Hi,
I’m trying to install NVIDIA video drivers on opensuse 12.3, but can’t because I get an error message stating that I must shutdown the X server before proceeding with the installation. I’ve tried “init 3” and “gdm stop” command-line to shutdown X but it did not work. I’m doing this from terminal pulled up by [Ctrl] [Alt] [F1]. Any help would be appreciated.
I normally do “telinit 3” for that. But “init 3” should be equivalent.
You must be root for init command.
Also I never tried it from a console Pres ctrl-alt-f1 to go to a terminal log in as root then run init 3
12.3 is at end of life
why are you installing nvidia drivers the hard way, why don’t you just add the nvidia repo and install the prebuild drivers with yast or zypper
https://en.opensuse.org/SDB:NVIDIA_drivers#The_repository_way
afaik the hard way is only useful for thumbelweed
The repository way might not be possible for 12.3, since it has reached the end of its support lifetime.
nrickert wrote:
>
> I normally do “telinit 3” for that. But “init 3” should be equivalent.
>
Unless I’m mistaken, you have to log out all active users then chose a
terminal session from the logon screen. At least, that’s what I wound up
using the last couple of times I needed a “clean” machine for something. As
I remember it, issuing a “users” command from the Alt-F1 session showed the
users that existed before the switch a being still active.
Just tried it and my user ID was still active - which means that X was
running - and Alt-F7 took me back to the users session as I had remembered.
If you need X shut dwon, you pretty much have to logout all users then
invoke the terminal session.
–
Will Honea
Hi,
You can just stop X server
rcxdm stop
then log in as root, then do your stuff and finally start the X server
rcxdm start && exit
That said you can tell the nvidia installer to not check if X server is running.
./NVIDIAxxxxxx.run --no-x-check
I just don’t know how well that no-x-check is implemented 
maybe booting with init 3 from grub
make sure you have all the needed packages as the hard way requires that the kernel-devel (headers) and gcc be installed.