On 14/02/12 22:59, Alex Angerhofer wrote:

On 2/14/2012 12:30 AM, Basil Chupin wrote:

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On 14/02/12 15:47, Alex Angerhofer wrote:

...

Hi List,

I have been running 12.1 on 64 bit for a while. My graphics card is a GeForce GTX470 and I have been using the nouveau driver without any problems for months.

The other day I tried to install the nvidia driver with the result that the plasma desktop became unstable (bombs to black screen after a while). I tried a couple of the older drivers as well with the same symptoms.

I have since tried to recover from this situation and revert back to the nouveau driver, however, with limited success. I was able to uninstall the nvidia driver and remove the blacklisting for nouveau. I also had to remove my /etc/X11/xorg.conf file in order to get the X server to come back up but it does so in 1280x1024 instead of 1920x1080 which is my native screen resolution. Basically, the screen looks like what comes up in failsafe mode.

What am I missing? How do I get the higher resolution back? Is there a way to rerun the hardware test scripts that determine the correct settings upon an initial install? I would hate to have to reinstall from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any pointers, Alex.

Hi Basil,

thanks for the reply. Please see answers below within your text:

...

I think that you need to provide some additional information such as:

which kernel are you using (number and type: Default or Desktop or.....)?

12.1-3.1.9-1.4-desktop x86_64

This looks like the original kernel (3.1.9) which comes with 12.1

...

which KDE version are you using?

4.7.2 (release 5)

...

which nVidia driver DID you try to install (driver number, like 285 or 290 or.....) and

I tried 290, 285, and 280, in that order.

The latest nVidia driver is now 295 (and I just downloaded and installed it). [rest pruned] Alright, how about we start from scratch, with a clean slate, and take it from there? What we are going to do, if you accept this assignment :-) , is to download from nVidia site the latest driver (295) and then compile it -- we won't rely on what you find in the nvidia repo which you see in Yast. Acceptable? There is really no drama -- I've been doing this for years. To begin with you will need to use Yast and download and install: kernel-desktop-devel and kernel-syms for the 64-bit kernel you are using (as you mentioned above). Once these are installed, go to the nVidia site and download the latest 295 driver, here: http://www.geforce.com/Drivers/Results/41581 Once the driver is downloaded, create a new folder in your home directory called, say, nvidia so that the driver can quickly found in one of the later steps (below); copy or move the new driver into this 'nvidia' folder. Close down any running applications and then press CTRL+SLT+F3; login as root and then enter: init 3 <Return> Login as root again. Then do cd /home/<your-user-name>/nvidia Type 'ls -l' to make sure that the new driver is there. Then,while in this nvidia folder, type sh NVIDIA<press TAB to complete the file name entry> and press RETURN This will start the compilation process of the new driver. WATCH WHAT COMES on the screen -- in all cases EXCEPT the third screen you would normally anwer YES; on the third screen you will see, "The CC check has failed..." and then you need to respond with either Yes or No - select NO. The compiling of the driver will continue and in a minute or so you will have a new nvidia driver. Answer the remaining couple of questions (Yes is fine). When this is all finished you will be left at the root's #> prompt. Type now 'init 5' and you will be taken to the normal login screen where you enter your user password to login to use the system. Your new nvidia driver is now in place and working. If you need to do some tweaks then go to Kickoff>Applications>Applications (similar - depends on where these were put in the menu)>NVIDIA X Server Settings and tweak (if necessary) your resolution and refresh rate although both should already be automatically set by the driver. (Addendum: occasionally when you start to compile the driver you may get an error message that the driver cannot be compiled because...... Don't worry: simply reboot your computer. BUT to save hassles, at the Grub menu type in 'init 3' on the kernel boot line so that the computer boots into init 3 straight away.) Any questions - ask. BC -- Aspire to inspire before you expire. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 15/02/12 14:22, Alex Angerhofer wrote:

On 2/14/2012 8:48 PM, Basil Chupin wrote:

...

... The latest nVidia driver is now 295 (and I just downloaded and installed it).

[rest pruned]

Alright, how about we start from scratch, with a clean slate, and take it from there?

Hi Basil, thanks for the reply.

...

What we are going to do, if you accept this assignment :-) , is to download from nVidia site the latest driver (295) and then compile it -- we won't rely on what you find in the nvidia repo which you see in Yast. Acceptable? There is really no drama -- I've been doing this for years.

When I downloaded the drivers a few days ago the latest one was 290 but I can now see 295 and am downloading it presently. As far as compiling the driver, I think I did that in my previous attempts by using the lnvhw script. However, I'll follow your recipe below and do it by hand.

...

To begin with you will need to use Yast and download and install:

kernel-desktop-devel and

kernel-syms

for the 64-bit kernel you are using (as you mentioned above).

Once these are installed, go to the nVidia site and download the latest 295 driver, here:

http://www.geforce.com/Drivers/Results/41581

Once the driver is downloaded, create a new folder in your home directory called, say, nvidia so that the driver can quickly found in one of the later steps (below); copy or move the new driver into this 'nvidia' folder.

Close down any running applications and then press CTRL+SLT+F3; login as root and then enter:

init 3 <Return>

Login as root again. Then do

cd /home/<your-user-name>/nvidia

Type 'ls -l' to make sure that the new driver is there.

