This must have been answered before but I can’t find the correct reference to it in this forum.
After a disk crash I reinstalled openSuSE 11.2 and as always downloaded the latest Nvidia driver for my geforce 8200 graphics.
Unlike all previous cases, this time the driver does not install. The contents of
/var/log/nvidia-installer.log are below. The error refers to being unable to to locate version.h
option status:
license pre-accepted : false
update : false
force update : false
expert : false
uninstall : false
driver info : false
precompiled interfaces : true
no ncurses color : false
query latest version : false
no questions : false
silent : false
no recursion : false
no backup : false
kernel module only : false
sanity : false
add this kernel : false
no runlevel check : false
no network : false
no ABI note : false
no RPMs : false
no kernel module : false
force SELinux : default
no X server check : false
no cc version check : false
run distro scripts : true
no nouveau check : false
run nvidia-xconfig : false
sigwinch work around : true
force tls : (not specified)
X install prefix : (not specified)
X library install path : (not specified)
X module install path : (not specified)
OpenGL install prefix : (not specified)
OpenGL install libdir : (not specified)
utility install prefix : (not specified)
utility install libdir : (not specified)
installer prefix : (not specified)
doc install prefix : (not specified)
kernel name : (not specified)
kernel include path : (not specified)
kernel source path : (not specified)
kernel output path : (not specified)
kernel install path : (not specified)
precompiled kernel interfaces path : (not specified)
precompiled kernel interfaces url : (not specified)
proc mount point : /proc
ui : (not specified)
tmpdir : /tmp
ftp mirror : ftp://download.nvidia.com
RPM file list : (not specified)
selinux chcon type : (not specified)
Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
-> License accepted.
-> Installing NVIDIA driver version 260.19.29.
-> Performing CC sanity check with CC=“cc”.
-> Performing CC version check with CC=“cc”.
ERROR: The kernel header file ‘/usr/src/linux/include/linux/version.h’ does not
exist. The most likely reason for this is that the kernel source files
in ‘/usr/src/linux’ have not been configured.
ERROR: Installation has failed. Please see the file
‘/var/log/nvidia-installer.log’ for details. You may find suggestions
on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux
driver download page at Welcome to NVIDIA - World Leader in Visual Computing Technologies.
naimab, You should open YaST / Software Repositories, select View → Patterns and then check or enable Base Development, C++ Development and Kernel Development and let all of this install. You should then be able to install the nVIDIA drivers or even compile your own kernel. I have a script file useful in installing the nVIDIA driver here:
I am in the process of installing the packages advised by jdmcdaniel3 and hopefully this will solve the problem.
What I don’t understand is what has changed since my last installation of 11.2. After all, I have already succeeded in in the past in installing the nVidia driver on top of a fresh 11.2 install. So why can’t I do it now over a fresh re-installation of the same system? Is it because one of the many system updates that install after the fresh install? has something drastic changed in the kernel?
I have followed the instructions and run the script suggested by jdmcdaniel3 but the result is exactly the same as before. Working in run level 3, the script offers me the nVidia drivers that I have downloaded and proceeds to install the one I choose. Unfortunately, even after installing base development, kernel development and C++ development.
I would appreciate any advice on what to try next.
I guess I would start YaST / Software Management search on kernel and expect to see something like the following list.
kernel-source-rt-2.6.31-3.4.noarch
nfs-kernel-server-1.1.3-21.3.1.i586
kernel-pae-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-xen-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-default-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-rt-devel-2.6.31-3.4.i586
kernel-debug-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-firmware-20090821-4.1.noarch
kernel-source-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.noarch
kernel-source-vanilla-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.noarch
kernel-vanilla-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-desktop-devel-2.6.31.14-0.6.1.i586
kernel-default-2.6.31.5-0.1.1.i586
I would then select each and every one at a time , right click on it and elect to “Upgrade” each and every file in the list. And let it run. Then, reboot your PC. This will “redo” your entry in your grub /boot/grub/menu.lst file so you may want to look at this file before you reboot to make sure your kernel load options are maintained, like the nomodeset command and then go for it.
Then, if openSUSE loads up just fine, try again to upgrade/replace your video driver. Now consider that due to the problem you had before, you may just need to do a full clean install and try again since something has went wrong on you.
(if u cant edit and save, give u the rights of the file! type: chmod 777 menu.lst)
chmoding boot.lst is a VERY VERY VERY VERY bad idea .
if one gets in the habit of 777’ing everything you might as well run MS Windows
AND the system might NEVER BOOT EVER AGAIN , if you 777 the WRONG FILE
also that “guide” is ONLY for the .run from the nvidia website
if you use that one then and NOT the ones in the suse repos there will be additional; problems you need to solve .Like reinstalling BY HAND for EVERY kernel,x11,xorg and mesa update
also from that page more than “make” needs to be installed
the running kernel source
gcc
auto tools
it is best to install the WHOLE development group
and MC is NOT a requirement
nano is installed by default and if one has never used a “commander” style terminal then there is a VERY big learning curve
OK![size=]OK!![/size] Im only wanted to give me the freedom, to edit this file until this driver runs and if something is going wrong! i wrote nothing about habit 777 and i know it is not safely to keep this permissions on all files! i want to reedit this guide or delete but i cant!!! even though this way solved my problem to run the driver finally on a 64bit System!
the problem with instructing new linux users to do that on a system file is then they will assume they can do that for ALL system files
i have seen this way too many times
su -
chmod -R 777 /
and the system will never boot again ,until it is fixed .
Thanks for all the help and advice. The problem is solved, but first I would like to point out that the many kernel modules were not all installed together initially. I was grasping at straws when things did not work as expected and thought that what I was missing was another module - but I did not know which and so tried them all. Silly, I know.
The solution was given by jdmcdaniel3. It turned out that some of my kernel modules were out of sync with others. I don’t understand how this happened after a fresh reinstallation of the system, but the fact is that once I updated each and every one of the modules - as suggested by jdmcdaniel3 - the Nvidia driver installed without difficulty.
So thanks again for the help and sorry for the noise.
Thanks for all the help and advice. The problem is solved, but first I would like to point out that the many kernel modules were not all installed together initially. I was grasping at straws when things did not work as expected and thought that what I was missing was another module - but I did not know which and so tried them all. Silly, I know.
The solution was given by jdmcdaniel3. It turned out that some of my kernel modules were out of sync with others. I don’t understand how this happened after a fresh reinstallation of the system, but the fact is that once I updated each and every one of the modules - as suggested by jdmcdaniel3 - the Nvidia driver installed without difficulty.
So thanks again for the help and sorry for the noise.
Abe
Hey I love it when a plan comes together and a solution has been found. Wonders never cease, for me anyway. Thanks for letting us know of your success. Now Abe, do not lose heart over an error such as suggesting to change the permissions on a system file. So, to be clear, we don’t do that. However, we are all here to help each other and none of us were born with all of the answers. What I ask you do is to pay attention, as there are many very smart people here in the forum that are trying to help. Second, do not lose that spirit to want to help others. As you help others, you too will learn more about Linux. Just hang in there and keep trying.