# nvidia and framebuffer

## _loki_

okay I try that again..

I have a laptop with a 

```

lspci | grep nVidia

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV17 [GeForce4 420 Go 32M] (rev a3)

```

I guess the problem is a known one, but there might happend something useful to me since the last time I tried to get that to work..

On later drivers my screnn used to turn black when I quited X, since some time it's turning white now, which of of course is a difference, but also doesn't really make one..  :Sad: 

I know the problem must somehow be realted to the SVidoe Out, as I still can see the console output on a pluged TV.. Anyway framebuffer console gets coruppted when unloading X and seems not to be restorable even though the system is still up (I can restart X). I'll give some more information, please fell free t ask for anything more you could need to help with that..

vesafb-tng with kernel line

```

video=vesafb:ywrap,mtrr:3,1024x768-32@60

```

relebvant part of /etc/X/xorg.conf

```

# This loads the GLX module

    Load       "glx"

Section "Device"

    Identifier  "GeForce4Go"

    Driver      "nvidia"

    Option      "TVStandard"    "PAL-B"

    Option      "TVOutFormat"   "COMPOSITE"

    Option      "RenderAccel"   "true"

    Option      "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"

    VideoRam    32768

    Option      "NvAGP"         "1"

    # Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate

EndSection

```

fbres

```

1024x768

```

fbset -i

```

mode "1024x768-85"

    # D: 94.500 MHz, H: 68.677 kHz, V: 84.997 Hz

    geometry 1024 768 1024 1536 32

    timings 10582 208 48 36 1 96 3

    hsync high

    vsync high

    rgba 8/16,8/8,8/0,8/24

endmode

Frame buffer device information:

    Name        : VESA VGA

    Address     : 0xd8000000

    Size        : 6291456

    Type        : PACKED PIXELS

    Visual      : TRUECOLOR

    XPanStep    : 0

    YPanStep    : 1

    YWrapStep   : 1

    LineLength  : 4096

    Accelerator : No

```

dmesg | grep NVIDIA

```

nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.

NVRM: loading NVIDIA Linux x86 NVIDIA Kernel Module  1.0-8178  Wed Dec 14 16:22:51 PST 2005

```

----------

## Blood Fluke

Isn't the solution obvious?

Don't use the framebuffer console.

----------

## _loki_

so lets say I like to use it?! I use qingy, bootsplash, directfb.. I like to use framebuffer AND nvidia kernel module if possible! Any better ideas?

----------

## Blood Fluke

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> so lets say I like to use it?! I use qingy, bootsplash, directfb.. I like to use framebuffer AND nvidia kernel module if possible! Any better ideas?

 

Design an entirely new computer architecture that doesn't require graphics card drivers to allow themselves to be interrupted, then require them to reconstruct all the lost state information?

Framebuffer modes don't work well with X.  It's that simple.

----------

## salahx

Rather than use vesa-ng, you probably want to use nvidiafb (or rivafb if you have a very old card)  instad, and the "UseFB" and "UseFBDev" options in your Xorg.conf . Note you need the nvidiafb/rivafb framebuffer support for your card compiled into the kernel (not as a module).

So for the kernel command line, you'd have:

```

video=nvidiafb:1024x768-32@60 

```

And in xorg.conf

```

Section "Device"

    Driver      "nvidia"

    Option "UseFB" "true"

    Option "UseFBDev" "/dev/fb0"

     ... other stuff ...

EndSection

```

----------

## _loki_

Blood Fluke

nearly nobody is using a fb only system and for most people that works. The problme here is that nvidia provides a buggy closed source driver and there is just no other that supports opengl.. I'm pretty sure there are many nvidia cards without that problem and also many ati useres who can use an accelerated driver and framebuffer. So please don't reply if you can't provide any information that could help solving the problem. Ithink I made pretty sure what I wanted to have. If that's not possible in the current state of development (as it seemed in the last 2 years) it's bad luck; but telling me to construct a new architechture is just not constructive..

salahx

neither rivafb (which is broken anyway) nor nvidiafb are known to work with the nvidia-kernel module. I already wrote that I use a Geforce4 witch accually works with nvifiafb; if you had tried just once you'd know that you can't even load the nvidia module runnig on that framebuffer.. I'll try the additional options you provided.

sorry I don't mean to offend..- I'd just like to solve this problem if possible.

