Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

[jacatone]

Have an older machine with an AMD Duron and an Nvidia Vanta LT video card. Used Adept to install the nvidia-glx driver and changed the "nv" to "nvidia" in xorg.conf but when I rebooted just got a black screen with a blinking cursor. How do I correct this? Should I have tried the "legacy" driver instead? Thanks.

[dibl]

Re: Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

I've lost track of which driver version is in the nvidia-glx package.

However, if it happens to be capable of running that Vanta card, the way to find out would be to get to the CLI (probably Alt-F1 from that black screen you found), log in, and then do this:

sudo nvidia-xconfig

then

sudo /etc/init.d/kdm start

If it brings up the login GUI, you're set. If not, you can repeat the process with the nvidia-glx-legacy package and see if that works. Failing that, you're probably stuck with the "nv" driver, unless you want to research the Nvidia archives and do a direct installation of one of the old proprietary drivers.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux_display_archive.html

[muzicman0]

Re: Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

boot into recovery mode (hit 'esc' at the grub promt.

when you get logged in, enter:

vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf

I don't think you need sudo, but if it complains about being in read only mode or something similar, try:

sudo vi /etc/X11/xorg.conf

go down to where you entered 'nvidia', and put the cursor over the 'i' of 'nvidia'. Then hit 'x' 4 times (I think)...IE: make the nvidia look like nv. (x is the delete command in vi). Then hit 'esc', and type ':wq' and press enter (without quotes, obviously)...

I would then enter the vi command again, and verify that the change has been made...if so, reboot, and you will be back into GUI heaven!

mm0

P.S. if you have a backup of your old xorg.conf file, then you can just restore it...

[muzicman0]

Re: Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

or of course, you could do what dibl said...probably much easier! tells you how much I know!

[dibl]

Re: Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

You have VERY fast fingers, muzicman!

[muzicman0]

Re: Installed the wrong Nvidia driver

I do finger excersises everyday, so I can post real fast...I think it's finally paying off!