Installing nVidia GeForce 2 MX 400

[Auzern]

I have installed Arch Linux quite a few weeks ago; but I'm still trying my best to install the nividia display driver for my graphics card (nVidia Geforce 2 MX 400). Not only in Arch but have tried installing on other distros and still failed.

I have read up all the documentations and I still find it hard to do this task.

When I used the terminal and executed the NVIDIA-Linux-x86-94.43.01-pkg1.run file without any window manager running, I get this problem:

ERROR: Unable to determine the version of the kernel sources located in '/lib/modules/2.6.35-ARCH/build'. Please make sure you have installed the kernel source files for your kernel and that they are properly configured; on Red Hat Linux systems, for example, be sure you have the 'kernel-source' or 'kernel-devel' RPM installed. If you know the correct kernel source files are installed, you may specify the kernel source path with the '--kernel-source-path' command line option.

ERROR: Installation has failed. Please see the file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for details. You may find suggestions on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux driver download page at nvidia.com.

Now I'm using Arch Linux Kernel 2.6.35 and I have got the source.
But where am I suppose to put it now? I do not want to change the kernel. I just want the nVidia installer to identify that there is a kernel source so that it can install. I have searched up a lot on websites and ended up with no proper guide.

This is a very old driver. So since now I have the nVidia driver installation package and also the kernel source, can anyone please help me out with
installing my graphics card driver?
Thanks in advance.

[coopstah13]

I think its easier to just install the package nvidia-96xx and nvidia-96xx-utils

but you should be able to just install linux-api-headers and base-devel packages to do it the manual way

[Auzern]

I think its easier to just install the package nvidia-96xx and nvidia-96xx-utils

but you should be able to just install linux-api-headers and base-devel packages to do it the manual way

Thanks a lot. That helped.

I searched a lot on the ArchWiki Documentation and used a program called pacman and installed the package "nVidia-96xx-utils (96.43.19-1)" and also "nVidia-96xx". Previousl I had already installed the "mesa" and the "xorg" package.
Since I am using Openbox window manager, I have not edited anything in the boot up cause I do not know how to.

And also I can say the nVidia driver is installed cause I can see the nVidia X Server Settings in the menu here.

To me it feels like even after installation the nvidia driver is not starting up...
Also when I execute modprobe nvidia as root; I get this:

FATAL: Error inserting nvidia (/lib/modules/2.6.35-ARCH/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko): No such device

[coopstah13]

you can see if it was properly loaded by opening the nvidia-xserver-settings, if that opens up then it means you are running the driver, otherwise it should spit out an error saying it isn't in use

I'm guessing nouveau or nv driver is running and conflicting as a possibility

post output of lsmod command

[Lazydog]

If you are going to use the drivers from nVidia you need to install the kernel source files as they are needed to build the driver. Just install the kernel-devel packages and then as rot run the nVidia code.

[Auzern]

you can see if it was properly loaded by opening the nvidia-xserver-settings, if that opens up then it means you are running the driver, otherwise it should spit out an error saying it isn't in use

I'm guessing nouveau or nv driver is running and conflicting as a possibility

post output of lsmod command

Yes the NVIDIA X Sever Settings do show up but I guess there is a conflict.
I typed in the lsmod command and I see the nouveau term many times and not the term nvidia anywhere. Here is my lsmod details:

