# can't make Nvidia drivers work [UNSOLVED!!!!!!!!!!!!! HELP!]

## Salsero

I'm trying to get the drivers to work.

I downloaded various versions, and none worked.

my xorg.conf:

```
Section "ServerLayout"

    Identifier     "Nvidia Configured"

    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0

    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"

    InputDevice    "PS/2 Mouse" "CorePointer"

EndSection

Section "Files"

    RgbPath         "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/rgb"

    ModulePath      "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc:unscaled"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Speedo"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/PEX"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/cyrillic"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/ttf-xfree86-nonfree"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/java"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/arphic"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/freefont"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/openoffice"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype/ttf-bitstream-vera"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/ttf/western"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/ttf/decoratives"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/type1/gsfonts"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/Type1"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/defoma/CID"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/defoma/TrueType"

    FontPath        "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/TrueType"

    FontPath        "/var/lib/defoma/x-ttcidfont-conf.d/dirs/CID"

    FontPath        "/usr/local/share/fonts"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/afms"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/bitmap"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/truetype"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/ttf"

    FontPath        "/usr/share/fonts/type1"

    FontPath        "/usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/defoma"

EndSection

Section "Module"

    Load           "bitmap"

    Load           "dbe"

    #Load           "ddc"

    #Load           "extmod"

    Load           "freetype"

    Load           "glx"

    Load           "int10"

    Load           "record"

    Load           "speedo"

    Load           "type1"

    Load           "vbe"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier     "Keyboard0"

    Driver         "keyboard"

    Option         "CoreKeyboard"

    Option         "XkbModel" "pc105"

    Option         "XkbLayout" "us,il"

    Option         "XKbOptions" ""

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier     "PS/2 Mouse"

    Driver         "mouse"

    Option         "Protocol" "auto"

    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"

    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "false"

    Option         "Emulate3Timeout" "70"

    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

    Option         "Buttons" "5"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    Identifier     "USB Mouse"

    Driver         "mouse"

    Option         "Device" "/dev/input/mice"

    Option         "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2"

    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"

    Option         "Buttons" "5"

EndSection

Section "Monitor"

  #Option "DPMS" "true"

    Identifier     "Monitor0"

    ModelName      "Toshiba LCD Monitor"

    HorizSync       30.0 - 82.0

    VertRefresh     60.0 - 60.0

EndSection

Section "Device"

    Identifier     "Card0"

    Driver         "nv"

    BoardName      "nVidia GeForce 420 Go"

    Option "IgnoreEDID" "true"

    Option "NvAGP" "3"

EndSection

Section "Screen"

    Identifier     "Screen0"

    Device         "Card0"

    Monitor        "Monitor0"

    DefaultDepth    24

    SubSection     "Display"

        Depth       8

        Modes      "1024x768"

    EndSubSection

    SubSection     "Display"

        Depth       15

        Modes      "1024x768"

    EndSubSection

    SubSection     "Display"

        Depth       16

        Modes      "1024x768"

    EndSubSection

    SubSection     "Display"

        Depth       24

        Modes      "1024x768"

    EndSubSection

EndSection

```

what happens is the computer freezes with a black screen.

Nothing happens not even Ctrl Alt Backspace helps...Last edited by Salsero on Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:30 am; edited 2 times in total

----------

## MdaG

You can start by changing 

```
Driver         "nv"
```

to

```
Driver         "nvidia"
```

My gfx-card section only has these:

```
Identifier  "Card0"

Driver      "nvidia"

VideoRam    65536

VendorName  "nVidia Corporation"

BoardName   "NV28 [GeForce4 Ti 4200 Go AGP 8x]"

BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"
```

I'll assume you've already tried this.

----------

## Salsero

I tried it, and of course I tried nvidia instead of nv but I have to have a working computer in the meantinme you know  :Smile: 

----------

## aderio

Try this

Section "ServerLayout"

	Identifier     "X.org Configured"

	Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0

	InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"

	InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"

EndSection

Section "Files"

	RgbPath      "/usr/lib64/X11/rgb"

	ModulePath   "/usr/lib64/modules"

	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/misc:unscaled"

	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/Type1"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/TTF"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/corefonts"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/freefonts"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/sharefonts"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/terminus"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/ttf-bitstream-vera"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/unifont"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi:unscaled"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi:unscaled"

   	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/artwiz"

	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/cyrillic"

	FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/dejavu"

	#FontPath    "/usr/share/fonts/local

EndSection

Section "Module"

	Load  "record"

