Linux and my 8800GTX

[foolfromhell]

Ok, im a n00b here, and I wanted to know,
Does Ubuntu or OpenSUSE (one of the two distros i would like) have 8800 Drivers in them when you begin? I tried a month ago, and the GUI wouldnt load at all.
Thanks

 

[Karot]

I believe Nvidia has released drivers for the 8 series but they won't be coming bundled with Ubuntu or SuSE. You'll have to download them from the nvidia site and install them in the command line.

 

[drag]

Keep in mind that if you install the Nvidia drivers using the script from Nvidia's website that you will have to reinstall the driver when you do big update/upgrades.

The (relative) easy way to do this with Nvidia driver install from Nvidia's website and Ubuntu goes like this:

Download the Nvidia driver installer and copy it to your /home/username (or ~/ for shorthand) directory. Through the synaptic package manager (or by editing /etc/apt/sources.list file) enable the 'universe' repository (which will enable lots of extra software).

Then what you need to do is shut off X. You do this by...

Switch to a virtual console by going ctrl-alt-f1
log in.
Go:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
# this will make sure that your system is up to date. If there is a new kernel download, then reboot
sudo apt-get install module-assistant
sudo m-a update
# m-a is short way to type module-assistant
sudo m-a prepare
# this will install all the software you need to compile Linux modules/drivers
sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run

'Then that should install the drivers. Then let the nvidia stuff update your X configuration. Then you should be able to go:
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start


And it should work.

I you get NO gui at all from boot up then you can install the 'links' or 'w3m' command line browser and download the nvidia installer that way.

 

[drag]

Also to install the nessicary software without having to use module assistant you'd use


sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

 

[slugg]

install ubuntu/kubuntu/xubuntu...

Now boot into linux. If you don't get a GUI, dont worry about it. (if you get a gui, press ctrl+alt+f2)

enter your username

enter your password

enter this command "sudo apt-get install lynx" with no quotes and it'll ask you for your password again. Let it do it's thing.

now enter the command "sudo lynx" and hit enter. A text base web browser will now come up.

go here: http://albertomilone.com/nvidia_scripts1.html

download the envy package (.deb file). Remember where you downloaded it to and the filename!

exit the lynx web browser.

enter this command into the console "sudo dpkg -i /path/to/envy.deb". Let it do its thing.

Now just enter the command "envy" into the console. Now just follow the on-screen instructions

if you ever have to update or uninstall or reinstall your video card drivers, just enter a non-gui console (ctrl+alt+f2 works) and type "envy" in. It'll take care of everything for you.

When envy asks you if you'd like it to add the changes to your xorg.conf file, say yes. Now just reboot and enjoy your nvidia video card

 

[Karot]

Useful. Today feels like it's time to give Ubuntu another try.

 

[slugg]

Karot, use Kubuntu

Or did you mean to type Uarot? lol jk

 

[Robor]

Originally posted by: slugg
Karot, use Kubuntu

Or did you mean to type Uarot? lol jk

Isn't Kubuntu just Ubuntu with KDE?

 

[drag]

That's about right.


In fact I doubt it's realy nessicary to install Kubuntu instead of Ubuntu if you want to use KDE. It's mostly just a pleasent way to have a default KDE setup for people that aren't familar with the hap-hap-happy world of package management.

you can probably just install Ubuntu then add Kubuntu repos and install kde-desktop. But I don't know that for sure since I am just a elitest Debian user and that's how it works for me.

 

[slugg]

you can actually just install Ubuntu and the normal ubuntu repos have KDE in them ready to go

 

[Alone]

If you want to keep the l-r-m (Linux Restricted Modules) package installed, and you use the driver installer, you'll want to follow another step:

sudo nano /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common

Make the last line look like

DISABLED_MODULES="nv"

 

[Nothinman]

sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run

Don't do that, Ubuntu/Debian package the drivers for a reason. Just install the appropriate linux-restricted-modules package for your kernel and configure X, done in 2 steps.

 

[drag]

Originally posted by: Nothinman

sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run

Don't do that, Ubuntu/Debian package the drivers for a reason. Just install the appropriate linux-restricted-modules package for your kernel and configure X, done in 2 steps.

I beleive that won't work for him. The pre-packaged drivers the distros provide are not up to date and do not support a card as new as his.

