New Video Card

[realnewb]

I have been running openSUSE 10.2 (x86-64) in graphical mode - dual-booted with Windows VISTA - for quite a while. I installed a NVIDIA GeForce 8400GS video board in the computer and the install went fine under Windows. When I run SUSE I get a command line interface. I have downloaded the NVIDIA driver and it is saved on a CDROM. NVIDIA says to run it under YAST but how do I get YAST if I am only in command line mode? I understand that there are problems with the YAST install and that it is best done via the command line anyhow. How do I access the driver located on the CDROM to run it to do the install?

THANKS - sorry for being so naive here.

[daark.child]

Hi and welcome to LQ. For starters run sax2 as root and let it reconfigure your graphics card. It should pick the opensource nvidia driver and this will enable you to login to a GUI. You probably do not need to use YAST to install the nvidia driver. If you downloaded the drivers from nvidia.com, you can copy them to your home directory and as root execute the commands below

#init 3
#chmod +x NVIDIA-{VERSION}
#./NVIDIA-{VERSION}
#sax2
#init 5

replace NVIDIA-{VERSION} with the actual filename of you nvidia drivers. When you run sax2 after installing the driver, it should detect the new nvidia driver and suggest that you use it. Also make sure you have the kernel source and gcc installed before trying to build the driver.

[gogalthorp]

By the way you can run Yast from the command line by being root and typeing yast2. But I suggest you follow dark.child's advice for this problem

[realnewb]

After typing your third line ( #./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-100.14.19-pkg2.run ) it goes into the NVIDIA Software Installer which originally asked for “gcc” to be installed. I installed gcc and then it asked for “kernel-source” to be installed which I did. I thought I was then all set since according to YAST the files I now have installed include:

cpp41
gcc
gcc41
kernel-default
kernel-source
nvidia-gfxG01-kmp-default
x11-video-nvidiaG01

Now, after typing your third line ( #./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-100.14.19-pkg2.run ) it goes into the NVIDIA Software Installer which ends up saying:
===============================
No precompiled kernel interface was found to match your kernel; would you like the installer to attempt to download a kernel interface for your kernel from the NVIDIA ftp site?

I click YES and it says

No matching precompiled kernel interface was found on the NVIDIA ftp site; this means that the installer will need to compile a kernel interface for your kernel.

I click OK and it says

ERROR: The kernel header file '/lib/modules/2.6.18.2-34-default/build/include/linux/kernel.h' does not exist. The most likely reason for this is that the kernel source path '/lib/modules/2.6.18.2-34-default/build' is incorrect. 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.

I click OK and it says ERROR: Installation has failed.
===============================
I suspect that my kernel source files are not properly configured or that I have to do something with sax2 to let NVIDIA's software take over??? I have no idea what to do next. Any suggestions?

[gogalthorp]

Did you install all this stuff via Yast?? Sound like you may have downloaded a RPM and installed that way. The installer asks you where the header source is and the default value has always worked for me.

[realnewb]

I got a graphic environment by running sax2 as daark.child suggested. I installed gcc and the kernel via YAST. The NVIDIA drivers were installed per daark.child's instructions previously given, i.e.:

#init 3
#chmod +x NVIDIA-{VERSION}
#./NVIDIA-{VERSION}

[gogalthorp]

Ok go to this directory

/lib/modules/

See what kernel version is there. I suspect you have a miss matched version

You can see what version you are running is most likely 2.6.18.2-34 since that is what the installer reports. You can also check in my computer.

If the versions match see if you have in the

/lib/modules/2.6.18.2-34=default/

a symbolic link named build that points to the actual source directory.