Edit

Options didn't change anything..

----------

## Blood Fluke

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

>  Ithink I made pretty sure what I wanted to have. If that's not possible in the current state of development (as it seemed in the last 2 years) it's bad luck; but telling me to construct a new architechture is just not constructive..

 

I didn't mean to be rude, but what I said is pretty much the way it is.

It's a fundamentally insoluble problem  :Sad: 

As long as VGA works the way it does, and as long as X11 works the way it does, there's no way to make constant transfers of control between framebuffer modes' drivers and X11 work smoothly.

----------

## assaf

 *Blood Fluke wrote:*   

> 
> 
> It's a fundamentally insoluble problem 
> 
> As long as VGA works the way it does, and as long as X11 works the way it does, there's no way to make constant transfers of control between framebuffer modes' drivers and X11 work smoothly.

 

That's just not true! I've been using X with vesafb-tng for quite a while (until an unfortunate upgrade a couple weeks ago) and it's been very smooth. Sure, there were some quirks and I needed to find out the exact settings, but isn't everything in linux like that?

Besides I think I saw in nvnews that nvidia are working on an improved linux driver, so in addition to framebuffer+X support we'll be able to use video-in + X. This is something that has always been supported by windows, so it's high time linux support is available too.

----------

## _loki_

But I can use the nv driver without causing problmes to fb. Also I know a lot of peolple who are using nvidia module and frambuffer without problmes.. It seems not to be a architecture implied impossibility to have framebuffer and opengl support in linux. I just don't understand why nvidias devs are messing it up in every release again..! I think in the 6xxx releases I had some mail corespondence with them and after I got them every possible output they demanded, they told me they didn't had the possibilty to test on a system like mine and I never heared of them again. I couldn't do that kind of stuff on my own anyway, but if nvidia releases a closed sources driver my opinion is they should care about get it working the way it's supposed to be as they take away the chance of an improvement by other people. As said before I wouldn't go as fare as you to say this problem is within the system, but it's matter of fact that a lot of people have these kind of problems..- I just can't belive that since all the time I use linux now neither the nvidia dev nor anybody else has solved the "black screen of death" problem in some way..

----------

## assaf

You overestimate the market share of linux users   :Smile: 

Not too long ago nVidia was a pioneer among video card makers, by actually providing a linux driver!

----------

## Tolstoi

I just got fbsplash working with nvidia after a lot of fiddeling around. Really frustrating. Had it already working once, but forgot all that stuff.

After all I disabled /dev/nvram support in the kernel. Just to be sure I compiled vesa-tng with some resolution. Don't know if that's necessary, but I don't care, cause it works now.

My grub looks like this now:

```

kernel /vmlinux-2.6.15 root=/dev/hda4 video=nvidiafb:1280x1024-32@80,mtrr:2,ywrap splash=verbose,fadein,theme:emergence quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd /fbsplash-emergence-1280x1024

```

edit: I added the stuff salahx posted above in my xorg.conf

----------

## assaf

 *Tolstoi wrote:*   

> I just got fbsplash working with nvidia after a lot of fiddeling around. Really frustrating. Had it already working once, but forgot all that stuff.
> 
> After all I disabled /dev/nvram support in the kernel. Just to be sure I compiled vesa-tng with some resolution. Don't know if that's necessary, but I don't care, cause it works now.
> 
> My grub looks like this now:
> ...

 

So are you using vesafb-tng or nvidiafb ?

----------

## Tolstoi

nvidiafb

----------

## _loki_

what does your system say when you try loading the nvidia module running on nvidiafb? Common sence is that even modprobing does not work.. see here for what I mean https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-427961-highlight-nvidiafb+nvidiakernel.html

so if you got it working somehow, please tell us how!!!

