I just installed a RAID set-up on my machine. Everything is working very well…except this:
I need to install my video card’s driver manually in the shell (as opposed to using their repo) due to issues with NVIDIA. So, after performing all the steps without a problem, I went to complete the installation and rebooted into failsafe mode. The first time I tried this, the external harddrive containing my backup was still plugged into the usb port. When I ran the sh command for the driver, I was told no such file existed. It did. I ls’d into /home to check if it was there ('twas where I placed it) and and found my home folder instead contained the contents of the external HD (which was filled with video files, no operating system, formatted ext4). I found this puzzling.
No matter…reboot back into 11.3 desktop, unmount external, unplug it from usb. Then I reboot into failsafe once again. This time, much to my chagrin, I am greeted with and error as it checks filesystems while it boots up. I can’t copy all of it down for you, but:
fsck failed for at least one filesystem (not /).
Please repair manually and reboot.
The root file system is already mounted read-write.
Then I’m prompted for the root password for login. Upon entering it:
(repair filesystem) #
Here’s what I get when I run fsck for all my various partitions:
- sda1 (boot partition, ext4) clean
- sda2 (swap partition, swap formated) Error 2, fsck.swap not found
- sda3 (root partition, this is what opensuse is installed on, ext4) mounted, I don’t run fsck on this due to scary error message.
- sda4 (RAID partition) fsck.linux_raid_member: not found, Error 2
- sdb1 (RAID partition) same
- sdc1 (RAID partition) same
- sdd1 (RAID partition) same
The RAID:
Raid 5
Mounted on /home
Ext4 formatted
Here’s the weird part though: Everything works when using KDE. Everything. I can move files between / and /home (which use two different partitions). I can install software, I can download updates, I can browse the web. But, since I can’t install my video driver I can’t do the main thing this machine is for, which is watch movies.
Luckily, everything is still backed up and I could start fresh if necessary. I’m hoping I’m just missing something and there’s nothing actually wrong, though.
HELP!
Let me say that I do not use RAID and so I have no idea what might be the problem, but I do install the nVIDIA driver and I have never used the Failsafe mode to do so. Where did you read or hear about using the FailSafe mode to install the video driver? Normally I do have the nomodeset kernel option command set AND I type in the single number 3 on the kernel load option line just before I press enter to use my normal kernel and that is it. The number 3 sends me into runlevel 3 and does not load X. Further I do set the NO_KMS_IN_INITD=yes option in /etc/sysconfig Editor. But, I do not use Failsafe. It is possible that the Failsafe mode might not even load the RAID system properly and you got to consider you only need to issue those commands that effect the load of the nVIDIA video driver and nothing else at all.
Thank You,
I need to do it in failsafe mode so I’m able to install an older driver. The most recent drivers NVIDA released crash ktorrent, among other programs. The instructions I follow are here.
I think you might be right, that the shell isn’t starting the RAID. How might I go about installing this older driver without failsafe?
I need to do it in failsafe mode so I’m able to install an older driver. The most recent drivers NVIDA released crash ktorrent, among other programs. The instructions I follow are here.
I think you might be right, that the shell isn’t starting the RAID. How might I go about installing this older driver without failsafe?
It is my opinion that the Failsafe mode selection is wrong. The driver will either load or it will not load, but it is worth trying to load it without using Failsafe. For openSUSE 11.3, make sure to have the nomodeset command as a kernel option and to use runlevel 3, but that is all I would try.
Next question? Why do you need to load an older version of the nVIDIA driver? Are you using 32 bit version of openSUSE? What kernel version are you using again and what KDE version are you using?
I can tell you that sticking with 64 bit and using the most recent version of the kernel at 2.6.37 I have had no problems with KDE 4.4.4 or KDE 4.6 Beta 2 while using the nVIDIA driver 260.19.29. If you have an older video card that requires a legacy driver, then that is different though I would still not use Failsafe which I think is bolderdash in my opinion.
Thank You,
OK, it works if I just log into console view (doing it in terminal doesn’t work as it can’t run with an X server running).
However, I get the error message that I already am running a video card driver (I believe the one preloaded with opensuse) and that I need to uninstall it. How do I uninstall it? I thought I turned it off with the first three steps in the instructions I linked to before.
I always recommend you read what the official way is for loading external drivers here:
SDB:Configuring graphics cards - openSUSE
I always add the kernel load option nomodeset in my grub menu.lst file and I modify the NO_KMS_IN_INITD=yes from no in my YaST/ System /etc/sysconfig Editor. This prevents the default nVIDIA video driver included with openSUSE from being loaded.
Once you perform the above two items, I even have a script file you can use to install the nVIDIA driver the hard way.
LNVHW - Load NVIDIA (driver the) Hard Way from runlevel 3
Message #12 has the most recent LNVHW script file for you to use. I always install the most recent nVIDIA drive and I always use 64 bit and I have no issues with video. If you get the latest driver loaded, we can then talk about updating your kernel if you would like.
Thank You,
Alright, completely ignoring your advice, for now, I managed to get past the original problem posted in this thread…you’re correct, failsafe fails (ironically) to start the RAID, thus creating issues. But if I login to console, I don’t have this problem. HOWEVER, installing my previous drivers that way is not working either, giving me an error message saying that the the kernel source files have not been configured.
So, my question for you is this: My issue in 32bit isn’t with video, its with the most recent versions of the NVIDIA drivers crashing some KDE programs. Notably for me, ktorrent. That huge thread I linked to above tells me this is a problem a lot of folks are having. So, before I throw 64bit 11.3 on here, can you verify for me that you, running 64bit and the most recent nvidia driver, can operate ktorrent without a crash?
If you don’t usually use that program and don’t want to find a torrent, just open it up, go to plugins, add the syndication plugin, navigate to it and click the “add rss” button. This causes a crash for me with the most recent NVIDIA driver (as does adding a torrent, for that matter).
You had asked before: I’m running kernel 2.6.34-12
You need to read the advice.
To install drivers by hand you will need the kernel-source, kernel-sym ( for your current running kernel ie the version numbers must be the same) and the gcc packages.
Thanks for all your help, I was able to fix the issue with one of the (many) solutions offered in the aforementioned thread.