands as root:

#

#  cp /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 /etc/X11/XF86Config-4.custom

#  md5sum /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 >/var/lib/xfree86/XF86Config-4.md5sum

#  dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86

 

Section "Files"

FontPath "unix/:7100"  # local font server

# if the local font server has problems, we can fall back on these

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/misc"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi/:unscaled"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi/:unscaled"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/CID"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/100dpi"

FontPath "/usr/lib/X11/fonts/75dpi"

        # paths to defoma fonts

FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"

FontPath "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/CID"

EndSection

 

Section "Module"

# Load "GLcore"

Load "bitmap"

Load "dbe"

Load "ddc"

# Load "dri"

Load "extmod"

Load "freetype"

Load "glx"

Load "int10"

Load "record"

Load "speedo"

Load "type1"

# Load "v4l"

Load "vbe"

Load "xtt"

EndSection

 

Section "InputDevice"

Identifier "Generic Keyboard"

Driver  "keyboard"

Option  "CoreKeyboard"

Option  "XkbRules" "xfree86"

Option  "XkbModel" "pc104"

Option  "XkbLayout" "us"

EndSection

 

#Section "InputDevice"

# Identifier "Configured Mouse"

# Driver  "mouse"

# Option  "CorePointer"

# Option  "Device"  "/dev/input/mice"

# Option  "Protocol"  "ImPS/2"

# Option  "Emulate3Buttons" "true"

# Option  "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5"

#EndSection

 

Section "InputDevice"

Identifier "Configured Mouse"

Driver  "mouse"

Option  "CorePointer"

Option  "Device"  "/dev/input/mice"

Option  "Protocol"  "ExplorerPS/2"

Option  "Buttons"  "7"

Option  "Emulate3Buttons" "true"

Option  "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5 6 7"

EndSection

 

Section "Device"

Identifier "NVIDIA Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 MX 440]"

Driver  "nvidia"

BusID  "PCI:1:0:0"

EndSection

 

Section "Monitor"

Identifier "emachines"

HorizSync 30-72

VertRefresh 50-160

Option  "DPMS"

EndSection

 

Section "Screen"

Identifier "Default Screen"

Device  "NVIDIA Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 MX 440]"

Monitor  "emachines"

DefaultDepth 24

SubSection "Display"

  Depth  16

  Modes  "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

EndSubSection

SubSection "Display"

  Depth  24

  Modes  "1280x1024" "1024x768" "800x600" "640x480"

EndSubSection

EndSection

 

Section "ServerLayout"

Identifier "Default Layout"

Screen  "Default Screen"

InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"

InputDevice "Configured Mouse"

EndSection

 

Section "DRI"

Mode 0666

EndSection

[kmc77]

Ok why will mine only work if the driver is "nv" and not "nvidia" like everything says It's supposed to be. My setup is almost identical to yours bvc except for that nv to nvidia thing. when I try "nvidia" it errors.

 

*EDIT*

Every howto says to install invidia-glx (which I have done) and then "sudo modprobe nvidia" in terminal. But I get

FATAL: Module nvidia not found.

And I'm having a hard time finding a thread/faq/howto that addresses this. Everyone seems to assume that this step is a no brainer. What the heck am I doing wrong here? Edited January 2, 2005 by kmc77

[bvc]

do

uname -r

in a terminal and find out what kernel you are running then see if the nvidia.ko driver is there

example

localhost:~# uname -r

2.6.8.1-3-386

localhost:~# ls /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-3-386/kernel/drivers/video

aty            cfbimgblt.ko  cyber2000fb.ko  i810    neofb.ko  riva      tdfxfb.ko    vfb.ko

cfbcopyarea.ko  cirrusfb.ko  fglrx.ko        kyro    nvidia.ko  sis      tridentfb.ko  vga16fb.ko

cfbfillrect.ko  console      hgafb.ko        matrox  pm2fb.ko  sstfb.ko  vesafb.ko    vgastate.ko

localhost:~#

[kmc77]

