I upgraded from 12.1 -> 12.2 -> 12.3 and somehow lost the nuveau x drivers. I have a Zotoc NVidia clone. I haven’t bothered installing accelerated drivers since the late 11.x versions of OpenSuSE (I think I forgot how). Is there a way to get back to nuveau? I tried copying /etc/X11/xorg.conf.install -> /etc/X11/xorg.conf but I still have only 1600x1200 option (or disabled) in Configure Desktop / Display and Monitor
Also, does it matter if I select the GRUB2 or ‘default’ or ‘desktop’ during the boot process?
Don’t do that. This is the config for failsafe/recovery mode which WILL NOT use nouveau in any case.
Remove /etc/X11/xorg.conf again.
but I still have only 1600x1200 option (or disabled) in Configure Desktop / Display and Monitor
Shouldn’t this be 1024x768 if the nouveau driver is not in use?
Maybe you have some vga= or video= kernel boot parameter? Try to remove them if present.
Also, please upload your /var/log/Xorg.0.log to SUSE Paste or similar and post a link.
That one should provide a clue as to what is wrong.
Also, does it matter if I select the GRUB2 or ‘default’ or ‘desktop’ during the boot process?
Not for your problem. Except if you have “kernel-desktop-base” or “kernel-default-base” installed. Those miss most of the kernel modules, so that would explain your problem with the nouveau driver.
So check in YaST->Software Management that both are the full kernel packages. (“kernel-default” and “kernel-desktop”)
The desktop kernel is compiled with parameters especially tweaked for desktop usage (like latency and so on).
You could uninstall kernel-desktop or kernel-default though, you don’t need both.
You were right! I didn’t look carefully enough - there was a setting in the grub boot line forcing 1600x1200. I removed it while leaving nomodeset and now I have regular vga 640x480 up to 1024x768 appearing in the Desktop Settings - not much progress but it at least makes more sense…
That logfile suggests it’s looking for an nvidia driver, not the nuveau…
Aggh! User Error! (dumbgirl error) - There was “nomodeset” in the grub boot parameters. Apparently at one time I had installed the NVidia repo driver, which, I believe, needed that… I took nomodeset out and the neuveau driver is working again. :shame:
I used to game a lot, and I couldn’t get UT2004 running correctly with the “new” sound system (that was added in 12.x), so I just got rid of the NVidia driver, and I guess I didn’t get rid of all of it.
Does anyone use the NVidia repo drivers? (I’m thinking 3D gaming here…) The neuveau drivers seem really fast for desktop displays, except for really cheap video cards.
I seem to remember there was a trick needed to turn off nouveau driver - the old trick of running that NVIDIAxxxxx.run file in a root console (x not running) would not actually turn off the nouveau driver - maybe because the nvidia driver uses xorg.conf whereas nouveau does not. Not sure. I think the nomodeset was an easy way to get the system to use xorg.conf + nvidia driver instead of nouveau, but I’m reaching pretty far back in my memory - maybe to the first 12.1 prerelease?
The nouveau DRM kernel driver supports KMS (kernel mode setting). The nvidia drivers do not (they are of the UMS variety; user mode setting). “nomodeset” has nothing to do with the use of xorg.conf … it only prevents KMS from occurring.
Nowadays, neither nvidia or nouveau drivers need to use an xorg.conf file – X configuration is pretty much handled automagically … though, if you want to use an xorg configuration, you most certainly can