[solved]all-to-often nvidia (GeForce 6200)

[Amun-Ra]

Hello out there,

I'm using Linux for plenty years now, more as a workstation than for other purpose so I wont called me an Expert. Maybe advanced . . .

All that's left for me to finaly shut my damned Mircoshi* . . XP is a working 3D Enviroment. Not necessarily XGL, though I'm looking forward to get this working too. But either I have a Distri. thats not satisfying but my driver works or vice versa. I'm feed up. I want my Kubuntu 6.06.1 LTS and I want my GeForce 6200 to work properly.

The Report you can read below is writen of memory. A Bug Report and the output of the xorg.0.log will follow as soon as possible. (I'm at work, having my break)

I installed the Kubuntu OS on my Asus P4RD1-MX using an P4 2,8GHz, 1024MB RAM. Thats it so far. LAN, Sound and an ATIx300 CHIP onboard. BTW: Installing a PCIe GCard from ATI resulted (in Win) in an error. Because of the shared IRQ, the Internal and PCIe using the same IRQ, Win was not able to detect the Card properly. So I didn't tried on Kubuntu.

I switch to Nvidia's GeForce 6200 Turbocache, thats were my misery started.

I Installed, and upgraded!! the system. I installed the restricted-modules (AFTER I have tried to use the nvidia.pkg.run driver) and the proper linux-source (for it is no longer called kernel-source). Running the pkgx.run file from Nvidia (mentioned above, without restricted!) was the first thing I did:

Result?? It boots just as it did before, then the Screen flickers and then just the Kubuntu Boot Screen. The Logo, the "Load-a-meter". The Rest blank . . .

Booting in Recovery Mode and using "startx", it resulted in an Error-Message claiming an API Missmatch of the Nvidia-kernel-module, wich claimed to be of a version I didn't install and the X-Module with the Version I installed. Nvidia-kernel-module was Version 1.0-7174, X-Module Version 1.0-8774. 8774 was the Version of the Driver I installed. BTW, I used --kernel-source-path to tell the installer the path to the linux-source. Well, I thought when there is an Nvidia-modul existing I have nothing to do with (for I used a driver Ver. 8774 and X-Module was that Version), though I never came about this fact before, I thought using the mentioned driver of the nvidia-module for the X, that would fix it. NO WAY!!! After that, no API Missmatch BUT the Error was an allegedly not EXISTING Submodule "glx" an thus the Driver "nvidia" could not be loaded. I tried more with the drivers from the nvidia site. Running nvidia-settings --uninstall I restarted the System and installed the Version 8774 of the driver, had the nvidia-xconfig tool edit my xorg-file and ran nvidia-settings --update straight afterwards. It Loaded down Version 9625, a Beta Driver, installed it (incl. xorg-tool) and after trying "startx": API Missmatch. But read this. The Nvidia-Kernel-Module was now Version 8762 and X-Module again matching installed driver, Version 9625!!!
So starting again at --uninstall I tried Version 8762. Result: API Missmatch, N-K-M Version 7174, X-M 8762 . . . uninstall

Then I searched at least 4 or 5 Forums incl. this Hardware Forum completly, finding multiple Threads about Nvidia proprietary Driver, but none had the same trouble that I have, except for one, he linked this:

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Latest_Nvidia_Dapper

I tried Method one, after uninstalling all that was there before. At this Time I installed the mentioned linux-restricetd-modules.

The Error that I receive afterwards is plainly:
lib/modules/2.6.15-27-686/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko
failed to load the Nvidia-Kernel-Module.

The needed .ko file is saved in "lib/modules/2.6.15-27-686/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia/
" and is named "nvidiafs.ko". I created a Softlink in /driver/video called "nvidia.ko".
Typing "startx" results in a Blank Screen and after some 8 seconds the Error: failed to load Nvidia-Kernel-Module. This, plain as it is and no further explanation.

I'm stuck. The Drivers from Nvidia wont work. The "Method 1" wont work. Messing arround with my xorg file, like just changing the Driver-Entry to nvidia, wont work.

So I need help. I am NOT willing to reinstall the System. There must be a possibility to get this thing working from were I am right now . . .

