Dear Leap users: I had this card running with the NVidia website driver under 13.x. I tried installing the repo nvidia driver under Leap, and after that the KDE plasma workspace wouldnt’ start (threw up the crash handler). So I reinstalled, and this time remembered to put “nomodeset” into the kernel parameters (?) line of the bootloader. So it’s up and running with the default Nouveau video driver, and I thought I would ask for advice before reinstalling again…
I’m wondering if I should just switch to console and build the driver I downloaded from NVidia (I used to do that all the time with 11.x and 12.x) or try using the repo again? I spent some time on the opensuse pages looking for hardware suggestions, but much of it is pre-Leap, and concerns quite old video cards and releases. The online repo-video tutorials seem to be mostly for older versions, and I remember someone saying that the GT760Ti wasn’t “officially” supported (although I couldn’t find a comprehensive list), so I’m thinking the repo driver is probably a bad idea.
On a previous Leap install, the driver didn’t build (claimed Nouveau was interfering with it somehow) and again left me with a system where Plasma wouldn’t boot, so I’m a little leery of the exact, Leap-specific way to prepare the system before building the video driver at the console. (I know I have to rebuild with every kernel update.) Maybe I have to remove Nouveau, reboot to the console, and then build? Or maybe “nomodeset” has already taken care of that?
Thank you very much for your time and patience,
Patricia
The packages from the repo are the same as those from NVIDIA just set in a RPM unless you got a beta package maybe.
the GO4 flavour should work with your card… nomodeset uses not nouveau but the fall back drivers but should let you deal with the drivers with a GUI or you can use the command line yast or zypper
You can use the downloaded driver if you like but you must reinstall after kernel and X stack updates where as the repo driver will update itself on kernel or X stack changes
Really the process has not changed from previous OS versions.
Thank you very much for the reply! The only “gotcha” in the process - what? since about 13.1? - is that the NVidia downloaded driver, when building the kernel modules automatically from the console command line, can’t seem to uninstall the existing driver (nouveau?), and this seems to break the graphical system. That’s why I was trying a reinstall with “nomodeset.” I’ll try the GO4 drivers from YaST and hope it autoselects all the needed subsystem drivers/components to make it work, but it seems to me that I’ve also managed to get things into a broken state via that route (though I’m not sure of that). I just needed a little higher FPS to get an older FPS game working, so I could re-live the glory days! (Hah!)
You know, YaST is a really cool tool. One of the main reasons for sticking with Leap. Also, it’s awesome that the 32-bit package pattern choice has returned with 42.1!!
The first time you run the nvidia .run installer, it will try to disable/blacklist nouveau.
It will create a file named “disable-nouveau.conf” in /etc/modprobe.d but it will not be successfull unless
intervened manually.
What I do is copy the content of that file and add it in the /etc/modprobe.d/50-blacklist.conf,
save it and run mkinitrd.
I had a problem with Leap 42.1 booting from grub2 with just adding nomodeset in the kernel parameter.
When I try to install the nvidia .run installer, it complains that nouveau is still loaded. If you encounter that,
when you boot from grub2 at the end of the kernel parameter add “single” and press F10. Give your root password
and command init 3 and as su run the nvidia .run installer.
Went to YaST, added nvidia repo, loaded G04, rebooted - now I get the Plasma crash handler always, though Firefox, which I left running on the desktop during reboot, and the mouse cursor, work. Plasma nonop.
Next: try root logon and install of .run file…
From crashed Plasma; ctrl-alt-Fsomething to console; login as root; ran NVIDIA-something.run; build and install of modules was nominal; reboot; splash screen + plasma desktop all there. YAY!!rotfl!
EDIT: remember I started with nomodeset on during install. It stayed that way… It may even still be there. Hard to tell because GRUB2 took away the listing of what’s on the optional kernel params during boot…
EDIT2: I should have added that during the install, the ./NVIDIA-something.run build said that someone/something else had already installed the video driver. I gave it permission to get rid of that driver, and it was able to do so without messing around with system/config files. (just like the old days!)
Did I mention that I’m so totally jazzed that the 32-bit package pattern has returned with Leap? May it ever be so!! This has really made my life easier. lol!
Hmmm the repos versions should work and seem to work for others with that card. Only down side with doing the hardway install is you must reinstall after any change to the kernel or the x stack. The repo install does the compile for you
Not sure I understand what you did with nomodeset thing you can set it at boot or you can change the grub source and make it permanent. Doing the change at boot is not saved at all and only works for that boot. If you change the menu code you must reverse that since that is something you did so the installer can not know to fix it for you.
Well, I’ve known for decades now that I’m a bug magnet. But I guess if it’s known to work, then it’s at best a minor bug. Maybe because I never removed nomodeset. I put nomodeset in there during a reinstall (after I couldn’t get Plasma working) so I guess it’s permanent for all boots. That card wouldn’t work following install without nomodeset, if I recall correctly.
I’ll google how to change those boot parameters - maybe the Hard Way installer removed nomodeset?
I run NVIDIA and never had to bother with nomodeset except to fix broken video. But that is purely temporary to get into the system. Nomodeset forces the fall back drivers not the proprietary driver. nouveau does need to be black listed but the installer and the RPM both do that now a days.
The only “gotcha” in the process - what? since about 13.1? - is that the NVidia downloaded driver, when building the kernel modules automatically from the console command line, can’t seem to uninstall the existing driver (nouveau?), and this seems to break the graphical system. That’s why I was trying a reinstall with “nomodeset.” I’ll try the GO4 drivers from YaST and hope it autoselects all the needed subsystem drivers/components to make it work, but it seems to me that I’ve also managed to get things into a broken state via that route (though I’m not sure of that). I just needed a little higher FPS to get an older FPS game working, 
so I could re-live the glory days! (Hah!)