----------

## Blood Fluke

 *assaf wrote:*   

> That's just not true! I've been using X with vesafb-tng for quite a while (until an unfortunate upgrade a couple weeks ago) and it's been very smooth.

 

You got lucky.  That's not typical.

Having multiple sets of software competing for use of the VGA subsystem is a fundamentally insoluble problem.  I wasn't kidding.  

 *assaf wrote:*   

>  Sure, there were some quirks and I needed to find out the exact settings, but isn't everything in linux like that?

 

No.

At least, if they are, it's probably a PEBKAC thing   :Twisted Evil: 

 *assaf wrote:*   

> You overestimate the market share of linux users.
> 
> Not too long ago nVidia was a pioneer among video card makers, by actually providing a linux driver!

 

Eh, lots of vendors cooperated in providing video drivers or documentation for SCO UNIX or XF86 on various platforms.  For example, 3dfx.

Where nVidia were pioneers was making OpenGL affordable.  Their early chipsets had terrible, awful performance, but they did a reasonable subset of OpenGL dozens of times faster than software for a few hundred bucks.  Before nVidia, OpenGL cards for the PC costed thousands of dollars.

Unlike 3dfx, the market leader at the hobbyist level, an nVidia chip would allow you to use the same APIs as honest-to-god technical workstations.

----------

## assaf

 *Blood Fluke wrote:*   

> 
> 
> No.
> 
> At least, if they are, it's probably a PEBKAC thing  
> ...

 

Come on, we're talking about linux here! Even when using Gentoo the average user encounteres a package that requires some fiddling every now and then (and the percentage of gentoo users that can be described as lusers is very small IMO).

 *Blood Fluke wrote:*   

> 
> 
> Eh, lots of vendors cooperated in providing video drivers or documentation for SCO UNIX or XF86 on various platforms.  For example, 3dfx.
> 
> Where nVidia were pioneers was making OpenGL affordable.  Their early chipsets had terrible, awful performance, but they did a reasonable subset of OpenGL dozens of times faster than software for a few hundred bucks.  Before nVidia, OpenGL cards for the PC costed thousands of dollars.
> ...

 

Well I was referring to something a bit more advanced than a simple 2D driver, and in the post 3DFX era most big players in 3D either opensourced their driver and let kernel devs maintain it or didn't supply a driver at all.

----------

## Tolstoi

What just did is to follow the http://www.gentoo.org/doc/en/nvidia-guide.xml#doc_chap3 guide.

Emerged nvidia-glx and did  all that stuff in the guide.

A modprobe nvidia results in nothing, but a modprobe -r nvidia comes with this output:

```

FATAL: Error removing nvidia (/lib/modules/2.6.15-gentoo-r1/video/nvidia.ko) : Kernel does not have module unloading support

```

A     glxinfo | grep direct                 comes out with               direct rendering Yes

ls /dev with nvidia0 -nvidia7 and nvidiaactl

----------

## cgits

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> 
> 
> On later drivers my screnn used to turn black when I quited X, since some time it's turning white now, which of of course is a difference, but also doesn't really make one.. 
> 
> I know the problem must somehow be realted to the SVidoe Out, as I still can see the console output on a pluged TV.. Anyway framebuffer console gets coruppted when unloading X and seems not to be restorable even though the system is still up (I can restart X). I'll give some more information, please fell free t ask for anything more you could need to help with that..
> ...

 

I had the white screen problem ever since I installed Gentoo a year ago. I wasted a lot of time on this, reading documentation, trying everything, but nothing worked. Today it finally got fixed when I upgraded nvidia drivers to the latest version 1.0.8xxx version. So I think you should just be watching for new versions of nvidia drivers, and sometime they will work.

By the way I am using the vesafb because I am running on amd64. I always thought that if I had vesafb-tng I wouldn't have this problem, because vesafb-tng is supposed to set the video mode correctly.

