Nvidia GeForce 9500 GS graphics card

English Hardware
1

My new HP comes with Nvidia GeForce 9500 GS graphics card with 512MB of memory. My Suse 11.0 installation unfortunately did not recognize the card (or could not find a driver for it at the installation time) and downgraded it to “Vesa Framebuffer”, and that means it is stuck at 1280x1024 resolution. The card can do much higher resolutions (I know, because when I dual boot to Windows it does.) I checked the websites for Nvidia and OpenSUSE and I could not find a driver that precisely matches my card (But many are similar.) Has anybody out there faced a similar problem before? Do you have a suggestion for a substitute driver perhaps?

Thanks for helpful suggestions.

PS: I also checked HP support, and not too surprisingly they only provide drivers for Windows.

2

Driver will be here for Manual install
Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers
and guide: NVIDIA - openSUSE

One Click
NVIDIA - openSUSE

3

I went to the “one click” URL that you gave me for NVIDIA driver download, and I did the installation which apparently succeeded. (It said so.) After the installation however, nothing has changed. When I rebooted the machine, it still showed my graphics card as VESA FrameBuffer, and it would not allow resolution above 1280x1024. Do I need to do something beyond what YaST did automatically?

4

If you do
Ctrl-Alt-Backspace

go su

and run

sax2 -r

If that setup doesn’t solve it you may need to go back and do:
sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia

If you loose graphics login altogether the switch back to basic is
sax2 -r -m 0=vesa

the output of
glxinfo
(just the top section) can be helpful to us

and contents of
/etc/X11/xorg.conf

5
  • sinan,

login to the console as root, then
init 3
sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia

I’ve seen a problem with my NVidia card where X would load the failsafe xorg.conf all the time, so keep an eye on the console when you start the GUI.

Uwe

6

Oh well…

sax2 -r
or
sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia

did not help… The second one went further, but it eventually crashed with an encryptic message.

Then I checked the files /etc/X11/xorg.conf*. (I have 5 of them.) None of these five contain the word NVIDIA (caseless) at all. Strangely, not even the file xorg.conf.nvidia-post. I think the success of the installation of NVIDIA driver must have been an illusion. I will try to install it again, and if I have better success I will correct this post immediately. But I don’t have high hopes, why should it do better this this time, since nothing is different. >:(

Thank you for helping!

7

I am afraid reinstall did not work. At the risk of totally boring all of you (who have been extremely nice and helpful) I would enclose the tail end of the file Xorg.99.log from /var/logs when I re-ran “sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia”:

