Re: nvidia video cards

[Emma Jane Hogbin <emmajane@xtrinsic.com>]

> Anyone offer a tip?

I just re-installed my entire system. From a single-CD rescue disk.
Everything was done by hand, except for a few config files that I had
stashed away. Hopefully this means I have everything in my notes that
you'll need to get nvidia working. Note: I'm on a laptop and probably not
using the exact same card as yours, but it should be close enough.

apt-get install nvidia-kernel-src
apt-get install nvidia-glx-src

check /usr/share/doc for install information
remove any old drivers from /lib/modules

check for required packages. This list may include:
	xlibmesa3-glu		(unstable)
	xlibmesa3-gl-dev 	(unstable)
	xlibmesa-dev 		(stable)
	wget			(all)

unpack: 1) nvidia-kernel-src (2) nvidia-glx-src
check in directories made to see that the versions are the same. This is
important!

cd /usr/src/nvidia-glx
dpkg-buildpackage -us -uc

cd /usr/src/linux
make-kpkg modules_image
	You don't have to do it this way, but it will make your life
	easier for now. Not to mention I don't have instructions on how to
	do it without using The Debian Way.

cd /usr/src
dpkg -i nvidia*deb
	You'll have to deal with error screens about the package numbers
	not matching your kernel numbers. For the graphics cards you can
	ignore these errors and tell the prompt that you know what you're
	doing and to proceed with the installation.

If at this point you haven't been prompted to configure your screen,
reconfigure the packages. I think it's dpkg-reconfigure the "glx" package,
but I can't remember. Play around with them. One of them will give you the
standard gray and blue and yellow screen where you pick your defaults. I
could not get my config file settings right by using the debian configure
package. So I grab an old copy of my config file. My computer is a laptop,
however, if you'd like a copy of my config file, it's available here:
	http://xtrinsic.com/geek/code/XF86Config-4.txt

Read /usr/share/doc to see what the name of the driver is for your
packages. This is IMPORTANT! For me it says:
	edit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4
	Load "glx"
	Load "GLCore"
	*remove* "dri"
	change the driver to "nvidia" (not nv and not NVdriver)
This has *not* been the same for each of the different versions of the
packages I've used. Make sure you see what you're supposed to do for your
packages. (You're only getting the config file stuff from the READMEs.
Copy it down so you don't have to keep flipping back to these files.)

reboot

I have to load the driver by hand each time I've messed about with the
kernel. Then I don't have to do it again until the next time I mess about
with the kernel. You can check with "lsmod" to see if it's loaded. You're
looking for "NVdriver" (which is not the same name as in the config file,
which is ok). If it's not listed then you'll need to load it by hand like
I do:
	insmod NVdriver
(note the caps)

After that you should be able to startx. I used to think that installing
the graphics card was completely impossible. It's actually not that bad as
long as you read everything first.

emma

-- 
Emma Jane Hogbin
[[ 416 417 2868 ][ www.xtrinsic.com ]]