Installing nVidia GeForce 2 MX 400

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:

Quote:

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.

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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:

Quote:

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

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

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.

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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

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:

Code:

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by 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.

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?

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

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

Quote:

# 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:

Quote:

!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?

you have to put it inside the parenthesis

MODULES=(!nouveau)

Done. Now it shows this at boot up:-

Quote:

(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 :)