(II) NVIDIA dlloader X Driver 173.14.12 Thu Jul 17 18:15:54 PDT 2008
(II) NVIDIA Unified Driver for all Supported NVIDIA GPUs
(II) Primary Device is: PCI 06:00:0
(–) Chipset NVIDIA GPU found
(II) Loading sub module “fb”
(II) LoadModule: “fb”
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libfb.so
(II) Module fb: vendor=“X.Org Foundation”
compiled for 1.4.0.90, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.3
(II) Loading sub module “wfb”
(II) LoadModule: “wfb”
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules//libwfb.so
(II) Module wfb: vendor=“X.Org Foundation”
compiled for 1.4.0.90, module version = 1.0.0
ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.3
(II) Loading sub module “ramdac”
(II) LoadModule: “ramdac”(II) Module “ramdac” already built-in
(II) resource ranges after xf86ClaimFixedResources() call:
[0] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MXE(B)
[1] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX
[2] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX**
[3] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX**
[4] -1 0 0xf9ff0000 - 0xf9ffffff (0x10000) MX**
[5] -1 0 0xcff00000 - 0xcfffffff (0x100000) MX**
[6] -1 0 0xf9efc000 - 0xf9efffff (0x4000) MX**
[7] -1 0 0xf8ff0000 - 0xf8ffffff (0x10000) MX**
[8] -1 0 0xfebff000 - 0xfebfffff (0x1000) MX**
[9] -1 0 0xf9dff000 - 0xf9dfffff (0x1000) MX**
[10] -1 0 0xf9cffc00 - 0xf9cffcff (0x100) MX**
[11] -1 0 0xf9cff000 - 0xf9cff7ff (0x800) MX**
[12] -1 0 0xf9cff800 - 0xf9cffbff (0x400) MX**
[13] -1 0 0xf9cf4000 - 0xf9cf7fff (0x4000) MX**
[14] -1 0 0xf9cfec00 - 0xf9cfefff (0x400) MX**
[15] -1 0 0xfea80000 - 0xfeafffff (0x80000) MX**(B)
[16] -1 0 0xfa000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x2000000) MX**(B)
[17] -1 0 0xd0000000 - 0xdfffffff (0x10000000) MX**(B)
[18] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX**(B)
[19] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX**
[20] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX**
[21] -1 0 0x0000e800 - 0x0000e8ff (0x100) IX**
[22] -1 0 0x00000400 - 0x0000041f (0x20) IX**
[23] -1 0 0x0000c080 - 0x0000c09f (0x20) IX**
[24] -1 0 0x0000c400 - 0x0000c403 (0x4) IX**
[25] -1 0 0x0000c480 - 0x0000c487 (0x8) IX**
[26] -1 0 0x0000c800 - 0x0000c803 (0x4) IX**
[27] -1 0 0x0000c880 - 0x0000c887 (0x8) IX**
[28] -1 0 0x0000c000 - 0x0000c01f (0x20) IX**
[29] -1 0 0x0000bc00 - 0x0000bc1f (0x20) IX**
[30] -1 0 0x0000b880 - 0x0000b89f (0x20) IX**
[31] -1 0 0x0000b800 - 0x0000b81f (0x20) IX**
[32] -1 0 0x0000b480 - 0x0000b49f (0x20) IX**
[33] -1 0 0x0000b400 - 0x0000b41f (0x20) IX**
[34] -1 0 0x0000dc00 - 0x0000dc7f (0x80) IX**(B)
(II) resource ranges after probing:
[0] -1 0 0x00100000 - 0x3fffffff (0x3ff00000) MXE(B)
[1] -1 0 0x000f0000 - 0x000fffff (0x10000) MX
[2] -1 0 0x000c0000 - 0x000effff (0x30000) MX**
[3] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x0009ffff (0xa0000) MX**
[4] -1 0 0xf9ff0000 - 0xf9ffffff (0x10000) MX**
[5] -1 0 0xcff00000 - 0xcfffffff (0x100000) MX**
[6] -1 0 0xf9efc000 - 0xf9efffff (0x4000) MX**
[7] -1 0 0xf8ff0000 - 0xf8ffffff (0x10000) MX**
[8] -1 0 0xfebff000 - 0xfebfffff (0x1000) MX**
[9] -1 0 0xf9dff000 - 0xf9dfffff (0x1000) MX**
[10] -1 0 0xf9cffc00 - 0xf9cffcff (0x100) MX**
[11] -1 0 0xf9cff000 - 0xf9cff7ff (0x800) MX**
[12] -1 0 0xf9cff800 - 0xf9cffbff (0x400) MX**
[13] -1 0 0xf9cf4000 - 0xf9cf7fff (0x4000) MX**
[14] -1 0 0xf9cfec00 - 0xf9cfefff (0x400) MX**
[15] -1 0 0xfea80000 - 0xfeafffff (0x80000) MX**(B)
[16] -1 0 0xfa000000 - 0xfbffffff (0x2000000) MX**(B)
[17] -1 0 0xd0000000 - 0xdfffffff (0x10000000) MX**(B)
[18] -1 0 0xfd000000 - 0xfdffffff (0x1000000) MX**(B)
[19] 0 0 0x000a0000 - 0x000affff (0x10000) MS**
[20] 0 0 0x000b0000 - 0x000b7fff (0x8000) MS**
[21] 0 0 0x000b8000 - 0x000bffff (0x8000) MS**
[22] -1 0 0x0000ffff - 0x0000ffff (0x1) IX**
[23] -1 0 0x00000000 - 0x000000ff (0x100) IX**
[24] -1 0 0x0000e800 - 0x0000e8ff (0x100) IX**
[25] -1 0 0x00000400 - 0x0000041f (0x20) IX**
[26] -1 0 0x0000c080 - 0x0000c09f (0x20) IX**
[27] -1 0 0x0000c400 - 0x0000c403 (0x4) IX**
[28] -1 0 0x0000c480 - 0x0000c487 (0x8) IX**
[29] -1 0 0x0000c800 - 0x0000c803 (0x4) IX**
[30] -1 0 0x0000c880 - 0x0000c887 (0x8) IX**
[31] -1 0 0x0000c000 - 0x0000c01f (0x20) IX**
[32] -1 0 0x0000bc00 - 0x0000bc1f (0x20) IX**
[33] -1 0 0x0000b880 - 0x0000b89f (0x20) IX**
[34] -1 0 0x0000b800 - 0x0000b81f (0x20) IX**
[35] -1 0 0x0000b480 - 0x0000b49f (0x20) IX**
[36] -1 0 0x0000b400 - 0x0000b41f (0x20) IX**
[37] -1 0 0x0000dc00 - 0x0000dc7f (0x80) IX**(B)
[38] 0 0 0x000003b0 - 0x000003bb (0xc) IS**
[39] 0 0 0x000003c0 - 0x000003df (0x20) IS**
(II) Setting vga for screen 0.
() NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (–) framebuffer bpp 32
(==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
(==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
(==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
() NVIDIA(0): Enabling RENDER acceleration
(II) NVIDIA(0): Support for GLX with the Damage and Composite X extensions is
(II) NVIDIA(0): enabled.
(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
(II) UnloadModule: “nvidia”
(II) UnloadModule: “wfb”
(II) UnloadModule: “fb”
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.