	Load  "extmod"

	Load  "dbe"

	#Load  "dri"

	Load  "glx"

	Load  "xtrap"

	Load  "freetype"

	Load  "type1"

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

	Identifier  "Keyboard0"

	Driver      "keyboard"    

EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

	Identifier  "Mouse0"

	Driver      "mouse"

	Option	    "Protocol" "IMPS/2"

	Option	    "Device" "/dev/input/mouse0"

	Option	    "ZAxisMapping"  "4 5"

EndSection

Section "Monitor"

	Identifier   "Monitor0"

	VendorName   "Monitor Vendor"

	ModelName    "Monitor Model"

	DisplaySize   387 290

EndSection

Section "Device"

	Identifier  "Card0"

	Driver      "nvidia"

	VideoRam     262144

	VendorName  "nVidia Corporation"

	BoardName   "NV31 [GeForce FX 5600]"

	BusID       "PCI:1:0:0"

	Option   "UseEdidDpi"   "FALSE"

	Option   "DPI"   "96 x 96"

EndSection

Section "Screen"

	Identifier "Screen0"

	Device     "Card0"

	Monitor    "Monitor0"

	DefaultDepth  24

	SubSection "Display"

		Viewport   0 0

		Depth     24

		Modes	"1280x1024"

	EndSubSection

EndSection

Works on my box.

What errors do the logs give i.e. no screens found etc.

----------

## Salsero

No dice...

Just doesn't work. it gets stuck and I cant even tell you whats the error cause I need to cold boot the computer...  :Sad: 

help...

----------

## wierzba

i have similiar problem...

i'm install nvidia-kernel-1.0.6629-r5,gentoo-kernel-2.6.15-gentoo-r5

when i open /var/log/Xorg.0.log i see that

_XSERVTransSocketOpenCOTSServer: Unable to open socket for local

_XSERVTransOpen: transport open failde for local/wierzba:0

_XSERVTransMakeAllCOTSServerListeners: failed to open listener for local

X Window System Version 6.8.2

(some line looks good so i copy end of file ;p)

NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"

Loading extension NV-GLX

NVIDIA(0):Failed to obtain a shareds memory identifier (EE )   //!!

NVIDIA(0):Using the NVIDIA 2D acceleration architecture

NVIDIA(0):Backing store disabled

NVIDIA(0):Silken mouse enabled

Loading extension NV-Control

Fatal server error:

Caught signal 11. Server aborting

and i copy Section "Device"

           Section "Device"

                  Identifier "Card0"

                  Driver "nvidia"

                  Option "NoLogo"  "true"

                  VendorName "nVidia Corporation"

                  BoardName "NV43 [GeForce 6600]"

                  BusID "PCI:1:0:0"

                  Option "pci retry"

i don't know what to do .... if someone might help it will be great  :Wink: 

----------

## BaYGoN

I have both working flawlessly on my system (see my signature) right now.

When u upgrade your kernel u need to reinstall the nvidia drivers. I always uninstall and install again, even if its the same version. After booting the new kernel, i do as follows:

```
opengl-update xorg-x11 && emerge -C nvidia-kernel nvidia-glx
```

I also recommend you unmask the "unstable" packages of those drivers (version 8178). My experience is that its even more stable then 6629. I have GLX working with Composite engine with the newer drivers, and never had a crash. America's Army player here.  :Very Happy: 

To unmask the newer drivers, edit the file /etc/portage/package.keywords (you may have to create the file, if u haven't done this before) and include the following quote in it. I assume ur march is x86:

 *Quote:*   

> media-video/nvidia-kernel ~x86
> 
> app-admin/eselect ~x86
> 
> app-admin/eselect-opengl ~x86
> ...

 

Save and exit.

eselect and eselect-opengl are both dependencies of the newer drivers, and they are there to do the same as opengl-update, AFAIK. But u dont need to run any of these. Emerge will do that automatically after the instalation.

Next, do:

 *Quote:*   

> emerge nvidia-glx

 

You might want to add -p to ur emerge command, just to be sure ur going to install the newer driver.

Made the proper changes to ur xorg.conf and modules.autoload.d and reboot. Perhaps u dont want to reboot now, then just do

 *Quote:*   

> modprobe nvidia

 

Issue LSMOD at ur shell, just to see if its loaded ok. Now enter ur X, and be happy.  :Very Happy: 

I also recommend u, if u like eye candiness, to check this link:

http://gentoo-wiki.com/TIP_Xorg_X11_and_Transparency

It has its problems, but its very stable with the newer drivers, and looks awesome.

