Video problems -- new card, can't configure, Sax2 won't run (very long message, sorry)
Hi, everyone. I apologize in advance for this VERY lengthy e-mail. But I wanted to include as much info as possible in hopes that someone can help. Last October I posted a question to the list about a problem I was having configuring a GeForce 5500FX PCI (128) video card using SuSE 9.1. I could not access the configuration screens in YaST to set resolution, number of colors, enable/disable 3D, etc. And I could not get Sax2 to run. No matter what I tried, nothing worked. Several of you offered suggestions. Nothing worked. ;o( Coincidentally the fan on the card started making all sorts of noise, so I returned the card for exchange. It took 60 days but I finally got a replacement card last week. I decided it was a good time to upgrade to SuSE 9.2, so I inserted the card and did a clean install of 9.2. Sadly, the same problems are back as with the previous card used under 9.1. I installed the nVidia driver from SuSE during the 9.2 install. Last night I updated the driver just in case the original did not load or install properly. Has not made any difference. I notice that on the nVidia website they show the latest driver as: NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run I assume (??) that's what I got when I did the 9.2 YaST update. I'm having lots of video display problems. Windows flicker when moved or resized. When scrolling up or down a page (e.g., in a word processor document, or on a web page) the screen contents jerk rather than move smoothly up and down. Using the scroll bars or the mouse wheel results in terribly jerky response on screen. When I grab and move a window up and release the window it repaints from the top down. When I move a window down and release, the window repaints from the bottom up. Moving a window left or right also results in a full repaint. Icons on the desktop are very large and look awful. I can't reconfigure anything having to do with the video. The graphics card and monitor configuration screens within the control center are not accessible. Clicking on desktop settings/graphical desktop environment/change only causes the screen to go blank and flash, then it comes back and nothing has changed. I can't get to the configuration screens to change resolution, screen colors, enable/disable 3D, etc. Sax2 will not run. When I enter "sax2" in a shell the screen flashes, eventually comes back to the shell, and after a bit I get a message that says: gil@phred:~> sax2 SaX: root Password: SaX: initializing please wait... SaX: ups lost card during probing... abort gil@phred:~> If it will help I can send the contents of any files. I did look at these two (as suggested by the NVidia website) for possible clues: /var/log/Xorg.0 and /etc/X11/xorg.conf They're too long to post to the SuSE list (max 20000 bytes). The only things that jump out at me in the first file (newbie that I am) are these error and warning messages: (EE) FBDEV(0): FBIOPAN_DISPLAY: Invalid argument (EE) Failed to initialize GLX extension (NVIDIA X driver not found) (WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such device) I have no idea what FBIOPAN_DISPLAY is, but what ever it is is invalid! ;o) And in the second file I see repeated references to 640X480 resolution. It's as if the system does not recognize the monitor as a Viewsonic 20 and has simply assigned generic values (very low values). Anyway, if you need additional info please let me know. Thanks for any help you can provide. This is really frustrating. The horrible resolution is bad enough, but the jerky scrolling and flickering windows when moving/resizing makes using the pooter very, very difficult on the eyes. Thx! ;o) Gil Weber
Ok first, yes you should go ahead and dl the nvidia driver from the nvidia site, then of course Chmod it to executable and that sort of thing, then also dl the readme and follow it CAREFULLY You shouldn't have any big problems (if you do we've all been there and can help) I've found the new 66.29 driver to be fairly reliable...Just remember that once you have the new driver installed and do sax2 -m 0=nvidia and restart xwindows that as long As the nvidia module loads 3d is enabled whether its marked in the yast display properties or not -----Original Message----- From: Gil Weber [mailto:gil@gilweber.com] Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2005 6:37 PM To: suse-linux-e@suse.com Subject: [SLE] Video problems -- new card, can't configure, Sax2 won't run (very long message, sorry) Hi, everyone. I apologize in advance for this VERY lengthy e-mail. But I wanted to include as much info as possible in hopes that someone can help. Last October I posted a question to the list about a problem I was having configuring a GeForce 5500FX PCI (128) video card using SuSE 9.1. I could not access the configuration screens in YaST to set resolution, number of colors, enable/disable 3D, etc. And I could not get Sax2 to run. No matter what I tried, nothing worked. Several of you offered suggestions. Nothing worked. ;o( Coincidentally the fan on the card started making all sorts of noise, so I returned the card for exchange. It took 60 days but I finally got a replacement card last week. I decided it was a good time to upgrade to SuSE 9.2, so I inserted the card and did a clean install of 9.2. Sadly, the same problems are back as with the previous card used under 9.1. I installed the nVidia driver from SuSE during the 9.2 install. Last night I updated the driver just in case the original did not load or install properly. Has not made any difference. I notice that on the nVidia website they show the latest driver as: NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-6629-pkg1.run I assume (??) that's what I got when I did the 9.2 YaST update. I'm having lots of video display problems. Windows flicker when moved or resized. When scrolling up or down a page (e.g., in a word processor document, or on a web page) the screen contents jerk rather than move smoothly up and down. Using the scroll bars or the mouse wheel results in terribly jerky response on screen. When I grab and move a window up and release the window it repaints from the top down. When I move a window down and release, the window repaints from the bottom up. Moving a window left or right also results in a full repaint. Icons on