Fatal server error:
no screens found******************************************************************************************************************************************************

8

There should be just One /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Do not confuse it with similar files with a very similar name.

Try this:
Reboot. At the boot screen, pause the timer by moving the down arrow. Now move back to the default boot, now press and hold backspace (this should clear all of any text in the boot line lower down)
Now just press the number : 3
and hit enter

At the login type:
root
then your root password (does not display as you type)

Now type:

sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia

reboot

9

No need to mess around with sax2 nvidia-settings will do it.
In a console type su then root pass then nvidia-settings
Change your resolution and save to x

Geoff

10

Well, I am out of options now I have tried everything suggested here. I tried the path with ‘sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia’ and I tried using ‘nvidia-settings’. nvidia-settings always complains that I am not running the NVIDIA package, but it allows me to select ‘config’ and continue. (However it does not give me the option setting the screen resolution) After config, it saves and exits. The next time I reboot however, I cannot boot into GUI, it drops me to Linux 3, until I exit out of it in VESA mode. sax2 seems to a bit more, but when I set my resolution to anything more than 1280x1024, the test screen fails. (While doing that it still lists my card as VESA Framebuffer.) Just in case, I even uninstalled and reinstalled the RPM package x11-video-nvidiaG01-173.14.12-0.1.

Is there anything else left to try? :’( There must be one little step somewhere I am skipping or handling incorrectly.

11

On the nVidia web site it does not show exactly 9500GS
But 9500GSO
Drivers - Download NVIDIA Drivers

The 32 bit ver: http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/177.82/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-177.82-pkg1.run

The 64 bit ver.: http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/177.82/NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-177.82-pkg2.run

There, it also lists 9500GSO 512
So you may need to be specific - I’m not sure
you know: GS / GSO / 512

Then use the manual install I posted earlier

12

Hi
The best way is to check your PCI ID of the supported products list
from the following command;


echo -n "0x" && /sbin/lspci -nv |grep VGA|cut -f4 -d ":"|cut -f1 -d "("

–
Cheers Malcolm °¿° (Linux Counter #276890)
openSUSE 11.1 x86 Kernel 2.6.27.7-4-default
up 1:09, 2 users, load average: 0.06, 0.35, 0.34
GPU GeForce 6600 TE/6200 TE - Driver Version: 177.82

13

Well, I tried it and it prints: “0x0644”. This must mean something to a graphics expert, but I am clueless. This does not tell me anything about the supported product list.

14

I dropped out of Linux temporarily to check what Windows Vista says my graphic card is. It says “NVIDIA GeForce 9500 GS” with 512 MB of RAM. I don’t know if that makes it the same as GSO. I will try the manual installation as per your suggestion.

15

Well, none of the suggestions worked for me. I am now giving up after two weeks of frustration. Until SUSE finds a better way of supporting the newer NVIDIA graphics cards (particularly 9500 GS) I have resigned myself to use 1280x1024 and no fancy graphics. Maybe 11.2 will get there, I hope.

Thank you for all who tried to help. It is much appreciated even though it did not succeed.

Happy Holidays!

16

Thanks! that worked great for me.