Nvidia Drivers

NVIDIA DRIVERS

NOTE: Installing the nVidia drivers is no easy task for novices. At least you will need to be comfortable with the commandline and the Vi-editor ( see Vi revisitedbecause all is done in text mode and you have no GUI while doing this. )

QUOTE (Info @ Webpage)

1) Download the drivers ( http://www.nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp )

What it does not say here in these instructions is that you have to be in runlevel 3 to install the drivers . . . . . :
The safest way to do this is to change your /etc/inittab file:

CODE

$ su
< password >
# kedit /etc/inittab

Change the line: "id:5:initdefault:" in "id:3:initdefault:" and save the file

CODE

# reboot

QUOTE (Info @ Webpage)

2) Type "root" to get root access, cd to the directory where you downloaded the file and type the following:

# sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328-pkg1.run
( adapt package number to the one you downloaded )

3) You'll be greeted with the license which asks you to accept or deny it.

4) If you had previous GLX drivers and kernel modules installed, such as the RPMs, you will be prompted to remove them.

5) Next, the utility will check for and return with either a module if your kernel is supported or a statement that you will need to build a module if your kernel is not supported.

6) When you select OK, the utility will either download and install the pre-compiled module or download and compile a module then proceed to install the rest of the driver package.

You should receive a message proclaiming the installation was a success. Proceed to the section below before restarting X or rebooting.

7) Open your /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file with the Vi text editor ( one of the few that works in text mode):

CODE

# vi /etc/X11/XF86Config-4

NOTE: when using Xorg the file is /etc/X11/xorg.conf

"i" ( put vi in insert mode )

QUOTE (Info @ Webpage)

Under section "Module" there should be a:

Load "glx"

If you have these lines, nVidia advises you to remove them:

Load "dri"
Load "GLcore"

Now scroll down to the 'Graphics device section' ( or sometimes just named 'Device' ). Instead of the default XFree driver:

Driver "nv"

Change to:

Driver "nvidia"

Make the above changes, save the file:
< Esc >
"ZZ"
And start the X server with:

CODE

# startx

( to test if it works )

NOTE 1:
In the "module" section it is sometimes better to replace:

QUOTE (Text @ Config File)

Load "glx"

With:

QUOTE (Text @ Config File)

Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.so"

Anyway that is the way I always set it up in Mandrake.

NOTE 2:
If all works well you can change the /etc/inittab file back to "id:5:initdefault:" and reboot.

NOTE 3: ( Alternative for the "id:3:initdefault:" part )
If you know what you´re doing you can also exit X and go to text mode with:
Press "Ctrl+Alt+F2", then log-in as "root" and type "init 3", then again you have to login as root.
When ready type "init 5" to get back to runlevel 5.

Additional info: nVidia README ( You might want to print this out because once you are in text mode it will be hard to browse to the site and read it. Contains an extensive FAQ. )

Bruno

-- Jan 8 2004 ( Revised Dec 13 2005 ) --