NVidea Drivers

[skaterkid]

I have recently been trying to activate XGL/Compiz desktop effects. I previously had them running with my ATI graphics card and found it very easy to install/delete my drivers. However I just purchased NVidea's GeForce 8800 and I can't seem to install the drivers. I have read and tried both the Wiki method at NVIDIA - openSUSE and the method featured at the top of these forums. Can someone please tell me where and how I can setup my drivers for my 8800?

[gogalthorp]

When you use what is described as the hard method exactly what errors are you getting??

Do you have the kernel source and gcc compiler installed. They are not normally installed by default!

[skaterkid]

Ok sorry for taking so long to respond. I have been insanely busy. Well after I posted I tried re-installing the packages from the "easy method" (NVIDIA - openSUSE) with zenworks and well I ran into a problem. For some reason it messed my X desktop and when I ran suse again I got this error "This is a pre-release of version of the X server from the x.org foundation. It is not supported in any way. I typed gnome-xgl-switch --disable-xgl after I exited the error output screen, but it didn't work like it did last time. Please help!

[gogalthorp]

run to Yast2 from the command line (as root) and uninstall xgl.

Log out then back in this should fix the problem

In future down load the driver from the NVIDIA site and follow the hard instructions. Note you need both gcc and kernel source installed. take all the default options.

once you have the NVIDIA driver installed then reinstall xgl etc

the (not really so) hard instructions

People who aren't afraid of recompiling the nvidia kernel module or
even reinstalling the nvidia driver each time the kernel has been
updated and want or need to use the latest and greatest nvidia driver
can use the following steps 1-3. The others should use the
instructions above using YaST and skip the steps below.

1) Kernel sources must be installed and configured. Usually this means
installing the 'kernel-source', 'make' and 'gcc' packages with YaST2.

2) Use the nvidia installer for 1.0-XXXX.

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-XXXX-pkg1.run -q

where XXXX is the build number of the driver you are installing


3) Configure X.Org with

sax2 -r -m 0=nvidia (0 is a digit, not a letter!)

NOTE: There is no need to try to enable 3D support. It's already
enabled, when the nvidia driver is running.

IMPORTANT: You need to recompile and install the nvidia kernel module
after each kernel update.

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run -K

[skaterkid]

Thank you so much! I got my drivers running and set up. I then re-installed the two Xgl packages. I than attempted to enable the desktop effects by typing in gnome-xgl-switch --enable-xgl as it specified on the Wiki how to at Using Xgl on SUSE Linux - openSUSE. Unfortunately when I turn my computer back on I see the NVidia Splash screen and than my computer just freezes as its loading. What did I do wrong, and how do I fix it?