Using the NVIDIA driver in SUSE10
I have a peculiar problem with my SUSE10. The relevant parts of my set-up are an NVIDIA FX5200 graphics card and a TFT monitor. After an installation, using the "nv" driver, there is always a broad black band each side of the screen. This is normal, for any installation on this machine. The picture isn't wide enough. I can increase the width in SAX if I need to, but I rarely do it that way. Whichever distro I am trying out, the first things I usually do are to install any security updates, then download and install the official NVIDIA driver. Without altering any settings, the new driver always fills the screen correctly. This is what I did with SUSE10, using YAST. Logging out and then back in was OK, the "official" driver had filled the screen. However, on rebooting, the picture had shifted over to the left of the screen, leaving a broad black band on the right. To cut several hours of experimenting short, it would appear that if there is a flash of the NVIDIA splash screen during booting, the picture is OK. If there isn't the splash screen, I get the black band and shifted picture. So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong. I have done this many times and with several distros (including previous versions of SUSE), and it has always worked perfectly. There is only the problem doing it in SUSE10. During my experimenting, I have tried the monitor driver which was initially installed, the generic LCD one and the generic VESA one. Just to eliminate the drivers. If I alter the screen position settings in SAX, so that there's no band, at the next boot it has "gone" again. Any ideas will be very gratefully received, as I don't want to have to do multiple boots each time, until it decides to work! This is rather a long posting, but I hope it's reasonably clear. Keith
On Thursday 20 October 2005 1:56 pm, Keith Powell wrote:
So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong.
If you see the splash - its using the nvidia driver "nvidia" If you don't see the spash - its using a different driver "nv" (oss) perhaps? maybe even VESA. On the boots where you don't see the splash, I would look through the xorg.log file 'for that instance' and it should tell you why it defaulted back to a different driver. I don't have 10 installed yet, but I bet someone that does would be able to help once you know why it doesn't load the nvidia driver on that boot. B-)
On Thursday 20 Oct 2005 9:35 pm, Brad Bourn wrote:
On Thursday 20 October 2005 1:56 pm, Keith Powell wrote:
So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong.
If you see the splash - its using the nvidia driver "nvidia" If you don't see the spash - its using a different driver "nv" (oss) perhaps? maybe even VESA.
On the boots where you don't see the splash, I would look through the xorg.log file 'for that instance' and it should tell you why it defaulted back to a different driver.
Thanks for your reply and suggestion. I've checked the new Xorg0.log file, (presumably from this boot), where the screen is incorrect. There is one LoadModule: "nvidia" in there, but no "nv" or "vesa". There is an Xorg0.log.old which is probably from the previous boot. If so, that was a good one. This log also only has LoadModule: "nvidia" and neither "nv" or "vesa". There are also Xfree86.log files which give the same results for the module. Sorry, but with my lack of knowledge, I don't know what else to check. Thanks Keith
1.) Make sure your using the latest binary from nVidia (new than what YOU gives you) 2.) When you want to look at that log file, use this command [ cat logfile.log | grep NV Then you will see the lines that pertain to the binary nvidia driver. Post them here if you like or private email me, I'd be more than happy to look at them. B-) On Thursday 20 October 2005 4:22 pm, Keith Powell wrote:
On Thursday 20 Oct 2005 9:35 pm, Brad Bourn wrote:
On Thursday 20 October 2005 1:56 pm, Keith Powell wrote:
So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong.
If you see the splash - its using the nvidia driver "nvidia" If you don't see the spash - its using a different driver "nv" (oss) perhaps? maybe even VESA.
On the boots where you don't see the splash, I would look through the xorg.log file 'for that instance' and it should tell you why it defaulted back to a different driver.
Thanks for your reply and suggestion.
I've checked the new Xorg0.log file, (presumably from this boot), where the screen is incorrect. There is one LoadModule: "nvidia" in there, but no "nv" or "vesa". There is an Xorg0.log.old which is probably from the previous boot. If so, that was a good one. This log also only has LoadModule: "nvidia" and neither "nv" or "vesa".
There are also Xfree86.log files which give the same results for the module.
Sorry, but with my lack of knowledge, I don't know what else to check.
Thanks
Keith
Keith Powell wrote:
On Thursday 20 Oct 2005 9:35 pm, Brad Bourn wrote:
On Thursday 20 October 2005 1:56 pm, Keith Powell wrote:
So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong.
If you see the splash - its using the nvidia driver "nvidia" If you don't see the spash - its using a different driver "nv" (oss) perhaps? maybe even VESA.
On the boots where you don't see the splash, I would look through the xorg.log file 'for that instance' and it should tell you why it defaulted back to a different driver.
Thanks for your reply and suggestion.
I've checked the new Xorg0.log file, (presumably from this boot), where the screen is incorrect. There is one LoadModule: "nvidia" in there, but no "nv" or "vesa". There is an Xorg0.log.old which is probably from the previous boot. If so, that was a good one. This log also only has LoadModule: "nvidia" and neither "nv" or "vesa".
There are also Xfree86.log files which give the same results for the module.
Sorry, but with my lack of knowledge, I don't know what else to check.
Thanks
Keith
I have found that with SuSE 10.0 and the nVidia driver there is no nVidia splash screen coming up as in the past. You can tell if the nVidia driver is installed by looking in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file where you will see 'nvidia' instead of 'nv' in the section "Device" (referring to the monitor). To reset the position of the screen go to Control Centre/Hardware/Graphics Card and Monitor and configure your card/monitor. When this is done and you finish you are asked if you want to test this setup - do so and this is where you adjust the position of the screen; adjust it to the right or left. Cheers. -- Don't argue with an idiot, people may not see the difference.
On Friday 21 Oct 2005 4:39 pm, Basil Chupin wrote:
Keith Powell wrote:
On Thursday 20 Oct 2005 9:35 pm, Brad Bourn wrote:
On Thursday 20 October 2005 1:56 pm, Keith Powell wrote: So I am wondering if sometimes the NVIDIA driver kicks in, and sometimes it doesn't. But I may be wrong.
If you see the splash - its using the nvidia driver "nvidia" If you don't see the spash - its using a different driver "nv" (oss) perhaps? maybe even VESA.
I have found that with SuSE 10.0 and the nVidia driver there is no nVidia splash screen coming up as in the past.
You can tell if the nVidia driver is installed by looking in the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file where you will see 'nvidia' instead of 'nv' in the section "Device" (referring to the monitor).
To reset the position of the screen go to Control Centre/Hardware/Graphics Card and Monitor and configure your card/monitor. When this is done and you finish you are asked if you want to test this setup - do so and this is where you adjust the position of the screen; adjust it to the right or left.
Thanks for your reply, Basil. The NVIDIA splash screen is a peculiar one. I have now spent most of two days trying various ways of solving the problem. If, after a boot or restart, it is one of the few occasions that the screen is correctly centred, sometimes there has been a flash of the splash screen and other times there hasn't. I have even logged out when the screen is not centred, to see the NVIDIA splash screen before kdm appears, and then the kdm screen is centred. Logging back in and all is OK. I have also set the screen correctly in the graphics card and monitor settings, many times, only to find that the screen is off centre again the next time I reboot or restart. This problem is now beyond me, and I am going to let Brad see my log file. I really don't want to only be able to use the "nv" driver with SUSE10, especially as I have had no problems with using the "nvidia" driver in previous versions. Cheers Keith The driver in the xorg.conf file is "nvidia". I have regularly checked while I have been trying to sort the problem.
participants (3)
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Basil Chupin
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Brad Bourn
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Keith Powell