Hope theres someone out there, who can help . . .

[claydoh]

Re: all-to-often nvidia (GeForce 6200)

I would suggest asking in the thread listed in the how-to page:
http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=139264
They would have a better chance of a good solution for you as tha thread is very active and someone with a similar problem might be able to give you a good solution

I don't know of any easy method to repair this, other than editing xorg back to reading "nv", rebooting (this unloads anything nvidia related but keeps you with a gui) and somehow uninstalling everything you installed related to your nvidia driver install, including Linux-restricted-modules, the kernel stuff you installed, deleting the symlink, and doing a search-and-destroy on anything nvidia-related. Not simple stuff, really.

If you do somehow remove everything successfully, I don't know why simply installing the nvidia drivers from the repos (method 1) before trying any other methods wouldn't work, unless it is ultimately a device conflict. My GF 6200 agp card works very well with Kubuntu's Nvidia drivers (nvidia-glx). Also be sure to disable your on-board graphics in the bios.

Having screwed my install up tring to install drivers directly from Nvidia (more than once ) , I personally find it easier and quicker to reinstall the OS after backing up my /home dir. I have not found a simple way to recover from where you are at, but I also have not delved too deeply into it, and I no longer install any recent nvidia drivers until there are official Ubuntu versions.

[Amun-Ra]

Re: all-to-often nvidia (GeForce 6200)

Thanks for the answer so far.

I'm having no trouble restoring my xorg and using Kubuntu just as I did before I tried to install a Driver. Always a Backup of the original file . It's not that my X is dead. It just wont start with the "nvidia" - module. It's running stable and just fine with "nv", but I'm really furios about one fact:

If I do have a problem on Linux/ a Distri. (e.g.: mandrake, mandriva, Suse [8.9, 9.0, 9.2, 9.3, 10.0, 10.1], Red Hat, Fedora Core, Debian (no, not in Debian, it's just outdated, the driver worked), Kubuntu) I do have a problem with my 3D-Grafics.

I love Linux. I'm using diffrent Distros since 2002. All I need Win for is just Photoshop, though I'm getting used to gimp, Dreamweaver, but theres aptana now. Thats it . . .

Like I said it's not that I have difficultys editing scripts manualy and not knowing what I'm doing (in the end there's always "The Koffler"). It's just . . . damned 3D!!! :-X

[riot]

Re: all-to-often nvidia (GeForce 6200)

Try this:

Open your apt sources file (do something like sudo kwrite /etc/apt/sources.list) and add this line:
deb http://www.webalice.it/albertomilone...onlegacy/32bit binary/

Save, close out, open up a console and do the usual sudo apt-get update, and after it finishes adept_updater should notify you of some available updates; nvidia-glx should be one of them, the newest driver which is 1.0-9625

Make sure the driver reads "nvidia" instead of "nv" in your xorg.conf file and reboot the computer. It is important that you reboot, merely restarting X with ctrl-alt-backspace will not be enough. Now if you really messed around with the xorg.conf file and screwed up some other settings that might cause a problem, can't help you there.

[Amun-Ra]

Re: all-to-often nvidia (GeForce 6200)

Allright, to finish this thread:

I convinced myself, for it's the way I usualy would have done(but I was to feed up . . . ), to follow the advice of claydoh (thanks ) to reinstall the system.

I did so, made the updates, first via apt-get, then installed synaptic wich claimed some other updates to be done. Then I installed the linux-source for the current Kernel, for it was updated too. Then, and thats my friends is were, I guess, it all comes down too, installed nvidia-settings, nvidia-xconfig and nvidia-glx-legacy!!!! I guess I just messed it up by using nvidia-glx instead of nvidia-glx-legacy. The 6200 is "in the list" (according to "Latest-Nvidia-Dapper") I suggest. I was also able to problemfree edit my xorg manualy. There it contains the wrong parameters for my TFT and useless entrys for wacom/stylus. Still working, though the first reboot after edit the hor. and ver. refresh rates ended up in a complete frozen system. After another reboot everything was alright.

Next thing will be xgl. Hope I can work this out.

Thanks for all the help.