# nouveau - problem with load at startup

## kingfame_147

Hi,

I've a strange problem with the nouveau driver.  I hope you can understand what I'm writing now :)

I'm using the 2.6.34er kernel and the xf86-video-nouveau-0.0.16_pre20100510.

What I did: Added nouveau to my video cards into the make.conf and unmasked the packages. Emerged the driver etc. Switch to a console (via ctrl+alt+fx), and did the following

```

/etc/init.d/xdm stop

modprobe -r nvidia

modprobe nouveau

```

Everything went fine. The console switched to the nouveau driver (changed the resolution) and I could set up my xorg.conf with the nouveau driver, start xdm etc.

Now the tricky part :)

I've put the nouveau module to the autoload (and deletet the nvidia module from there) and rebooted -> no X and not the new resoltion at the console. Even with a minimal xorg.conf (only with the driver in it) no X. When I now modprobe nvidia, change the xorg.conf and start xdm -> X is up like it should. Back to the console, modprobe -r nvidia, modprobe nouveau -> nouveau is loaded, new resolution and I can start X again with nouveau.

Whats wrong there?!

The log said

```

[    43.806] (II) Primary Device is: PCI 02@00:00:0

[    43.806] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0

[    43.812] drmOpenByBusid: Searching for BusID pci:0000:02:00.0

[    43.812] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0

[    43.817] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.817] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card1

[    43.821] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.821] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card2

[    43.825] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.825] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card3

[    43.828] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.829] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card4

[    43.832] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.833] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card5

[    43.836] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.837] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card6

[    43.840] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.840] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card7

[    43.844] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.845] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card8

[    43.848] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.849] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card9

[    43.852] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.853] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card10

[    43.856] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.856] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card11

[    43.860] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.861] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card12

[    43.864] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.865] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card13

[    43.868] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.869] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card14

[    43.872] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.873] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card15

[    43.876] drmOpenByBusid: drmOpenMinor returns -1

[    43.877] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0

[    43.882] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0

[    43.886] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card1

[    43.890] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card2

[    43.894] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card3

[    43.898] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card4

[    43.902] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card5

[    43.906] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card6

[    43.910] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card7

[    43.914] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card8

[    43.918] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card9

[    43.922] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card10

[    43.926] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card11

[    43.930] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card12

[    43.934] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card13

[    43.938] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card14

[    43.942] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card15

[    43.946] (EE) [drm] failed to open device

[    43.946] (EE) No devices detected.

```

PCI 02@00:00:0 is the right device.

SHORT VERSION

Start X with the nvidia driver.

Then stop X, unload nvidia driver, load nouveau driver -> everything is ok.

Doesn't start X with the nvidia driver first but start it directly with the nouveau driver -> fail

----------

## BradN

Sounds like a bug where nouveau doesn't fully initialize the graphics card but when nvidia's driver does it first it works... I would file a bug report with nouveau if there isn't already one.

----------

## kingfame_147

Posted the bug:

https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=28196

----------

## chithanh

You need to ensure that the nvidia module was never loaded at all since boot. Also verify with 

```
lspci -k
```

 that nouveau is actually driving your graphics card. If it still does not work, please give dmesg output.

----------

## kingfame_147

The problem also exist with unmerged nvidia-drivers.

I'll do that lspci -k thing etc. in 15 minutes and will post here then.

Btw: If I start X with the nvidia driver and then with the nouveau driver it works. So even if the nvidia driver was loaded before it should work?!

----------

## kingfame_147

Hi,

sorry, it was my fault :/

The nvidia unmerge didn't deleted the kernel module and therefore it was loaded at boottime (without a message). I didn't saw it at at 'lsmod'.

Now it works :) Thx for your help!

----------

