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Linux newbie here. Searched on google but couldn't find any explanation. Just wondering what the difference is between the official NVidia installer and kmod-nvidia? Does either have features the other does not or is there any reason to choose one over the other? Thanks ahead of time!
I can't post the link to the original article, but this sums it up
There are 2 common ways of installing a driver for Nvidia hardware. Both methods will work and install the driver, however each has advantages and disadvantages.
Nvidia.com Binary Installer
Using the installer from Nvidia will try to compile a driver for your specific Linux distribution and install it. It will also modify any configuration files required to load. The only requirements for the installer are the necessary kernel files (usually kernel headers and the gcc compiler). This installer is only available through the Nvidia website and has the filename in the form of: NVIDIA-Linux-x86-XYZ.AB.pkg1.run.
The advantage of this method is that it can be run in almost any version or distribution and can be installed for custom kernels. It is usually immediately available.
The disadvantage of this method is that the installer is the only application that tracks the modification of the system. If you are using a distribution that uses packag management (i.e. RPM's for Fedora) then the installer may interfere with your package manager and cause problems when you add/remove some RPM's. The most critical problem with this method is that since each install depends on a specific kernel version, if you update and boot into a new kernel the driver will not load. You must manually re-install the driver from the command line since the X-server will not load.
3rd Party Repository
The Nvidia Installer can be extracted and reconfigured into an installable package which is specific to the distribution (RPM, DEB, etc.). Since Fedora uses RPM the driver would be an RPM package(s). The recommended 3rd Party Repository for the Nvidia driver with Fedora is RPMFusion.
The advantage of this method is that it can be installed faster and easier (often a smaller download) using the package manager e.g. YUM in Fedora. The packages can be automatically updated with new kernels and easily added or removed. The most beneficial advantage with this method is that if a newer kernel, X-server or driver is incompatible the package will automatically switch to using the standard 2D nv driver. This way the X-server access is never lost.
The disadvantage of this method is that depends entirely on the 3rd Party Repository to ensure that updates are available on their servers and properly built to match current kernel releases. Typically in the past many problems relating to repositories, mirror syncing and build issues have reduced the advantages of this method of installation.
NOTE: It is recommended by most distribution developers to use the installation method that most closely aligns with the distribution's package management. Fedora users are strongly recommended to use the RPMFusion repository.
Thanks for that useful reply nowatson! I'm afraid I've created a bit of an issue. I installed rpmfusion and use it to install kmod-nvidia.x86_64. I then restarted my computer. However, now when I try to boot fedora, after the loading screen, all I get is a flashing text cursor in the top left corner of the screen. Perhaps I installed the wrong package? Anyway, I suppose I need to get into fedora's terminal without booting the gui so that I can use rpm to uninstall kmod. How should I go about this? Can I do it in grub or should I use a live cd?
First from the fedora docsQuote:
Originally Posted by spiderdan
Quote:
16.3. Booting into Single-User Mode
One of the advantages of single-user mode is that you do not need a boot CD-ROM; however, it does not give you the option to mount the file systems as read-only or not mount them at all.
If your system boots, but does not allow you to log in when it has completed booting, try single-user mode.
In single-user mode, your computer boots to runlevel 1. Your local file systems are mounted, but your network is not activated. You have a usable system maintenance shell. Unlike rescue mode, single-user mode automatically tries to mount your file system. Do not use single-user mode if your file system cannot be mounted successfully. You cannot use single-user mode if the runlevel 1 configuration on your system is corrupted.
On an x86 system using GRUB, use the following steps to boot into single-user mode:
1.
At the GRUB splash screen at boot time, press any key to enter the GRUB interactive menu.
2.
Select Fedora with the version of the kernel that you wish to boot and type a to append the line.
3.
Go to the end of the line and type single as a separate word (press the Spacebar and then type single). Press Enter to exit edit mode.
Then from the rpmfusion site
Quote:
The RPM Fusion Nvidia and ATI driver RPMS come with a small python script, which works as an extension to system-config-display. It does all the editing of the Xorg configuration file for you while installing/activating the driver.
You should also use this tool manually if you want to temporarily switch back to the Xorg driver without uninstalling the Nvidia driver. Just run as root:
/usr/sbin/nvidia-config-display disable
Just boot up in Single User Mode and execute nvidia-settings command to configure Nvidia Graphics Settings.
Type nvidia at command prompt and hit TAB key twice. It will list all available Nvidia commands.
In case it doesn't work, use generic driver instead of nvidia. You can do that by renaming xorg.conf file.
Code:cd /etc/X11
mv xorg.conf xorg.conf.bak
Thanks for the replies nowatson and devils casper! I was able to get into single user mode alright, but neither one of your suggestions seemed to solve my issue. After entering the single user mode, I first tried nowatson's disable method. I then restarted and, as I had before, was met with the blank screen with the flashing cursor in the top left corner after seeing the Fedora loading screen. After this, I went back to single user and tried devils casper's suggestion and was once again met with the flashing cursor. I then went into single user a third time and tried to use yum to remove kmod-nvidia. It removed 1 package (when I installed there were more, dependencies perhaps?) successfully but unfortunately this also did not fix the issue. Is there anything else I can try?
Which distro/version are you using right now?
Thanks for the follow up devils casper. I'm currently using Fedora 2.6.31.12-174.2.22.fc12.x86_64. Unfortunately, I'm not positive which kmod I installed. When I looked at the available repos most had a kernel version listed with the name. The one I used only listed x86_64. I assumed this would work for x86_64 regardless of kernel but it looks like that assumption was wrong.
Execute this
Create a Generic xorg.conf file.Code:su -c lspci | grep -i vga
Code:su -c nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Press Ctrl+X, Y and hit Enter key to save file. Reboot machine.Code:Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "vesa"
EndSection
Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
Option "DPMS"
HorizSync 30-71
VertRefresh 50-160
EndSection
Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Configured Video Device"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
Modes "1280x1024" "1024x768"
EndSubSection
EndSection
Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen "Default Screen"
InputDevice "Generic Keyboard"
InputDevice "Generic Mouse"
EndSection
devils casper, thanks again for all the great help. I'm afraid I'm stilling having this issue. When I do as you said and create a generic xorg.conf, if I reopen it before restarting from single user mode it shows my changes. However, if I restart and attempt to start in normal mode, I am once more greeted with the screen with nothing more than a flashing cursor. If I then restart and return to single user mode and open xorg.conf, the original file which was created by livna has returned. Not sure why this is happening. Also, don't know if its of concern, but when I start single user mode I get a message that /etc/modprobe.conf is deprecated.