# No ebuilds for nvidia drivers on upgrade to 2.26

## blanksl8

When attempting to upgrade 64 bit Linux from 2.18 to 2.26 I ran module-rebuild populate and got this message:

setting x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-1.0.8766; rebuild=1

Then when I ran module-rebuild rebuild I got this:

emerge: there are no ebuilds to satisfy "x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers-1.0.8766; rebuild=1"

As a result X Windows can't start.  What am I doing wrong?

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## rh1

That ebuild has been removed for about 3 years according to http://sources.gentoo.org/cgi-bin/viewvc.cgi/gentoo-x86/x11-drivers/nvidia-drivers/?hideattic=0.

You either need to upgrade to a newer version or put the original ebuild in a local overlay.

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## Hu

You also need to specify your kernel versions correctly.  There has never been a Linux 2.18 or 2.26.  We are only up to 2.6 series.  If you meant 2.6.18 and 2.6.26, then you are very far behind mainline.  Has this system been unmaintained for an extended period?

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## blanksl8

My mistake - it's version 2.6.18 that I'm currently on.  I did the following:

```
emerge -u gentoo-sources
```

and it gave me version 2.6.26.  Yes, the system has been unmaintained for a very long time.  I was using rsync but found that it kept breaking applications - so I stopped using it.  I don't have a lot of time to spend on OS cleanup - I use this computer for personal applications (chiefly word processing, with a little bit of C++ dabbling.)

Is it impossible for me to upgrade my system now?  Do I need to start fresh?  If so, I have several issues with my current install that I would like to have fixed before I commit to switching:

1.  Sound has never worked on this system, despite many efforts to get it working.  I read LOTS of postings and replies on the gentoo forums and tried lots of proposed solutions.  None of them worked.  I can hear it - faintly - but only if I turn up the volume to the max.

2.  I use Gnome - but I hate the fact that I can't view JPEG files in Eye of Gnome.  PNG files are OK, but most of the stuff I get from friends or family or co-workers is in JPEG format.  Does the latest-and-greatest version of Gnome support JPEGs, or do I need to switch to KDE?

I love having great software like Firefox and Open Office that is freely available and is very very good.  I love having a 64 bit UNIX OS with things like crontab (I use VixieCron) and mdm and PostGreSQL.  I love the scripting power of bash.  But I don't really use this system for enterprise applications.  If I can't have working sound, and if I can't view JPEGs, and if I have to keep futzing with my system to keep it running, then I may just decide to switch to either Windows or Mac.

Thank you for your help.

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## Jaglover

You can have JPEG in Gnome, KDE, Xfce, etc.

You can have sound, what is your sound chip?

You have to maintain your Gentoo, it is rolling Linux, if left alone for an extended period things will break.

You can switch to Windows or Mac.

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## cach0rr0

if you go too long without updating any OS/software, you eventually find that vendors drop support 

in this case, I'm not entirely sure that build of the binary  nvidia driver is still available - from Nvidia, I mean.

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## blanksl8

My audio device is Intel 82801G High Definition Audio Controller (from the ICH7 family).

My video card is an NVidia GeForce 7300 GS.  There is a driver for it on the NVidia web site:

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-amd64-256.53-driver.html

I did the following:

```
emerge gentoo-sources
```

Isn't that supposed to give me the latest source code for my system (AMD64)?  It seems like the only thing that it doesn't like is my NVidia driver.  Do I need to buy a new video card to get something that ebuild will accept?  That would be a lot more palatable to me than switching operating systems.

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## rh1

Video card has nothing to do with it. You can't rebuild that version of nvidia-drivers because the ebuild has been remove from the tree. While you could add it to a local overlay , what's the problem with just upgrading it:

```
emerge -u nvidia-drivers
```

 *Quote:*   

> emerge gentoo-sources

 

This just installs a newer version of the kernel, doesn't upgrade the rest of the system, for that you need to upgrade 'world' which to me it sounds like you haven't done in a long time. I'd really recommend doing :

```
emerge -avuND world
```

You might have some issues but i'm sure they can be worked out. After you've got your system up to date it shouldn't be too hard to fix the other problems you mentioned.

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## bobspencer123

although I never try to push people away from Gentoo it sounds like a binary (static?) distro like ubuntu might be more up your alley for what you use linux for and the time you have.

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## Jaglover

```
aplay -l
```

 will tell you what chip you have, make sure it is enabled under Intel HD audio.

Installing latest nVidia drivers in an outdated system may prove a little tricky ...

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