They need them from the 9xxx series drivers.


But otherwise if the drivers aviable in ubuntu are new enough then yes the packaged drivers supplied by your distribution are the way to go.

keeping in mind though that the packaged drivers and the nvidia installer drivers are going to be incompatable. You have to choose one or the other.

 

[Nothinman]

I beleive that won't work for him. The pre-packaged drivers the distros provide are not up to date and do not support a card as new as his.

That's possible, Ubuntu's stupid decision to lump all of those modules into the restricted-modules package doesn't let me get any versions for the individual modules.

keeping in mind though that the packaged drivers and the nvidia installer drivers are going to be incompatable. You have to choose one or the other.

The problem is that the nVidia installer will move around files that the package manager expects to have control over so an Xorg update can easily break your system.

 

[drag]

Well it installs it's own version of some files over what is aviable.

What ultimately this means is that when you run apt-get upgrade and you install a bunch of new X software then you have to log out of X, deactivate the graphical login manager, and then re-run the Nvidia installater.

Same thing when you do a kernel upgrade. You install the kernel, reboot, shut off X, then rerun the nvidia installer.

It's irritating, but not horrible.

Stuff like this is why I am loath to buy a Nvidia card. Worlds better then ATI's support though.

 

[Karot]

Gah, the Live CD didn't even start GDM.

 

[drag]

Probably the 'nv' driver (the open source 2d driver for nvidia) doesn't support the N80 series video cards either.

That's what makes it very difficult for new people with nvidia hardware.

If you want to install Ubuntu and get it working then you can use the 'alternative install cdrom' and install Ubuntu using text mode.

Once that is done, if you have a second computer, then install ssh-server (if it's not installed by default) then ssh in from another box (putty is a good windows client) and install the Nvidia drivers that way.


Basicly how that would go would be something like:
install, install, install, install.

After that reboot, then if X fails to start....
login into the console:
sudo su -
#that logged you in as root
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade
# to make sure you have all the latest updates. If you install a new kernel reboot.

apt-get install openssh-server
# if it's not already installed.

ifconfig
# this will show you the ip address.
# goto your other machine. Log into it with the ssh client

# you can copy and paste into putty by copying a text then right clicking. On normal Linux a way to do it is to highlight the text you
# want to copy, then past it were you want it to go (otherwise except for terminals regular windows-style copy and paste works)
sudo su -
/etc/init.d/gdm stop
apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)
wget http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/L...746/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run

Once it's finished installing then you can go:
/etc/init.d/gdm start

Then if everything is right in the world your GDM login will pop up.

PITA, I know.

If you don't want to go all through that then wait for the next release of UBuntu to come out and it'll have pre-packaged drivers for your card.


This should only be a problem, I beleive, if your running the G80-based nvidia cards (like the 8800GT or whatnot). Otherwise earlier Nvidia cards should work and there may be another problem.

 

[slugg]

if all else fails, use envy (look at my previous post). I've had a 100% success rate with it on several laptops and one desktop. Good luck

 

[Bremen]

Drag, wouldn't the vesa driver still work? Seems easier than having him mess about installing ssh on two machines (not that installing ssh is a bad thing of course).

 

[drag]

I suppose so.

All I just know how I go about doing it and I do this stuff for Debian so I am trying to stick to what I know.

When you install Ubuntu does it actually still give you a choice to pick what driver you want?

 

[Bremen]

Originally posted by: drag
When you install Ubuntu does it actually still give you a choice to pick what driver you want?

No, he'd need to edit xorg.conf. Although I'm curious what it would default to, since it shouldn't be able to recognize his card... I guess they probably grep for the vendor and use the appropriate xserver.

 

[drag]

No, he'd need to edit xorg.conf. Although I'm curious what it would default to, since it shouldn't be able to recognize his card... I guess they probably grep for the vendor and use the appropriate xserver.

It would default to 'nv'.

If you have a card and you don't know what it is then you'd use Vesa since that is a standard all video cards support. It'll work pretty much no matter what.. That's how your bios and such are able to display it's stuff when just plug in any random card.

Probably the install looks up the PCI ID of the card and when it finds 'Nvidia' it goes 'ahah! I'll use nv!'.

And the G80 is a big departure of early nvidia cards so I am not suprised if nv didn't supoprt it.