Hi. I’ve got an old machine and I installed openSUSE 12.1 on it with XFCE. It booted up for the first time, but graphics card drivers were obviously not installed, since I could not change the display resolution to anything other than 1400 × 1050. I used the one-click install from here SDB:NVIDIA drivers - openSUSE, used the legacy version. Since it was the first boot, also some OS updates were installed. Now the system won’t boot at all. The standard option (not failsafe) shows the splash screen, then the screen goes black, there’s an _ cursor in the upper left corner and some yellow-green barf at the bottom. The failsafe option hangs at various points during the phase where it prints out the debug messages on screen. What do I do now?
Hardware configuration:
AMD Athlon XP 2500+ war veteran edition (3 or so missing pins)
Asus A7V8X-MX (VIA KM400, VT8235)
768 MB RAM (passed Memtest on one run, no further testing has been done)
Inno3D GeForce 4 Ti 4200 AGP8X
40 GB Western Digital hard drive and a combo DVD drive
The machine has been acting weird sometimes - for instance, occasionally when booting from the DVD and selecting Install (it took many tries before I successfully installed it, selecting kernel - no ACPI helped), the screen would go blank (where there’s supposed to be that part with the console printouts) and sometimes not recover. Mainly the PSU is somewhat dodgy. But other than that, the graphics card appears to be functional. There was image before I installed the drivers.
Thank you for any insight you might provide. I am a newbie to Linux, so there might be an easy fix that I’m not aware of.
What do you mean?
The two packages from nVidia are nvidia-gfx-kmp-default and x11-video-nvidia. Nothing else shows as installed. As for the automatic update, I don’t know what was installed, let alone how to find it in textmode YaST.
// There is however 1,59 GB worth of “new” updates when I select the Online update thingy. That’s weird, since after letting it check the repositories, I unplugged the network cable so I could post here.
You could do a quick test, independent from the other suggestion.
When you boot and you are in the grub menu (where you select if you boot
normal or failsafe) you can directly edit the kernel parameters by just
starting typing.
Remove the vga=317(or what other number is there) and also the
parameter splash and replace the number by “normal” so that you see
vga=normal and then press enter.
This will start the console in standard 80x25 text mode and not in a
graphics framebuffer mode.
You should then see messages passing by until the x server starts and
hopefully it will start.
If not try vga=ask and select several different framebuffer modes.
When one succeeds write it down and we can tell you how to make it
persistent.
I have seen exactly something like you describe it on a machine with a
MX400 chip with nvidia 96.43 driver and playing with the vga= parameter
solved it finally without doing anything else.
Do not ask me about what caused this, it is beyond my own technical
skills to understand it.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
OK, so I’ll tell you what I did in the meantime. I deleted the two mentioned nVidia packages and XFCE booted up again, proving these were the cause of the problem.
So you’re saying, reinstall the drivers, then fiddle with the vga parameter and hope something works? I guess alternative open drivers are even more buggy, so that’s not really an option, or is it?
Am 15.07.2012 09:46, schrieb lukfi:
> So you’re saying, reinstall the drivers,
If it works now for you, no don’t reinstall the drivers
> then fiddle with the vga parameter and hope something works?
yes, since that was the stupid slution I found myself for one machine
with the 96.43 driver. When the framebufer was set to an unsuitable
resolution everything just went more or less blank when booting after a
short moment where an initial splash was shown.
If you don’t like it don’t do it.
It is not a recommendation from my side, it is just telling you an
experience about a solution I have used once.
> I guess alternative open drivers are
> even more buggy, so that’s not really an option, or is it?
>
You are now running the alternative open source drivers. To confirm you
can check
glxinfo | grep OpenGL
and should see nouveau(gallium) used.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
Unfortunately, this does not work for me. Performance (dragging windows etc) is sloppy, as if there was no graphics driver at all, and I can’t set my display’s native resolution. When I set vga=ask, there are only 4:3 resolutions available, but I’ve got a 16:10 LCD. Even though the driver packages are installed, there are no wide resolutions.