root@kevins:/home/kevin # uname -r
2.6.8.1-4-386
root@kevins:/home/kevin # ls /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-3-386/kernel/drivers/video
aty             cirrusfb.ko     hgafb.ko  neofb.ko   sis           vesafb.ko
cfbcopyarea.ko  console         i810      nvidia.ko  sstfb.ko      vfb.ko
cfbfillrect.ko  cyber2000fb.ko  kyro      pm2fb.ko   tdfxfb.ko     vga16fb.ko
cfbimgblt.ko    fglrx.ko        matrox    riva       tridentfb.ko  vgastate.ko
root@kevins:/home/kevin # ls /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-4-386/kernel/drivers/video
aty             cirrusfb.ko     i810      pm2fb.ko  tdfxfb.ko     vga16fb.ko
cfbcopyarea.ko  console         kyro      riva      tridentfb.ko  vgastate.ko
cfbfillrect.ko  cyber2000fb.ko  matrox    sis       vesafb.ko
cfbimgblt.ko    hgafb.ko        neofb.ko  sstfb.ko  vfb.ko
root@kevins:/home/kevin #

Hmmmm. Running kernel 2.6.8.1-4-386 but no nvidia in in that kernels modules (although it is in 2.6.8.1-3-386) Any suggestions?

Edited January 2, 2005 by kmc77

[polemicz]

Pmpatrick got me through an Nvidia problem. Drop into console mode, out of X, and as root try modprobe nvidia. Then exit root and try start x. For me that worked. At that point I added modprobe nvidia at the very end of /etc/rc.d/rc.modules.

[bvc]

root@kevins:/home/kevin # uname -r
2.6.8.1-4-386
root@kevins:/home/kevin # ls /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-3-386/kernel/drivers/video
aty             cirrusfb.ko     hgafb.ko  neofb.ko   sis           vesafb.ko
cfbcopyarea.ko  console         i810      nvidia.ko  sstfb.ko      vfb.ko
cfbfillrect.ko  cyber2000fb.ko  kyro      pm2fb.ko   tdfxfb.ko     vga16fb.ko
cfbimgblt.ko    fglrx.ko        matrox    riva       tridentfb.ko  vgastate.ko
root@kevins:/home/kevin # ls /lib/modules/2.6.8.1-4-386/kernel/drivers/video
aty             cirrusfb.ko     i810      pm2fb.ko  tdfxfb.ko     vga16fb.ko
cfbcopyarea.ko  console         kyro      riva      tridentfb.ko  vgastate.ko
cfbfillrect.ko  cyber2000fb.ko  matrox    sis       vesafb.ko
cfbimgblt.ko    hgafb.ko        neofb.ko  sstfb.ko  vfb.ko
root@kevins:/home/kevin #

Hmmmm.  Running kernel 2.6.8.1-4-386 but no nvidia in in that kernels modules (although it is in 2.6.8.1-3-386)  Any suggestions?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

guess why I use the 2.6.8.1-3?

That's the last kernel nvidia works easily with (last I read on the ubuntu forum). I haven't tried the 2.6.8.1-4 as it was released right after I had a hassle going to 2.9 and having to revert back to the 2.6.8.1-3 and installing pkgs by hand with dpkg because nvidia is broken in ubuntu's 2.9.

 

So you'll need to boot/run with the 2.6.8.1-3 to run nvidia. You may need to find and manually download and install some pkgs.

 

I needed these to revert from the 2.9.

localhost:~# ls dload/nvidia

linux-restricted-modules-2.6.8.1-3-386_2.6.8.1.3-4_i386.deb

nvidia-glx_1.0.6111-1ubuntu7_i386.deb

nvidia-kernel-common_1.0.6111+1ubuntu1_all.deb

localhost:~#

Edited January 2, 2005 by bvc

[kmc77]

That did the trick bvc.

 

polemicz, modprobe wasn't finding nvidia drivers because I had upgraded my kernel, but thanks for the suggestion.

 

Everything seems to be running fine. Now, can someone tell me where I can change my boot options in Ubuntu so that it will default to the 2.6.8.1-3 kernel?

[bvc]

/boot/grub/menu.lst

# menu.lst - See: grub(8), info grub, update-grub(8)

#            grub-install(8), grub-floppy(8),

#            grub-md5-crypt, /usr/share/doc/grub

#            and /usr/share/doc/grub-doc/.

 

## default num

# Set the default entry to the entry number NUM. Numbering starts from 0, and

# the entry number 0 is the default if the command is not used.

#

# You can specify 'saved' instead of a number. In this case, the default entry

# is the entry saved with the command 'savedefault'.         

default  0

 

0 is the first entry

1 is the second....etc.

just edit and save and you are done.

Edited January 2, 2005 by bvc

[kmc77]

Excellent. Problem resolved. Thanks.