Mandrake default nVidia vs. Downloaded drivers

[Greg Germ]

Hi all - I am running Mandrake 7.2 with a (Hercules brand) Geforce2 MX card. Upon installation, the system does find the card, and installs what "appears" to be a driver for it. (says something along the lines of "generic geforce ddr" driver)

Is this prepackaged driver the same as the drivers I can download from nVidia? Is it 3D accelerated? Or am I better off to download and install the "official" nVidia drivers??

Thanks kindly...
-Germ

[fallenang3l]

Very good question that I want to find an answer to....

[RoTT]

Hello guys.The default drive in Drake 7.2 is not 3D accelerated you need to download the drivers from Nvidia.There is a great "How To" at http://www.evil3d.net
Look in the articles section.

If you just did the default install of Mandrake you will probly have to update XFree86 as well which is also explained at evil3d.net.

The How To works great and is how I got my GF2 running games in linux.


Hope this helps.

[ 05 March 2001: Message edited by: RoTT ]

[Greg Germ]

Thanks for the information...

I'll head to that site right away.

Is there any good way to test the installation? Proving that you are or are not on accelerated drivers? (Short of putting on games, which I don't have yet)

Thanks once again,
-germ

[RoTT]

You could probly try searching tucows.com for a OpenGL screensaver that requires you to have 3D accel. drivers installed.

There may be a simpler way that I'm unaware of though.

[wtsamatta]

The drivers that come by default with Drake 7.2 do not do 3d acceleration very well. The nvida drivers are the way to go. I would totall suggest that u use X 4.0.2. If ur not sure what version that u are using do X -showconfig from commandprompt. There are excellent instructions here (http://www.evil3d.net/articles.shtml) for installing both X and nvidia drivers for drake 7.2

[Greg Germ]

Thanks for all your pointers... I did run into an issue though.

I installed Mandrake 7.2 in expert mode, and I chose XFree 4.0.1. I followed the Evil 3D's (very clear) directions to the letter, and when I tried to bring up X afterwards, besides defaulting to a VERY low resolution (fixable with keystrokes), my mouse was hosed. It was sensing the mouse, because I could move it and things would happen, but very random things happened. It is a ps/2 MS Intellimouse, and I tried both the MS-IM "profile" & the "PS/2" profile and got the same results.

Any Ideas?
-gg

[RoTT]

Hmm I really dont know Greg I havent run into that problem installing the drivers.Did you reboot your machine before you started X again?You might try posting at evil3d's forum(Smokin Lounge).


Only time I ever had a problem like the one you described is when I tried to reconfigure X running Xf86config through command line.

[Avatar]

Hey Greg! Just wanted to check and see that when you are trying to change the mouse protocol, you are editting the XF86Config-4 file and on not the XF86Config file. Correct?

[RoTT]

Avatar is surely the guy to help you out!Me trying to help somebody is like the blind leading the blind..LOL

[Greg Germ]

Avatar...
I was making the changes to both the XF86Config and the XF86Config-4 files... I made the actual changes to the first file, and then copied it on top of -4. (The Evil3D howto mentioned that, so I followed along) I created the new XF86Config file by running xf86config from a pure console. In the midst of my wrestling with it, I did reboot, and the problem persisted.

I will have to mess around with it some more... if worse comes to worse, I'll reinstall the OS (not a big deal for me) and investigate the "factory" XF86Config files to see what it likes.

If it comes to a reinstall... should I go with the older 3.3.? version that Mandrake includes and upgrade to 4.0.2, or should I install the 4.0.1 that Mandrake includes and upgrade to 4.0.2 (or NOT upgrade to 4.0.2 from 0.1)?

Thanks for all the responses and assistance!

[ 06 March 2001: Message edited by: Greg Germ ]

[RoTT]

Greg reinstalling isnt a big deal.Dont format your /home directory and your settings,downloaded files(if you put them there) will remain intact if you use the exact same user when installing again.

All I had to eidt was the XF86Config-4 file changing "nv" to "nvidia" and adding the value "Load glx",didnt have to create a new XF86Config or anything.Once you have compiled the drivers and followed the steps in the How To(mv libGLcore.a libGLcore.a.mesa etc...) just mcedit /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 and change nv to nvidia and add the Load glx value or remove the # if it's already there(i had to add mine cause it wasnt there at all), then F2,enter,F10.

It took me a few times to get it right but now I can do no problem(had to do it so many time cause I'm always hosing something and reinstalling..LOL)

[Greg Germ]

It really was just the mouse that went south... I believe I was on the new "nvidia" driver because I got a full color and high res display... but I will just whack the install down and retry.

Linux is for learners! :)

[wtsamatta]

I take it that your mouse doesn't move at all or the cursor goes haywire when you move it? You need to us "IMPS/2" in the xf86config-4 file. When you config x it changes it from the install default<there is no option for imps2 afaik. Hope that I you see this before you reinstall. Don't sweat it though, I must have install it about a thousand time myself..hehe.

sorry rott I didn't see your link to evil>doh, whatsa smacks himself in the head< so I did it too

[ 06 March 2001: Message edited by: wtsamatta ]

[Greg Germ]

Hey all - I got it up and running early last night, but since my password for this forum was sitting on a work computer, I was stuck...

Anyway, after reinstalling and comparing the original X Config files to the ones created by 4.0.2, I found my problems.

1.) Mouse protocol and device.
I noticed last night (as wtsamatta noted) that the xf86config program does not put in the "imps/2" protocol, which my old config was using. Also, my old config had "/dev/psaux" (or something like that) as the mouse device, not "/dev/mouse" as the xf86config program applied. Once those were changed, I had a smooth mouse... but the mouse wheel didn't seem to work nice. (very minor)

2.) Order of Resolutions...
Upon initial install, my display defaulted to a low res mode, and I had to manually bump it up each time I went into X. I discovered that the ordering of the video modes in the config file determines which is loaded! (duh) So after rearranging my resolutions, VOILA! My starting resolution is the one I want!

3.) XF86Config vs. XF86Config-4
I was working on the XF86Config file, and I forgot to copy it onto XF86C-4. I discovered that the "-4" file is the config file that X 4.0.2 looks for. You all probably knew that already, but it was a neat discovery for me.

4.) Un-Accelerated vs. Accelerated
Prior to my experiments, I loaded up the GLPlanets (?) screensaver. I had a very herky-jerky earth stuttering across my screen. After all was said and done, I had a very smooth, obviously accelerated globe quickly gliding and rotating on my display. Quite a difference!

I want to extend a great thank you to all of you here, especially the Evil3D crew for that HOWTO. It is VERY handy, and it actually works. I learned to take my time, make backups, and not be afraid to ask some questions.

Now lets get some flight sims ported to linux, and life will be good. (X-Plane is a great OpenGL sim... :) )

Thanks and take care..
-greg germ

[wtsamatta]

Congrats :D

[Avatar]

Thanks Greg! We really appreciate your kind words. :) Feel free to email us if you run into any more trouble. (The goes for all of you guys!)

[RoTT]

Glad to hear you got it running Greg!It's a great feeling isnt it?

And yes the Evil3d guys rock!