----------

## _loki_

okay I got some further with that..

spend some time on xorg.conf and found this http://www.sorgonet.com/linux/nv-online/ quite helpful

I now enabled TwinView, here is the relevant part of my xorg.conf

```

    Identifier  "GeForce4Go"

    Driver      "nvidia"

    Option      "RenderAccel"   "true"

    Option      "AllowGLXWithComposite" "true"

    VideoRam    32768

    Option      "NvAGP" "3"

    Option      "DigitalVibrance"       "0"

    Option      "TransparentIndex"      "0"

    Option      "CursorShadowAlpha"     "64"

    Option      "CursorShadowXOffse"    "4"

    Option      "CursorShadowYOffset"   "2"

    Option      "NoLogo"        "TRUE"

    Option      "UBB"   "FALSE"

#    Option     "IgnoreDisplayDevices"  "TV"

    Option      "Twinview"      "TRUE"

    Option      "TwinViewOrientation"   "Clone"

    Option      "SecondMonitorHorizSync"        "30-50"

    Option      "SecondMonitorVertRefresh"      "60"

    Option      "MetaModes"     "800x600 ,1024x768"

    Option      "ConnectedMonitor"      "DFP , TV"

    Option      "TVOutFormat"   "COMPOSITE"

    Option      "TVStandard"    "PAL-B"

    # Insert Clocks lines here if appropriate

EndSection

```

It's seems that my internal display is connected via DVI havend checked yet it the TV Out is working bit that is secondary. Now when I quit X the screen turns neither white, nor black, but shows the framebufferimage I'd liked to see all the time..- it's just not centered correctly--> I have a black border of about a fifth of the scrren on the left side, resolution and vertical placement is alright!

Any ideas on that?

----------

## assaf

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> okay I got some further with that..
> 
> spend some time on xorg.conf and found this http://www.sorgonet.com/linux/nv-online/ quite helpful
> 
> I now enabled TwinView, here is the relevant part of my xorg.conf
> ...

 

Do you know what change fixed the problem?

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> it's just not centered correctly--> I have a black border of about a fifth of the scrren on the left side, resolution and vertical placement is alright!
> 
> Any ideas on that?

 

And it's not offset before entering X, only after switching out from X? You could try setting a different refresh rate, because sometime screens store different settings for each video mode, so you can pan each one individually until both look ok.

----------

## _loki_

I guess enabling TwinView changes something.. (I read somewhere that these kind of problems are related somehow to the TV Out, so I deceided to try a prope configuration on that)

And yes console is only shifted when I stated X and then return to fb. While booting everything is fine.. How am I supposed to chanege refreshrate on the fly (or do I have to change kernel parameters in grub.conf?)

----------

## assaf

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> I guess enabling TwinView changes something.. (I read somewhere that these kind of problems are related somehow to the TV Out, so I deceided to try a prope configuration on that)
> 
> And yes console is only shifted when I stated X and then return to fb. While booting everything is fine.. How am I supposed to chanege refreshrate on the fly (or do I have to change kernel parameters in grub.conf?)

 

With my monitor I can see the video mode stats in the OSD, including vertical and horizontal refresh rates. If you can do this with your monitor, you can check if the stats are the same before X and after X. If not, try to change the parameters in grub to match the ones you get after X. When you get a shifted console both before and after, you can simply pan using the monitor controls.

----------

## _loki_

Im using a laptop.. not much configuration of the monitor though.. Anyway changing refreshrate in grub.conf does not change anything.. Maybe I give a try to vesafb instead of tng..

----------

## _loki_

no luck with that.. vesafb is messing up the framebuffer again.. Back with tng and "the shift".. I tried some more refreshrates..- no effect by that.

Any more ideas?

----------

## assaf

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> no luck with that.. vesafb is messing up the framebuffer again.. Back with tng and "the shift".. I tried some more refreshrates..- no effect by that.
> 
> Any more ideas?

 

perhaps a different video mode or bit rate?

----------

## _loki_

what so you mean by video mode? What I have set in /etc/fb.modes? Don't think changing the bitrate can do it but I'll try..

edit: no change by other bitrate..