Module                  Size  Used by
fuse                   54801  3 
ipv6                  239371  8 
snd_seq_dummy           1079  0 
snd_seq_oss            25072  0 
usbhid                 33564  0 
snd_seq_midi_event      4496  1 snd_seq_oss
snd_emu10k1           124551  0 
snd_wavefront          28365  0 
snd_seq                41752  5 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq_midi_event
hid                    60400  1 usbhid
snd_cs4236             22252  0 
snd_pcm_oss            33662  0 
snd_ac97_codec         87943  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_wss_lib            17822  2 snd_wavefront,snd_cs4236
ac97_bus                 762  1 snd_ac97_codec
snd_mixer_oss          14686  1 snd_pcm_oss
snd_opl3_lib            7234  2 snd_wavefront,snd_cs4236
snd_pcm                58308  5 snd_emu10k1,snd_cs4236,snd_pcm_oss,snd_ac97_codec,snd_wss_lib
snd_timer              15423  5 snd_emu10k1,snd_seq,snd_wss_lib,snd_opl3_lib,snd_pcm
snd_mpu401_uart         4959  2 snd_wavefront,snd_cs4236
snd_page_alloc          5981  3 snd_emu10k1,snd_wss_lib,snd_pcm
snd_rawmidi            15320  3 snd_wavefront,snd_emu10k1,snd_mpu401_uart
uhci_hcd               19251  0 
snd_util_mem            1820  1 snd_emu10k1
snd_hwdep               4764  3 snd_wavefront,snd_emu10k1,snd_opl3_lib
snd_seq_device          4369  6 snd_seq_dummy,snd_seq_oss,snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_opl3_lib,snd_rawmidi
parport_pc             27896  1 
ns558                   2007  0 
firewire_ohci          20206  0 
ppdev                   4862  0 
ehci_hcd               32860  0 
snd                    43283  16 snd_seq_oss,snd_wavefront,snd_seq,snd_emu10k1,snd_cs4236,snd_pcm_oss,snd_ac97_codec,snd_wss_lib,snd_mixer_oss,snd_opl3_lib,snd_pcm,snd_timer,snd_mpu401_uart,snd_rawmidi,snd_hwdep,snd_seq_device
8139too                18001  0 
firewire_core          38941  1 firewire_ohci
container               1913  0 
mii                     3198  1 8139too
soundcore               5025  1 snd
crc_itu_t               1053  1 firewire_core
emu10k1_gp              1546  0 
analog                  7843  0 
usbcore               121737  4 usbhid,uhci_hcd,ehci_hcd
sg                     20932  0 
lp                      6684  0 
processor              25126  0 
psmouse                51529  0 
thermal                 9786  0 
gameport                7269  5 ns558,emu10k1_gp,analog
evdev                   6820  6 
iTCO_wdt                8677  0 
shpchp                 27005  0 
parport                25467  3 parport_pc,ppdev,lp
pcspkr                  1359  0 
iTCO_vendor_support     1433  1 iTCO_wdt
i2c_i801                7426  0 
serio_raw               3566  0 
intel_agp              24747  1 
pci_hotplug            21811  1 shpchp
rtc_cmos                7746  0 
rtc_core               11831  1 rtc_cmos
rtc_lib                 1494  1 rtc_core
ext4                  282610  1 
mbcache                 4290  1 ext4
jbd2                   58396  1 ext4
crc16                   1053  1 ext4
sr_mod                 13313  0 
sd_mod                 26768  3 
cdrom                  31410  1 sr_mod
ata_piix               18128  2 
pata_acpi               2308  0 
libata                140771  2 ata_piix,pata_acpi
floppy                 48320  0 
scsi_mod              105888  4 sg,sr_mod,sd_mod,libata
nouveau               506709  2 
ttm                    44599  1 nouveau
drm_kms_helper         22043  1 nouveau
drm                   134219  4 nouveau,ttm,drm_kms_helper
agpgart                23520  3 intel_agp,ttm,drm
i2c_algo_bit            4407  1 nouveau
i2c_core               15599  5 i2c_i801,nouveau,drm_kms_helper,drm,i2c_algo_bit
button                  3746  1 nouveau

If you are going to use the drivers from nVidia you need to install the kernel source files as they are needed to build the driver. Just install the kernel-devel packages and then as rot run the nVidia code.

Just to confirm, I downloaded the ARCH linux kernel from a mirror and the files is linux-2.6.35.tar.bz2. I must just install this package the traditional way by make install method, yes?

[coopstah13]

no, don't do this

this problem is very simple to solve

you are getting nouveau driver loaded instead of nvidia

you can either remove nouveau package, or the easiest way is to blacklist the module from being loaded, edit /etc/rc.conf file and under modules section add !nouveau

now nvidia driver should be selected instead

[Auzern]

Hello again coopstah13, I just edited my /etc/rc.conf. The modules section looks like this now:

# NOTE: Use of 'MOD_BLACKLIST' is deprecated. Please use ! in the MODULES array.
#
!nouveau
MOD_AUTOLOAD="yes"
MODULES=()

Now in the boot up, it shows:

!nouveau : Command not found!

Does it mean that I don't have the nouvea application or there are some dependencies that are in conflict with this?

[coopstah13]

you have to put it inside the parenthesis

MODULES=(!nouveau)

[Auzern]

Done. Now it shows this at boot up:-

(EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module!
(EE) NVIDIA(0): ***Aborting***
(EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usale configuration.

I had this same problem on my other computer.

What I am going to do now is compile a new kernel and then try running the *.run script which nvidia.com provies