# Error inserting nvidia kernel module [SOLVED]

## shiney

Well I feel like a total noob, but it has been about 5 years since I have done a new install, so I guess I am a noob again: I just installed  gentoo on a 32 bit x86 system the card is a FX5200, I'm using the gentoo-sources 2.6.30-r4 kernel with the 173.14.20 nvidia installer and keep getting "erreor inserting module /lib/modules/2.6.30-gentoo-r4/video/nvidia.ko No such device". I don't have any of the nvidia kernel options enabled as I know they break the system, and lspci is properly showing my card. I am obviously missing something simple, but for the life of me I can't see what. I am doing an emerge -1e gentoo-sources right now, but I am hoping the problem is something that won't take a day and a half to recompile.Last edited by shiney on Mon Aug 17, 2009 1:38 am; edited 1 time in total

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## CrankyPenguin

In my experience Nvidia is finicky especially about the kernel being tried.  

1) I would suggest trying it against a vanilla-sources which is what they build for and see if that works.  

2) Check the version number w.r.t. your card.  NVidia's odd system of numbers (sometimes) uses the first set to indicate classes of cards.  In that form, it may be the case that you are installing the wrong nvidia drivers for your card.  In my experience poking on their website and trying different alternatives is sometimes necessary.  

3) Check what is built.  I seem to recall that nvidia systems may require some kernel modules for direct rendering to be installed, not sure on that though.  

    Good cards though.

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## Xarthisius

Could you post your dmesg and output of

```
grep NVRM /var/log/messages
```

?

Cheers,

Xarthisius

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## shiney

First, thank you for sending me off in the right direction. It took a little while but I got it sussed. I had put VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia" in my make.conf and it emerged the 180.xx driver. Knowing that this would not work with my fx5200 card, I uninstalled it and used the nvidia installer for the 173.xx driver. Well, the 180.xx nvidia.ko kernel module is apparently in a different place than the older 173.xx driver and was never deleted in the unmerge thus confusing modprobe.

To make this more concise, If you have older hardware do not use VIDEO_CARDS="nvidia" in your make.conf and install the 173.xx driver yourself. Also if you accidentally do as I did, delete /lib/modules/(yourkernel)/video/nvidia.ko before proceding.

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