----------

## assaf

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> what so you mean by video mode? What I have set in /etc/fb.modes? Don't think changing the bitrate can do it but I'll try..
> 
> edit: no change by other bitrate..

 

like 800x600 instead of 1024x768, etc.

----------

## _loki_

tried that..- same problem! Is there a way to reload fb config? That would be helpful for debugging- or if this turns out just to be another bug I could just do that every time I quit X by script..

----------

## assaf

 *_loki_ wrote:*   

> tried that..- same problem! Is there a way to reload fb config? That would be helpful for debugging- or if this turns out just to be another bug I could just do that every time I quit X by script..

 

you can use fbset I think, but I don't remember exactly how.

----------

## _loki_

runnig fbset, even to reset the whole framebuffersettings does not change it. I also tried the fbset -move option but it doesn't do anything.. Anyone any more ideas???

----------

## Tolstoi

What happens when you leave the modes away?

My grub.conf looks like this now:

kernel /vmlinux-2.6.15 root=/dev/hda4 splash=verbose,theme:emergence quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd /fbsplash-emergence-1280x1024

The pleasant thing about this for me was that the fbsplash loads much earlier. As I had nvidiafb or vesa-tng with modes in that line it took

about half of the boot process for the splashimage to appear.

----------

## _loki_

leaving the modes empty results in vesafb-tng using the mode specified as standart mode in kernel configuration. I can try that, but I'm pretty sure it won't change anything. Also my splash comes up just in time..- no problems wit h that so fare. Have you somehow managed to get nvifiafb and nvidia-kernel to work together?

----------

## Tolstoi

I have nvidia framebuffer enabled in my kernel. I emerged nvidia-glx and the modules get loaded. glx is working too.

Hope I'm not irritating you - this topic is new for me.

----------

## _loki_

well acctually ou do..  :Wink:  I cannot load the nvidia kernel module running on on nvidiafb..  I'm getting the problmes mentioned here https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-427961-highlight-nvidiafb+nvidiakernel.html

would be another option to have a look on if it worked..

----------

## Tolstoi

Well, the part of my kernel config looks like this:

```

# Graphics support

#

CONFIG_FB=y

CONFIG_FB_CFB_FILLRECT=y

CONFIG_FB_CFB_COPYAREA=y

CONFIG_FB_CFB_IMAGEBLIT=y

# CONFIG_FB_MACMODES is not set

CONFIG_FB_MODE_HELPERS=y

# CONFIG_FB_TILEBLITTING is not set

# CONFIG_FB_CIRRUS is not set

# CONFIG_FB_PM2 is not set

# CONFIG_FB_CYBER2000 is not set

# CONFIG_FB_ARC is not set

# CONFIG_FB_ASILIANT is not set

# CONFIG_FB_IMSTT is not set

# CONFIG_FB_VGA16 is not set

CONFIG_FB_VESA=y

# CONFIG_FB_VESA_STD is not set

CONFIG_FB_VESA_TNG=y

CONFIG_FB_VESA_DEFAULT_MODE="1280x1024@60"

CONFIG_VIDEO_SELECT=y

# CONFIG_FB_HGA is not set

# CONFIG_FB_S1D13XXX is not set

CONFIG_FB_NVIDIA=y

# CONFIG_FB_NVIDIA_I2C is not set

# CONFIG_FB_RIVA is not set

# CONFIG_FB_I810 is not set

# CONFIG_FB_INTEL is not set

# CONFIG_FB_MATROX is not set

# CONFIG_FB_RADEON_OLD is not set

# CONFIG_FB_RADEON is not set

# CONFIG_FB_ATY128 is not set

# CONFIG_FB_ATY is not set

# CONFIG_FB_SAVAGE is not set

# CONFIG_FB_SIS is not set

# CONFIG_FB_NEOMAGIC is not set

# CONFIG_FB_KYRO is not set

# CONFIG_FB_3DFX is not set

# CONFIG_FB_VOODOO1 is not set

# CONFIG_FB_CYBLA is not set

# CONFIG_FB_TRIDENT is not set

# CONFIG_FB_GEODE is not set

CONFIG_FB_VIRTUAL=y

```

and dmesg has this output:

```

nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.

NVRM: loading NVIDIA Linux x86 NVIDIA Kernel Module  1.0-6629  Wed Nov  3 13:12:                                                   51 PST 2004

```

----------

## _loki_

and do you use nvidiafb, or vesafb(-tng)?