I dont. It says: Mesa Project, Software Rasterizer, 2.1 Mesa 7.11. I don’t think that’s right. :’(
Am 15.07.2012 14:36, schrieb lukfi:
> martin_helm;2474490 Wrote:
>> and should see nouveau(gallium) used.
> I dont. It says: Mesa Project, Software Rasterizer, 2.1 Mesa 7.11. I
> don’t think that’s right. :’(
>
That you only see 4:3 resolutions for the framebuffer is ok, that is
normal it has nothing todo with the resolutions the x server uses later.
But let’s stick now with the opensource driver and see what you really
have, maybe I simply forgot what it shows in glxinfo with nouveau since
it is really some longer time ago I had myself a look at it.
What will definitely tell you what kernel module you are using is
hwinfo --gfxcard
post the output here between code tags.
If it turns out that you already use nouveau and that that is too
sluggish, let’s see if someone has an idea about that.
Do you run any fancy desktop effects with xfce? If yes disable them for
the moment and see if it improves the situation.
It may also be worth to check if you use direct rendering at all
glxinfo | grep direct
if it does not output
direct rendering: Yes
it is bad and given your info that your system uses “software
rasterizer” I expect that it is not “Yes”.
Pleas post all output verbose with copy and paste between code tags. Do
not just tell us informal what you see.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
you clearly see the “nouveau is active” and the Driver: “nouveau”.
The last command checked that the x11 driver for nouveau is also installed, please perform that rpm -qa ‘nouveau’ also on your machine and if it finds nothing install that pacakage with yast.
Could be some kind of a driver conflict issue? I’ve seen some tutorials when installing nvidia drivers saying you have to disable nouveau first, but I thought automatic install would take care of everything.
Am 15.07.2012 18:16, schrieb lukfi:
>
> Code:
> --------------------
> lukfi@linux-vybf:~> rpm -qa ‘nouveau’
> xorg-x11-driver-video-nouveau-0.0.16_20110720_b806e3f-2.1.2.i586
> --------------------
>
> Could be some kind of a driver conflict issue? I’ve seen some tutorials
> when installing nvidia drivers saying you have to disable nouveau first,
> but I thought automatic install would take care of everything.
>
>
The method via rpm’s for the proprietary driver does indeed
automatically take care of disabling the rest. I use that all the time.
But I suggest to check howto make nouveau run for you, it is a bit weird
that instead nv gets loaded which is old and sluggish and not that good,
in short it is deprecated.
nouveau needs KMS enabled, maybe it is disabled for you because you
played with the proprietary driver.
Could you check the following: (open yast)
in system -> /etc/sysconfig editor on the left side
system -> kernel -> NO_KMS_IN_INITRD should be set to “no” if it is
“yes” change that
check if your boot configuration contains a nomodeset, if yes remove it.
You could post /var/log/Xorg.0.log to susepaste.org and give us the link.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
Am 15.07.2012 19:46, schrieb lukfi:
>
>> system -> kernel -> NO_KMS_IN_INITRD should be set to “no” if it is
>> “yes” change that
> OK, was yes, changed to no.
That was it, your log shows that neither nvidia is loaded (see your own
post) nor nv
82.005] (II) UnloadModule: "nv"
82.005] (II) Unloading nv
, but while nouveau is loaded it fails to load the drm module
81.790] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0
81.999] [drm] failed to load kernel module "nouveau"
81.999] (EE) [drm] failed to open device
How does your system behave now.
Can you check the
glxinfo | grep OpenGL
and
hwinfo --gfxcard
again? It should look different now.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
Am 15.07.2012 20:34, schrieb Martin Helm:
> 81.790] drmOpenDevice: node name is /dev/dri/card0
> 81.999] [drm] failed to load kernel module “nouveau”
> 81.999] (EE) [drm] failed to open device
That card seems to have been bleeding edge in 2002 or so (at least I
found a german announcement about that “new” card from 2002), I am
afraid it is simply too old to get decent performance with the nvidia
legacy driver (which failed for you more or less completely in your
first post) or nouveau.
