I installed mandrake linux 8.2 with the generic graphics driver. When I try run the FX drivers on my system, the test says that an error occred when testing. These are the drivers built into mandrake linux 8.2 Why? what is wrong? btw I am very new to linux.

There are three X-windows (graphics) drivers that will work with that card, the standard VESA driver, the unaccelerated nv driver, and the nvidia driver from nvidia.

You may need to download the latest nvidia driver from http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux.html, and install it as per the instructions there.

If you still get problems, please give more precise details of the driver you're trying to use and the error messages you get.

Hope that helps,

— Robert J. Lee

well this is a nasty question because we dont know what is wrong, can be so much. I can try to help you.

your NVIDIA card runs the KDE desktop enviroment (or gnome or everyother), you can update those 'drivers' > go to nvidia.com and they lead the way. Before installing be shure you know at least something about the console (the ms-dos thing) to get them installed because you cant get them installed running the kde desktop inviroment.

luck

I am running the gnome interface. I have no idear how to install the driver once downloaded. I am busy downloading at the moment. it is a .run file.
Thanks for the help.

There are install instructions on the web-site.

A .run file is a self-extracting “shell” archive; basically, you just run it and it unpacks and installs. You may need to do this as root.

There are a few more steps to follow to switch over to using the driver; instructions get copied to /usr/share/doc/nvidia/ I think.

— Robert J. Lee

to get started, there are 6 kinds of runlevels, now you are running level 5.
Linux works with these levels,if your on runlevel 3 no graphical user interface will start but just shell (DOS). Never switch to runlevel 6, that means reboot, so while starting up it will reboot etc. for installing the drivers we need to go to runlevel 3, this is the shell modus.

How to do this:
Linux can work with different kind of users, some users have got more rights than others. The user with the most rights is Talented mister ROOT .
we like mister ROOT, but we don't abuse mister ROOT . we only use mister ROOT when it is necessary.
Mister ROOT is now nessesary, so log in as ROOT in your console. How? open console, type: su and password. now the $ becomes a # (# is mister ROOT his private logo)

Now as root (which is like this: '#' this in console) we can change some system files. be sure there is a # and not a $. If there is a $ type: su and password.

type this:
#> kwrite /etc/inittab (kwrite is the program to open /etc/inittab)

now the kwrite is opening the inittab file. this file contains info about the runlevel.

change the 5 into 3. no more no less.

now you need to know where your nvidia file is. take it easy, put it in you home dir. so in:
/home/yourname


now reboot your system.
#> reboot

now it is booting in non graphical modes.

your shell brings you automatically in your /home/yourname folder.

you can check it by:
$> ls

ls means list all files and folders except invisible.

well do you see your NVIDIAblablabla.run already?

from now on just do what the README on nvidia.com tells you to do.


Good luck. All this info is already written somewhere, so don't keep on questioning and questioning, search first. THNX


GOOD LUCK, you feel like a linux master if you can do this. Don't give up.

Bastiaan Nelissen



ps. it is easy to print this before starting.

ps. to go to your graphical modus again just type
$>startx
and here you can change the runleven back to 5)

ps. You need to have the following packege installed: KERNEL-DEVELOPMENT. DO THIS BEFORE YOU START THE WHOLE SENARIO.

Just wanted to emphasize what's been said in small font a couple of times already: INSTALL THE SOURCE RPM FOR YOU KERNEL BEFORE RUNNING NVIDIA INSTALLER. This is extremely important, since if you don't do this you have a very healthy chance of nuking your generic display driver without getting a native replacement and the road from there is not very pleasant.

You don't need to reboot just to change the current runlevel.

Just type this as root:To enter runlevel 3, and to go back to runlevel 5.

You might also consider other runlevels:

• 1 - shuts the system down
• s - single-user mode (text only, no services/servers)
• 2 - Text-only, multi-user without network
• 3 - Text-only, multi-user with network
• 4 - Normally Unused
• 5 - Full multi-user with graphical login
• 6 - reboots the system

may i ad a little:
Not all distrobutions use the same runlevels.

check yours with:
$ cat /etc/inittab