----------

## assaf

Or in other words, what output do you get from

```
cat /proc/fb
```

Because I see you have several framebuffer drivers compiled in.

----------

## Tolstoi

cat /proc/fb 's output is:

```

0 VESA VGA

1 Virtual FB

```

----------

## Tolstoi

I compiled my kernel again today to add powermanagement features. After that the nvidia modules didn't get loaded. So  compiled it again without the ACPI and APM features and it works again. 

Still have error messages about some like this:

```

nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.

NVRM: loading NVIDIA Linux x86 NVIDIA Kernel Module  1.0-6629  Wed Nov  3 13:12:

51 PST 2004

Unable to handle kernel NULL pointer dereference at virtual address 00000000

 printing eip:

c0135063

*pde = 00000000

Oops: 0000 [#1]

PREEMPT SMP

Modules linked in: nvidia

CPU:    0

EIP:    0060:[<c0135063>]    Tainted: P      VLI

EFLAGS: 00010282   (2.6.15-gentoo-r1)

EIP is at print_unload_info+0x39/0xf1

eax: 00000000   ebx: 00000000   ecx: c03dd9b9   edx: 00001000

esi: d29b5980   edi: cfb91620   ebp: d29b5980   esp: cedbbef8

ds: 007b   es: 007b   ss: 0068

Process cut (pid: 4685, threadinfo=cedba000 task=cf656570)

Stack: cfb91620 c03dd9b5 00000000 00000000 d29b5984 d29b5980 cfb91620 00000000

       c0137513 cfb91620 d29b5980 d29b598c 0034df9c d29b5984 cfb91620 d29b5984

       c017c499 cfb91620 d29b5984 00000001 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000

Call Trace:

 [<c0137513>] m_show+0x44/0xa8

 [<c017c499>] seq_read+0xe1/0x2b8

 [<c015b97e>] vfs_read+0xa8/0x177

 [<c015bd1e>] sys_read+0x51/0x80

 [<c0102f29>] syscall_call+0x7/0xb

Code: 24 c7 44 24 0c 00 00 00 00 89 2c 24 e8 ec fd ff ff 89 3c 24 89 44 24 08 c7                                              44 24 04 b5 d9 3d c0 e8 bf 79 04 00 8b 9d 00 05 00 00 <8b> 03 0f 18 00 90 8d b5                                              00 05 00 00 39 f3 74 2e c7 44 24 0c 01

 <6>fbsplash: console 1 using theme 'emergence'

```

So it seems to me that the nvidia modules and the power management stuff conflict with eachother in some way.

----------

## _loki_

it seems to me that you're runnig on vesafb anyway or?

it's still interessting.. Maybe I gona try to compile a acpi free kernel with nvidiafb and nvidia-kernel just to see if those two would work together for me.. I don't wanna miss acpi though, especially as I'm using a laptop..!

----------

## unclecharlie

_loki_,

have you tried using vtotal or vremap options for vesafb-tng in your grub.conf? read /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt

I'm successfully using both the nvidia xorg driver and vesafb-tng console. But I found that I had to tweak these settings to prevent a similar issues to yours. (could start X but then when reverting to the console- nothing... also with the occasional buffer overrun in xorg. It was annoying but fixable. )

hope this helps,

Charlie

p.s.- don't use nvidiafb with the nvidia xorg driver, use vesafb-tng.

----------

## _loki_

thanks unclecharlie,

sound like a light at the end of the tunnel..! Gona try the mentioned options tomorrow and reprot any succeses!!