Then,while in this nvidia folder, type

sh NVIDIA<press TAB to complete the file name entry>

and press RETURN

This will start the compilation process of the new driver. WATCH WHAT COMES on the screen -- in all cases EXCEPT the third screen you would normally anwer YES; on the third screen you will see, "The CC check has failed..." and then you need to respond with either Yes or No - select NO. The compiling of the driver will continue and in a minute or so you will have a new nvidia driver. Answer the remaining couple of questions (Yes is fine). When this is all finished you will be left at the root's #> prompt.

Type now 'init 5' and you will be taken to the normal login screen where you enter your user password to login to use the system. Your new nvidia driver is now in place and working. If you need to do some tweaks then go to Kickoff>Applications>Applications (similar - depends on where these were put in the menu)>NVIDIA X Server Settings and tweak (if necessary) your resolution and refresh rate although both should already be automatically set by the driver.

(Addendum: occasionally when you start to compile the driver you may get an error message that the driver cannot be compiled because...... Don't worry: simply reboot your computer. BUT to save hassles, at the Grub menu type in 'init 3' on the kernel boot line so that the computer boots into init 3 straight away.)

Any questions - ask.

Actually, yes I have a question on this recipe. Don't I have to blacklist the nouveau driver also before switching the X server back on?

NO, no blacklisting of anything. And just as another Addendum to what I wrote: I have, since that post, been told by my "mentor" :-) that you now do NOT need the kernel-syms- all that is required is the (in your case) kernel-desktop-devel to be installed.

Thanks again. I'll report on success or failure as soon as I get there.

Best regards, Alex.

BC -- Aspire to inspire before you expire. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 15/02/12 14:57, Alex Angerhofer wrote: [pruned]

Well... thanks to Basil's recipe my box is up and running with the latest nvidia driver taking care of business.

Wonderful! Glad that it is working as it should. But as already stated, you may want to have a look at the Nvidia X Server Settings and make sure that all in there is as you want it. And then SAVE the configuration so that it goes into xorg.conf and therefore overrides the "on the fly" configuration xorg comes up with when you boot your system (well, it doesn't override all the "on the fly" stuff just the important ones you have set in the Settings).

Counter to predictions there was no "CC check has failed..." message

Ah, I think that this came in with KDE 4.7.4 and above - I think. And I think that it has to do with qt4 now being used instead of qt3 - or something.....

but a brief error message after I switched back to runlevel 5 which I ignored.

Yeah, something about something not being able to be started - which you ignore because then it does get started and you won't get this message again. Until you compile the next new driver.

Thanks again for the help.

Glad to have been of help. BC -- Aspire to inspire before you expire. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 12:50, Basil Chupin wrote:

On 15/02/12 12:48, Basil Chupin wrote: [$] As I mention in a later post, kernel-syms is no longer required. So the files/rpms to download are kernel-desktop-devel (FOR THE SITUATION TALKED ABOUT HERE), make and gcc.

Alternatively, you can download kernel-source which will provide everything that is needed as well - that way you don't need to be explicit that that kernel-desktop-devel is only for this particular situation. C. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

* C [02-15-12 06:59]:

On Wed, Feb 15, 2012 at 12:50, Basil Chupin wrote:

...

On 15/02/12 12:48, Basil Chupin wrote: [$] As I mention in a later post, kernel-syms is no longer required. So the files/rpms to download are kernel-desktop-devel (FOR THE SITUATION TALKED ABOUT HERE), make and gcc.

Alternatively, you can download kernel-source which will provide everything that is needed as well - that way you don't need to be explicit that that kernel-desktop-devel is only for this particular situation.

You may download kernel-source but it is not enough by itself and not needed with kernel-devel and kernel--devel, ie: not needed. -- (paka)Patrick Shanahan Plainfield, Indiana, USA HOG # US1244711 http://wahoo.no-ip.org Photo Album: http://wahoo.no-ip.org/gallery2 http://en.opensuse.org openSUSE Community Member Registered Linux User #207535 @ http://linuxcounter.net -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org

On 02/14/2012 07:57 AM, Dennis Gallien wrote:

On Monday, February 13, 2012 11:47 PM Alex Angerhofer wrote:

...

Hi List,

I have been running 12.1 on 64 bit for a while. My graphics card is a GeForce GTX470 and I have been using the nouveau driver without any problems for months.

The other day I tried to install the nvidia driver with the result that the plasma desktop became unstable (bombs to black screen after a while). I tried a couple of the older drivers as well with the same symptoms.

I have since tried to recover from this situation and revert back to the nouveau driver, however, with limited success. I was able to uninstall the nvidia driver and remove the blacklisting for nouveau. I also had to remove my /etc/X11/xorg.conf file in order to get the X server to come back up but it does so in 1280x1024 instead of 1920x1080 which is my native screen resolution. Basically, the screen looks like what comes up in failsafe mode.

What am I missing? How do I get the higher resolution back? Is there a way to rerun the hardware test scripts that determine the correct settings upon an initial install? I would hate to have to reinstall from scratch.

Thanks in advance for any pointers, Alex.

Are you sure that nouveau is actually being loaded and used? - you may be using vesa (lsmod | grep nouveau). Have you checked /var/log/Xorg.0.log? The X server will look for all potential drivers and load them, select the one it thinks it should use, unload the others, and then read the monitor's EDID for the default resolution which it will use unless instructed otherwise, and report the resolution chosen to the log. This is where to start.

Hi Dennis, thanks for the reply. According to "Display info" under "My Computer" the 2D driver chosen is "nouveau" but I will double-check when I get back home later today. Best regards, Alex. -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse+owner@opensuse.org