[]'s

BaYGoN

----------

## Salsero

Please help! nothing I do works.

I tried: reemerging xorg, reemerging the kernel, the nvidia-kernel and nvidia-glx... tried a lot of xorg.conf files that supposedly were working with the nvidia drivers.

I had it working on this computer once so I know it is possible.

----------

## pittaman

Hello, I was having the same problems (black screen and freeze) when I first ran the 2.6.15-gentoo-r1 kernel compilation. I knew from older kernels that I always have to re-emerge the nvidia-kernel and nvidia-glx drivers. But for once that didn't help.

I was still able to start X with the nvidia drivers running 2.6.14. 

I've always had problems when installing the newer versions of the nvidia-kernel (version mismatches) so X wouldn't start.

However, I've tried BaYGoN's advice and unmasked all the things he said. I re-emerged both nvidia-kernel and nvidia-glx. Then I rebooted because I didn't have unload module support and modprobe didn't cut it. With lsmod I verified that the nvidia module was updated because it was larger than the 6629 one.

Much to my joy these steps did help and I was greeted with the nvidia splash screen.

In my xorg.conf, the only reference to nvidia is: Driver "nvidia"

----------

## exrti

 *Quote:*   

> cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log

 

----------

## Salsero

It won't help... because the log is not saved. I have to always cold boot my computer if I try to load X with the nvidia drivers instead of the nv driver... so the log I would post would be of relevance to the nv driver...  :Sad: 

----------

## BitJam

There have been some new issues in the Nvidia vs. Linux Kernel wars that cropped up in the lastest kernels such as gentoo-sources-2.6.15-r1.

Please take a look at this page from the Nvidia forums.

I had Nvidia problems with this kernel.  My problems had to do with AGP.  I ended up having to use the kernel AGP instead of Nvidia's (which is contrary to the instructions on the Gentoo Nvidia page).

For starters, in your xorg.conf, you need to set:

```
Option      "NvAGP"             "0"
```

which will turn off AGP and hopefully give you something more useful than a black screen of death.  If you need AGP, add AGPGart support to your kernel as a module(s) and then load those modules and try using a value of "2" for the NvAGP option.

A search here for nvidia and AGP could also turn up some useful info.

----------

## Salsero

I'l' try... Thank you very much!!!  :Smile: 

there is hope...

----------

## PaulBredbury

 *pittaman wrote:*   

> I knew from older kernels that I always have to re-emerge the nvidia-kernel and nvidia-glx drivers.

 

You do need to re-emerge nvidia-kernel after recompiling/upgrading the kernel. But you only need to emerge nvidia-glx if you are changing the version of the nvidia drivers.

----------

## Salsero

OK... update: I tried nvagp 0 and it didn't work, I still got a blank screen and had to cold boot.

What I've tried so far:

- Different version on the nvidia drivers

- Different version of the gentoo-sources: 2.6.15-r1, 2.6.15-r5, 2.6.16

- Different xorg.conf files that should be working...

of course every time I reemerged nvidia-kernel and etc...

and nothin'....  :Sad: 

and again the problem is I can't read logs because they aren't written because I get a blank screen and have to cold boot...

----------

## PaulBredbury

If you're using a laptop, then get Googling on the model of your laptop, along with the search term "xorg.conf" - find a page where someone has posted a working xorg.conf for your laptop, and copy it. Pay particular attention if a specific kernel version or nvidia driver version is mentioned.

----------

## gentleman

Salsero,

```

nano /etc/portage/package.keywords

```

Insert these four lines:

```

media-video/nvidia-glx ~x86

media-video/nvidia-kernel ~x86

app-admin/eselect ~x86

app-admin/eselect-opengl ~x86

```

then reemerge nvidia-glx

```
emerge nvidia-glx
```

----------

## Salsero

Tried that... I have those in my package.keywords...

it doesn't help...

tried stable version of the nvidia drivers, and I have tried unstable... nothing works...

----------

## gentleman

```
ls /dev/nv*
```

What does it say and in what version? Perhaps you try the stable one.

----------

## gemmell

I have recently won the battle against the Nvidia BLACK SCREEN OF DEATH. 

