Nvidia Install help needed

English Install/Boot/Login
1

I have been using SDB:NVIDIA_the_hard_way and have run into a problem.
When I run the script, it gives me the following error message:

You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before installing

How do I exit X?

2

Boot to level 3 is the way I do it:

download the latest Nvidia driver:

Place the file in your /home/username

Now restart and at the boot screen, pause the boot by moving the down button, then move back up and clear any text in the boot arguments by holding backspace. Then just type the number: 3
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10573557/YaST%20level3/2%20Edit%20the%20Boot%20line%20(kernelcruncher-ThinkPad-R61e's%20conflicted%20copy%202011-01-01).png
At the login
Login with your username and password

Now switch to super user with su
and root password

*Now remember you can use the {TAB} key to auto complete

so type:
sh NVIDIA{TAB}
and the whole file name should auto complete

eg: sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-185.18.36-pkg1.run

Follow the installer and let it compile the kernel module for you.
Say Yes to everything
Use TAB to move around
reboot

3

Thanks Caf4926 Worked well. It’s the first time I have used runlevel 3 - so a good lesson !

4

On Sat, 01 Jan 2011 14:36:02 +0530, Alastairo
<Alastairo@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
> I have been using -SDB:NVIDIA_the_hard_way- and have run into a
> problem.
> When I run the script, it gives me the following error message:
>> You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before installing
>>
>
> How do I exit X?
>

  • log out of your KDE, GNOME, or <whatever> desktop environment;
  • open a terminal by pressing <alt><ctrl><F1>;
  • log in as root;
  • type “init 3”

now you’re out of the graphical environment, with no X server running and
can install the nvidia driver. after that’s done:

  • type “init 5;logout” at your root terminal;

and your graphical env. should start again.

–
phani.

5

Thanks phanisvara. This seems to be a little easier.

  • type “init 5;logout” at your root terminal;

is incorrect and should be:

  • type “init 5;login” at your root terminal;
6

Excellent
Well done

7

On Sat, 01 Jan 2011 15:36:02 +0530, Alastairo
<Alastairo@no-mx.forums.opensuse.org> wrote:

>
> Thanks phanisvara. This seems to be a little easier.
>
>> * type “init 5;logout” at your root terminal;
> is incorrect and should be:
>> * type “init 5;login” at your root terminal;
>

no, what i wrote isn’t incorrect, even though not absolutely necessary.
what it does is sends the system into ‘init 5’ and then logs out of the
terminal session. the advantage is that you can shut down or reboot from
the graphical session w/o being reminded to log out of the terminal
session.

to log into the graphical session, just ‘init 5’ would be sufficient. the
login prompt is part of that. my ‘logout’ logs out of the terminal.

–
phani.

8

Anyone reading this that wants to load the nVidia driver the Hard Way might like to use a script file that I wrote called lnvhw. You can get it and read about it here:

LNVHW - Load NVIDIA (driver the) Hard Way from runlevel 3

Message #12 has the most recent version 1.02 of the script file. To use the script, you just need to be in runlevel 3 with no X window system running. You can do that in one of two ways. If you have never loaded the nVidia driver before, you need to read the the openSUSE document first:

SDB:Configuring graphics cards - openSUSE

You need to have added the nomodeset command to your kernel startup line in your grub menu.lst file and should most likely have set the NO_KMS_IN_INITRD=yes in your /ect/sysconfig Editor from YaST. If you have never loaded the nVidia driver before, add the nomodeset to your openSUSE kernel load line in your menu.lst file and reboot. At the grub OS selection menu, press a 3 and then press enter. At the terminal login prompt enter root and the root user password. If you followed my instructions to install lnvhw, then simply type lnvhw, select the nVidia driver to load and answer the questions from the nVidia driver loader installation program.

If you have already got the nVidia driver working and want to just update it, then in openSUSE 11.3, save all work and close all applications. Open a terminal session and type the command su - <enter>, enter the root user password and then init 3 <enter>. Once at the login prompt, login as root again and then enter lnvhw and select the nVidia drier to load just as before.

Thank You,