From what I see
> Memory Range: 0xe8000000-0xe8ffffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
it seems to have only 64MB, not that much given todays usual resolutions
when you run whatever desktop environment.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
I think it looks exactly the same as it did before (I’ll post it in detail a few minutes from the other machine). The system also behaves just like before.
While I was in the boot settings, I turned off the splash screen. Now there were some errors with drm and nouveau and whatnot, I didn’t catch it all because it scrolled away, but there were like six of those errors. Now I don’t know if it all went to hell after installing the nVidia driver, or it was already in chaos before.
That card seems to have been bleeding edge in 2002 or so (at least I
found a german announcement about that “new” card from 2002), I am
afraid it is simply too old to get decent performance with the nvidia
legacy driver (which failed for you more or less completely in your
first post) or nouveau.
I know that. I don’t really need decent performance, just some 2D acceleration and perhaps some video to play on it. If I thought it was powerful enough, I would have put Windows 7 on it. I thought Linux with XFCE would be a better match.
From what I see
> Memory Range: 0xe8000000-0xe8ffffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
it seems to have only 64MB
linux-vybf:/home/lukfi # glxinfo | grep OpenGL
OpenGL vendor string: Mesa Project
OpenGL renderer string: Software Rasterizer
OpenGL version string: 2.1 Mesa 7.11
OpenGL extensions:
linux-vybf:/home/lukfi # hwinfo --gfxcard
18: PCI(AGP) 100.0: 0300 VGA compatible controller (VGA)
[Created at pci.319]
Unique ID: VCu0.dh8fFZ8Pa75
Parent ID: vSkL.S16qDHSKEeD
SysFS ID: /devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.0/0000:01:00.0
SysFS BusID: 0000:01:00.0
Hardware Class: graphics card
Model: "nVidia GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X"
Vendor: pci 0x10de "nVidia Corporation"
Device: pci 0x0281 "GeForce4 Ti 4200 with AGP8X"
Revision: 0xa1
Memory Range: 0xe8000000-0xe8ffffff (rw,non-prefetchable)
Memory Range: 0xe4000000-0xe7ffffff (ro,non-prefetchable)
Memory Range: 0xe9000000-0xe901ffff (ro,non-prefetchable,disabled)
IRQ: 15 (no events)
I/O Ports: 0x3c0-0x3df (rw)
Module Alias: "pci:v000010DEd00000281sv00000000sd00000000bc03sc00i00"
Driver Info #0:
XFree86 v4 Server Module: nv
Driver Info #1:
XFree86 v4 Server Module: nvidia
3D Support: yes
Color Depths: 16
Extensions:
Options:
Config Status: cfg=no, avail=yes, need=no, active=unknown
Attached to: #9 (PCI bridge)
Primary display adapter: #18
I believe it’s the same exact thing as before.
// also checked the Xorg log, shows the same errors as before, nvidia not loading, then nouveau not loading
// by the way, the nvidia legacy driver should specifically support NV1x and NV2x GPUs. I don’t know why it doesn’t work. Now, I could make a clean install of openSUSE if it would help, but as I said before, it certainly did look and feel like there is no proper driver.
I am afraid I am running out of ideas, the card simply does not look to
work any longer with nouveau (it seems it did in the past, googling with
site:phoronix.com for the model).
Until now nobody commented here who actually has that type of nvidia card.
You could try to install a different distro which is specialized to run
on old hardware and see if it works better.
antix or puppy come to my mind
Sorry no further ideas from my side for the moment.
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
Am 15.07.2012 20:34, schrieb Martin Helm:
> [drm] failed to open device
Googling that and looking at http://tinyurl.com/6jpk46v
which again mentions KMS disbabled
read the link and check if one of the mentioned settings which would
block nouveau from loading is enabled
Did you reboot after you set the NO_KMS_IN_INITRD to no?
–
PC: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i7-2600@3.40GHz | 16GB | KDE 4.8.4 | GeForce GT 420
ThinkPad E320: oS 12.1 x86_64 | i3@2.30GHz | 8GB | KDE 4.8.4 | HD 3000
eCAFE 800: oS 12.1 i586 | AMD Geode LX 800@500MHz | 512MB | KDE 3.5.10