----------

## assaf

 *unclecharlie wrote:*   

> _loki_,
> 
> have you tried using vtotal or vremap options for vesafb-tng in your grub.conf? read /usr/src/linux/Documentation/fb/vesafb.txt
> 
> 

 

What values did you use for these options?

----------

## unclecharlie

_loki_,

If I remember correctly, I also had to tweak my mtrr: flag. It's set to mtrr:4 on my NV11 ge-force2-go with no problems. (not exactly the same card. I'd try both 4 and if that doesn't work then 2 for mtrr...) My card has 16 megs of video ram with the following grub.conf line-

```

kernel vmlinuz-2.6.15-r1 root=/dev/hda3 video=vesafb:mtrr:4,ywrap,1280x1024-16@75,vtotal=16

```

and my xorg.conf has-

```

Section "Device"

     Identifier "Nvidia"

     Driver "nvidia"

     VideoRam  16384

EndSection

```

There are some quirks,

1. Power management- when the screen goes black to save power, it won't come back on with a mouse or key event. I have to do  [ctrl]+[alt]+[Function Key] to get the screen up. switching back and forth between the vesafb-tng and nvidia drivers does reliably bring the backlight back on, so it's a minor annoyance...

2. The maximum resolution I can specify with vesafb-tng is 1280x1024. But my monitor can do 1600x1200. Also a minor annoyance as a 1600x1200 console would be awful hard to read without going through and changing the font size... And 1600x1200 works fine in X which is where I actually appreciate the resolution.   :Very Happy: 

Anyway, I hope this is applicable to your problem and helps,

Charlie

[edit] p.s.- If I do remember correctly it was the mtrr setting that fixed the 'screen shift' when reverting to vesafb-tng but it was a couple of months ago...[/edit]

----------

## dj_farid

I am having a similar problem: https://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t-427174-highlight-.html

Would really be nice to find a solution...

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## Tolstoi

...or the problem comes with the PREEMP and SMP settings of the kernel .

When recompiling with or without PREEMP and SMP (acpi, too? ) it seems as if

the nvidia stuff has to be emerged again.

----------

## _loki_

unclecharlie:

I tried the options you metioned but had so success in solving the problem. mtrr works with on every mode execpt 2. I setted vtotal to 32 (which is the amount that is on the card) and vremap to 16, just for seeing if something happens.. but as told before, nothing changed.

Tolstoi:

I'm not runnig a SMP kernel, but having PREEMP comiled staticly.. maybe I have a look on what happens when I run without next days..

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## Tolstoi

I just switched back to a kernel compiled with acpi but without smp and preemp features. I had to reemerge nvidia-kernel, nvidia-glx and alsa-driver again and make a module update. Nvidiafb is enabled.

Now everthing is fine.

----------

## _loki_

are you now using nvidiafb or is it just enabled in kernel? Please post your kernel line in grub.conf..

----------

## Tolstoi

I used to have this and it worked:

```

kernel /vmlinux-2.6.15 root=/dev/hda4 video=nvidiafb:1280x1024-32@80,mtrr:2,ywrap splash=verbose,fadein,theme:emergence quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd /fbsplash-emergence-1280x1024 

```

but now I use this one, because my splash turns up earlier. Before, with the setting above it appeared at about half boottime:

```

kernel /vmlinux-2.6.15 root=/dev/hda4  splash=verbose,fadein,theme:emergence quiet CONSOLE=/dev/tty1

initrd /fbsplash-emergence-1280x1024 

```

----------

## _loki_

you have not defined any framebuffer in your current configuration?!

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## Tolstoi

No, and it works   :Smile:  , but don't ask me why.

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## unclecharlie

_loki_,

if you're running the 1.0.6629 driver you can try an earlier one or use /etc/portage/package.keywords to unmask the latest ~x86 one. A lot of people have had problems with the 6629 driver...

Other than that I'm not sure what it could be...

Hope this helps,

Charlie

----------

## _loki_

Sorry haven't had a look lately..

Runnig on

```

media-video/nvidia-kernel-1.0.8178-r3

```

no shange by shifted console so fare..

----------

