Recent openSuse 10.3 install, Nvidia driver install errors...

[MU5CLE]

Error: Kernel configuration is invalid. Unable to build the Nvidia Kernel module.
How do I configure the kernel properly.
I have an old legacy Nvidia card, GeForce2 GTS.

What I did to get the error...
Noob in Linux but have tried for a week to figure this out. I had an old pc laying around and decided to play with Linux. I took the distro test and was guided to openSuse 10.3.

Installed from the liveCD and all devices were probed/discovered correctly. The default 'nv' driver was installed but of course I wanted the 3d acceleration enabled. Went to the Nvidia site and read plenty of documents to ensure I downloaded the proper drivers. Support for the GeForce2 GTS ended and I was directed to use NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7182-pkg1.run. Downloaded to /home/<username>/Desktop. Rebooted, at bootscreen typed in "level 3" to get to text mode. Logged in 'cd /home/<username>/Desktop' then 'su -' entered password to execute 'sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7182-pkg1.run'. It failed to installed. I looked at the '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' did not see any EE for error notations within the file. It did not indicate what was wrong.

Kept looking, searched this forum extensively for all help. Found many threads on nvidia driver installs but not one was for an old legacy card so most of those solutions did not help me but I learned a little about Linux just from reading them.

Used google search and found an old thread on another site that said that using a previous driver worked for someone else, NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7174-pkg1.run. Downloaded to /home/<username>/Desktop. Executed 'sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7174-pkg1.run'. It actually started building the kernel files(?). This driver was proceeding farther than the 7182 file had. I looked at the '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' this time and it was totally different. Found the following error: "Kernel configuration is invalid."

So as directed I tried to run the "make clean", "make cloneconfig", "make prepare" from the /usr/src/linux directory. Everything looked like it executed correctly, but what does a noob know. Then I went back and ran the 'sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-7174-pkg1.run'. The same error in the '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' Error: Kernel configuration is invalid. Missing /include/linux/autoconf.h or include/config/auto.conf

Now it is time to ask for help. Not sure how to configure the kernel. I have gone to YaST online updater to ensure I am up to date. I have ensured I have "kernel-source", "gcc" and "make" packages installed.

The PC is as follows:
openSuse 10.3
uname -r = 2.6.22.13-0.3-default

AMD Athlon 900 mhz
Asus A7V133 mobo
NVidia 'old legacy' GeForce2 GTS 32 meg
1.25 gig of pc133 sdram
IBM 30 gig HDD
Liteon CD-Rom

--Thanks for any help.

[gogalthorp]

It looks like you dir everything right but there are files not where the installer thinks they are.

I run 10.2 I found the autoconf.h file here

/usr/src/linux-2.6.18.8-0.7/include/linux

Note the numbers might be different because you might have a different kernel.

I have never used drivers that old but assuming the installer is about the same it should ask where your include/header files are located and give a guess where it thinks they are as default. Make sure it is where they really are!!!

Good luck

[MU5CLE]

Thanks for the response.

I guess you're suggesting I search for my missing files and copy them to the /usr/src/<kernel>/include/linux directory?

Or should I complete this whole tuturial?

[MikeTbob]

This page claims to work with Default kernels, after you update them of course, try this Link, and good luck!
NVIDIA - openSUSE

[gogalthorp]

Thanks for the response.

I guess you're suggesting I search for my missing files and copy them to the /usr/src/<kernel>/include/linux directory?

Or should I complete this whole tuturial?

That tutorial shows how to install a kernel from source. You don't need to do that.

Just find where the header files (the .h files) are and point the installer to that location if the installer thinks it is in some other place.

Or you tell use what is in the /usr/src directory.

[MU5CLE]

Thanks for the reply.
The contents of '/usr/src' are as follows:
linux:/usr/src # ls -l
total 12
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 19 Dec 28 23:03 linux -> linux-2.6.22.13-0.3
drwxr-xr-x 20 root root 4096 Dec 31 18:10 linux-2.6.22.13-0.3
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root 4096 Dec 28 23:01 linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 23 Dec 28 23:03 linux-obj -> linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj
drwxr-xr-x 7 root root 4096 Oct 15 04:15 packages

When I looked for the both files that are supposedly missing;
linux:/home/<username> # find / -name auto.c*/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/debug/include/config/auto.conf
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/debug/include/config/auto.conf.cmd
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xenpae/include/config/auto.conf
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xenpae/include/config/auto.conf.cmd
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xen/include/config/auto.conf
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xen/include/config/auto.conf.cmd
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/bigsmp/include/config/auto.conf
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/bigsmp/include/config/auto.conf.cmd
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3/include/config/auto.conf
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3/include/config/auto.conf.cmd

linux:/home/<username> # find / -name autoconf.h
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/debug/include/linux/autoconf.h
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xenpae/include/linux/autoconf.h
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/xen/include/linux/autoconf.h
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3-obj/i386/bigsmp/include/linux/autoconf.h
/usr/src/linux-2.6.22.13-0.3/include/linux/autoconf.h

It looks to me like the files are where they are supposed to be.

--Thanks for helping.

[MU5CLE]

I probably via all of my attempts corrupted my install of 10.3. So once again I booted via the LiveCD and re-installed 10.3.

After once again reading extensively this forum and google searches I attempted to install the Nvidia drivers again. This time I found the Nvidia driver archive site. At that point I downloaded the highest 71xx series driver. 1.0-7185 worked where 1.0-7182/1.0-7174 didn't.

Now that I have the Nvidia installed. I guess it time to go tweak something else.

--Thanks for your responses.