the desktop are very large and look awful. I can't reconfigure anything having to do with the video. The graphics card and monitor configuration screens within the control center are not accessible. Clicking on desktop settings/graphical desktop environment/change only causes the screen to go blank and flash, then it comes back and nothing has changed. I can't get to the configuration screens to change resolution, screen colors, enable/disable 3D, etc. Sax2 will not run. When I enter "sax2" in a shell the screen flashes, eventually comes back to the shell, and after a bit I get a message that says: gil@phred:~> sax2 SaX: root Password: SaX: initializing please wait... SaX: ups lost card during probing... abort gil@phred:~> If it will help I can send the contents of any files. I did look at these two (as suggested by the NVidia website) for possible clues: /var/log/Xorg.0 and /etc/X11/xorg.conf They're too long to post to the SuSE list (max 20000 bytes). The only things that jump out at me in the first file (newbie that I am) are these error and warning messages: (EE) FBDEV(0): FBIOPAN_DISPLAY: Invalid argument (EE) Failed to initialize GLX extension (NVIDIA X driver not found) (WW) Open APM failed (/dev/apm_bios) (No such device) I have no idea what FBIOPAN_DISPLAY is, but what ever it is is invalid! ;o) And in the second file I see repeated references to 640X480 resolution. It's as if the system does not recognize the monitor as a Viewsonic 20 and has simply assigned generic values (very low values). Anyway, if you need additional info please let me know. Thanks for any help you can provide. This is really frustrating. The horrible resolution is bad enough, but the jerky scrolling and flickering windows when moving/resizing makes using the pooter very, very difficult on the eyes. Thx! ;o) Gil Weber -- Check the headers for your unsubscription address For additional commands send e-mail to suse-linux-e-help@suse.com Also check the archives at http://lists.suse.com Please read the FAQs: suse-linux-e-faq@suse.com -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.5 - Release Date: 1/26/2005 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.300 / Virus Database: 265.7.5 - Release Date: 1/26/2005
** Reply to message from "LeRoy H. Maxwell III" <lhm0155@stjoelive.com> on Wed, 26 Jan 2005 22:50:26 -0600
Ok first, yes you should go ahead and dl the nvidia driver from the nvidia site, then of course Chmod it to executable and that sort of thing, then also dl the readme and follow it CAREFULLY You shouldn't have any big problems (if you do we've all been there and can help) I've found the new 66.29 driver to be fairly reliable...Just remember that once you have the new driver installed and do sax2 -m 0=nvidia and restart xwindows that as long As the nvidia module loads 3d is enabled whether its marked in the yast display properties or not
LeRoy, thanks for this reply. Please clarify -- I am just a beginner: 1) "Chmod it to executable..." What does that mean? 2) "... and that sort of thing..." This is so open-ended I have no idea what to look for or what to do. 3) Is the Nvidia driver you're saying I should download **different** than the one I get with the YaST on-line update? Thanks again. ;o) Gil
On Thu, 2005-01-27 at 08:52, Gil Weber wrote:
** Reply to message from "LeRoy H. Maxwell III" <lhm0155@stjoelive.com> on Wed, 26 Jan 2005 22:50:26 -0600
LeRoy, thanks for this reply. Please clarify -- I am just a beginner:
1) "Chmod it to executable..." What does that mean?
2) "... and that sort of thing..." This is so open-ended I have no idea what to look for or what to do.
3) Is the Nvidia driver you're saying I should download **different** than the one I get with the YaST on-line update?
Thanks again. ;o) Gil
I think you will be OK with the nvidia driver that you update using YOU. It may not be the latest but using it means you will always get the latest available via YaST/Online Update. If you update the driver directly from the Nvidia site using their script anytime you have a kernel update you will need to update the nvidia driver manually, otherwise the driver is included with the kernel update. As a beginner try and keep things as simple as possible until you have more knowledge i.e. the chmod command. One day everything seems to just fall into place. -- Ken Schneider UNIX since 1989, linux since 1994, SuSE since 1998 * Only reply to the list please* "The day Microsoft makes something that doesn't suck is probably the day they start making vacuum cleaners." -Ernst Jan Plugge
On Thursday 27 January 2005 08:52, Gil Weber wrote: > ** Reply to message from "LeRoy H. Maxwell III" <lhm0155@stjoelive.com> > on Wed, 26 Jan 2005 22:50:26 -0600 > > > Ok first, yes you should go ahead and dl the nvidia driver from the > > nvidia site, then of course > > Chmod it to executable and that sort of thing, then also dl the readme > > and follow it CAREFULLY > > You shouldn't have any big problems (if you do we've all been there and > > can help) I've found the new 66.29 driver to be fairly reliable...Just > > remember that once you have the new driver installed and do sax2 -m > > 0=nvidia and restart xwindows that as long As the nvidia module loads > > 3d is enabled whether its marked in the yast display properties or not > > LeRoy, thanks for this reply. Please clarify -- I am just a beginner: > > 1) "Chmod it to executable..." What does that mean? > > 2) "... and that sort of thing..." This is so open-ended I have no idea > what to look for or what to do. > > 3) Is the Nvidia driver you're saying I should download **different** > than the one I get with the YaST on-line update? 1) chmod(1) is the command to change the permissions on a file. chmod ugo+x <filename) This turns on the execute bit for the the owner (u), group(g) and others(o). +x turns it on, -x turns it off. Most files you download from the Internet come with a README file. You should use vim, or any other text editor to read it. YaST may not give you the latest version of some of the drivers for various reasons. -- Jerry Feldman <gaf@blu.org> Boston Linux and Unix user group http://www.blu.org PGP key id:C5061EA9 PGP Key fingerprint:053C 73EC 3AC1 5C44 3E14 9245 FB00 3ED5 C506 1EA9
participants (4)
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Gil Weber -
Jerry Feldman -
Ken Schneider -
LeRoy H. Maxwell III