Re: Re: nouveau on old NV GPUs (was: NVidia 340 video driver in Bookworm?)

[Van Snyder <van.snyder@sbcglobal.net>]

On Wed, 2024-07-03 at 23:24 +0200, Hans wrote:

Hi van Snyder,

I believe I got a solution. However, you may not be happy with it, but maybe it will work.

The solution did indeed allow to install the driver. But.... it removed at least KDE, and now it won't enter run level 5. I added nouveau.modeset=0 to the "linux" line in grub.cfg, but it's still running the nouveau driver, or at least that's what inxi -G reports:

# inxi -G

Graphics:

Device-1: NVIDIA G86M [GeForce 8400M GS] driver: N/A

Device-2: OmniVision OV2640 Webcam driver: uvcvideo type: USB

Display: unspecified server: X.org v: 1.21.1.7 with: Xwayland v: 24.1.0

driver: X: loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: nouveau gpu: N/A

API: EGL v: N/A drivers: N/A platforms: N/A

API: OpenGL Message: GL data unavailable for root.

I tried "apt install kde\*" but it refused, saying "you have held broken packages."

I've been told that Mint includes NVidia drivers, so I'll try that next. I don't have a choice for my laptop, where the NVidia graphic chip is soldered to the mother board, but for my desktop if Mint doesn't work out, I'll give serious consideration to getting a supported video card from *not* NVidia.

I am running the kernel 6.7.12+bpo-amd64 on my system. This is a backport kernel, but it might also work with other kernels, too.

You also need to install the build environment, the easiest way is to use module-assistant.

If you got this set and installed linux-headers and so on, then do the following:

First, enter the line for sid into your /etc/apt/sources.list

 deb http://deb.debian.org/debian/ sid main contrib non-free non-free-firmware

then do

apt update

apt install nvidia-legacy-340xx-driver firmware-misc-nonfree

This should install all necessary files and build the kernel module. Here it did work. However, I had to use 390xx instead of 340xx, but both built here fine.

After it, reboot and try again if it is working.

Sometimes, nvidia-detect says, use 340xx-legacy, but I had some cases, where I in real had to use 390xx. So, if 340xx is not working, try 390xx.

Note: Do NOT upgrade any other files! I suggest, after installing both packages as above, remove the sid entry from sources.list and do again an

apt update. Thus you are not going into the danger, to install any more packages from sid.

If you need bumblebee or primusrun, because you have two GPUs (one in the CPU and one extern), then use the packages from stable. This will work!

My notebook is a Lenovo T520 with Intel CPU (and internal Intel GPU) and also NVidia GPU as external GPU (soldered on mainboard). I have to use optimus, to get my external GPU.

 

I got my information from this site.

 

https://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers

Hope, this helps.

Ah, and last but not least: Big thanks to the lads and guys, who made 340xx and 390xx buildable again, great work! Big big thank you!!!

Here on my system, 390xx is working like a charm.

Good luck!

Hans