At first it was halting at the line

(II) NVIDIA(0): Setting mode "1280x1024"

(II) Loading extension NV-GLX

And then I read somewhere that someone else got results by recompileing glibc with USE=-nptl 

This actually got me somewhere - i got a grey screen which flashed with white lines. I messed with just about every setting I could and could only get either the grey screen or the black one. It looked like it was starting fine and then it had this kind of stuff:

(WW) NVIDIA(0): WAIT (2, 1, 0x8000, 0x00000000, 0x000005d4, 0)

So I emerge -C nvidia-glx nvidia-kernel nvidia-settings and went and go  the Nvidia drivers straight from the website, installed, removed my xorg.conf and used the nvidia-xconf utility to generate me a new one. Low and behold it worked. I don't know which setting I'd had wrong in my previous xorg.conf, but now it works. So anyone who's having troubles, I recommend getting the nvidia package from the site and using nvidia-xconf (which for some reason doesn't come with any of the gentoo packages). I then uninstalled the nvidia package and reinstalled the gentoo ones (ACCEPT_KEYWORDS=~x86 emerge -v nvidia-kernel nvidia-glx nvidia-settings) and its still good.

So a couple of things could have made it work:

A) The nvidia installer actually does something that the gentoo packages don't, and doesn't get removed when it's uninstalled

B) My xorg.conf was buggered somehow and was causing it to crash the system

C) Something to do with glibc and nptl (it got me somewhere!)

I will recompile glibc with nptl turned back on and see how I go. Thought I'd my success/experience since I spent days trying to get this working (i'd even bought a NVidia to replace an ATI because their linux support was shocking) and know how frustrating it can be.

~Gemmell

----------

## Salsero

Didn't work... emerge glibc and unmerged the drivers and downloaded the package from nvidia's site... no dice.

 :Sad:   :Sad:   :Sad: 

----------

## dusan

I had the same problem as Salsero. When I ran "startx" everything froze with "nvidia" module, but was ok with "nv". I read many forums, I tried many nvidia drivers, kernels and also played with xorg.conf without any results.

I was lucky because I have a colleague in my room, who has a similar hardware configuration like me, also runs gentoo, and the driver works for him fine. Firstly I tried his graphic card, but darkness again.

Then we put my harddisk into his computer and what a miracle, driver ran. The problem only could be with the motherboard. I was fortunate again, because we had the same motherboards in other computers, I put one into my pc, and now everything is ok.

We suppose that the problem was something with the agp, but certainly hardware.

I can only recommend to check your hardware somehow if you can.

Regards,

Dusan

----------

## BitJam

 *Salsero wrote:*   

> It won't help... because the log is not saved. I have to always cold boot my computer if I try to load X with the nvidia drivers instead of the nv driver... so the log I would post would be of relevance to the nv driver... 

 

This problem can be solved by removing xdm from your default run level which will allow you to boot into console mode.  You can try running X with:

```
# /etc/init.d/xdm start
```

If X crashes, the next time you boot, the Xorg.0.log file won't be overwritten because X is not starting automatically at boot time. Also, on my system there always seems to be a backup file so I have: 

```
/var/log/Xorg.0.log

/var/log/Xorg.0.log.old
```

Perhaps these tips are not helpful because the relevant log file isn't even getting created, but if it is created these tips will help you preserve it long enough to share it with us.

----------

## stobbsm

it's a long shot, but why don't you take a look in your BOIS, and make sure your init first device is AGP and not PCI.

I had that problem on an old board (a couple years ago).

Like I said, long shot but solved my problems.

----------

## dsd

use /dev/input/mice rather than /dev/psaux

----------

## alienjon

Whats the status on this. Any luck?

----------

## Salsero

Nope, I had no luck. I went back to Winblow$ because I needed some programs for university that don't exist for linux, and now I'm dual booting with ubuntu (but I don't like, so I'll probably make a dual boot with gentoo).

----------

## alienjon

Sure thing. If you do, then, and still have a problem please post again  :Smile: 

----------

## BaYGoN

Salsero,

I've been reading ur post again, and noone asked if u had compiled Nvidia Framebuffer drivers in your kernel.

So, if u still got ur gentoo, have u done it?

I had this problem a while ago, installing gentoo for a friend, and that's what i think ur problem is.

I've read somewhere that Nvidia's Drivers doesn't like Nvidia Framebuffer drivers in the kernel.

You should use the generic VESA 2.0 instead, for the framebuffer.

Now the nvidia drivers in portage is called nvidia-drivers. 

Edit ur packages.keywords again, remove the older nvidia lines and unmask the new nvidia-drivers.

Works for me.

If that doesn't work, i can't see where ur problem lies.

Post ur kernel config and output from lspci, if the above advice don't work for u.

Cheers.

----------

