rebuild rpm's or something?

[fourthreich]

if anyone on here can help me, it would be greatly appreciated. I am a computer programmer that is totally fed up with microsoft and it's overpriced software. I want to switch to linux, and port my applications to linux, but I can't quite get the hang of it yet. I've got mandrake 9 running fine on an old HP, but my bad *** computer is having some trouble. when I install, leaving everything as the default, I can't see my mouse pointer when kde is done loading, same for any other window manager. In fact, it recognizes my vid card as a geforce2 DDR, when in fact it is a geforce4 mx440 ddr. I tried downloading the drivers from nvidia, but I can't make heads or tails of this stuff (yet) and I was wondering if someone could tell me, step by step how to do this. remember, I have no clue about linux at all, this is the first time I've used it ever. What I do know is that I want to rebuild the (something) not just replace files, I'm not sure what I"m saying, but from what I've heard, building the (something) from your own machine is the way to go. PLEASE HELP ME!!!!!

[digitalgoodtime]

I think there readme is a little dated... download the src.rpm's you need. at the login screen choose failsafe cause you can't do the install in X.... where the readme says rpmbuid use rpm --rebuild... look for where it puts thoose files...

[fourthreich]

remember, I'm new to this, I'm not even sure which readme you are talking about
I might know what to do though, so I'm gonna keep what you suggested in mind while I try to do this, wish me luck.......

[mdwatts]

The nvidia readme on their driver site.

My own notes for installing the nvidia drivers.


rpm --rebuild NVIDIA_kernel.src.rpm
rpm -Uvh /path/to/rpms/RPMS/i386/NVIDIA_kernel.i386.rpm
rpm -Uvh NVIDIA_GLX.i386.rpm

Edit /etc/X11/XF86Config or XF86Config-4 and change/add/delete

Driver "nv"
(or Driver "vesa")

with

Driver "nvidia"

In the Module section, make sure you have:

Load "glx"

You should also remove the following lines:

Load "dri"
Load "GLcore"

Add

alias char-major-10-175 agpgart
alias char-major-195 NVdriver

to /etc/modules.conf

cd /lib/modules/<kernel version>

depmod -ae

Restart X


Since I do not use Mandrake, your installation of the drivers may be different from mine. The remainder is the same.

[fourthreich]

ok, here is what happens
I login root under failsafe
I try to rebuild the nvidia kernel rpm, but I get tons of errors, I'd list them, but it is like 2 or 3 screens of errors.
I'm just navigating to the directory that I have the nvidia kernel file dl'd to, and typing the
rpmbuild --rebuild NVIDIA_kernel-1.0-3123.src.rpm

then the tons of errors come

please help, this is starting to suck

and how do you read a readme file at the command prompt? what is the text editor command?

[mdwatts]

The most common commandline editor is 'vi'. vi filename

Use

cat filename
less filename
more filename

to view text files.

Do you have the kernel source installed? The kernel source is always required when compiling hardware drivers.

Look in /usr/src for directories named linux and linux-#.#.#.

ls -al /usr/src

Also use

rpm -qa | grep kernel

to check to see if the kernel source rpm is installed.

The kernel-source rpm package will be on your installation cd's.

[fourthreich]

I havn't tried to do that yet, but you answered alot of the questions that I had about linux in one little post. thank you so much. Despite all of the stuff online about linux, it's hard to find anything about BASIC linux stuff, like common command line progs, how to install drivers, everyone told me to make sure my kernel source was installed, but no one told me where to check for it, or how to install it if I ever actually would have found that it wasn't installed. you have been so helpful, and I promise that I'm gonna be around here for a long time. I'm a quick learner, so you can watch my knowlege grow! thanks again linux guru's

[fourthreich]

ok, I think that I have tried everything

I've tried building the modules from the tar files, the NVIDIA_kernel one just will NOT compile. I've read every readme that exists. I have the kernel source installed, I'm logged in as root, x isn't started, I extract the tar, go to the dir it makes, then type
make install
get alot of errors. so I try
make install SYSINCLUDE=/usr/include
same errors
I just wish somebody could help me with this one, I am at a dead end
where is the log file for the errors that I'm getting, I'd really like to see the first couple of screens of errors that fly by. I would be very greatful to anyone that could help me. Thanks again for all of the help so far

[fourthreich]

alright, after searching all through this sight, and others, I finally found out that the kernel source doesn't get installed unless you have the cd3 for mandrake 9, well, now I know, cause once I reinstalled with the third cd, I could compile the tar's from Nvidia just fine. I then edited the XF86Config-4 file, and everything was all good (after having to find out how in the heck to edit a text file in linux...vi is cool and powerful, but it sure is frustrating at first) then after all of that, I typed startx, and it crashed!!!!
for some reason, if I do a cold boot, and pick just plain "linux" on the lilo menu, it works fine, but for some reason I also have "linux-enterpris" and "linux-smp" (yes, I do have a dual athlon mp) and of course failsafe, floppy, and NT. which one is best? why did it crash from the command line? is there anything else to configure for this card? anything to tinker with for fun? oh!, and by the way THANK YOU GUYS & GALS FOR ALL THE HELP!!!!!!!!!:D you have been so helpful that I'm going to post something on here for total newb's that tells them how to install the nvidia driver on mandrake 9, once I am sure that I have everything right on here, THANKS AGAIN!!!!

[mdwatts]

You may have noticed in my previous posting that I did mention the kernel source is required when compiling any hardware modules/drivers. :)

Do you have separate directories under /lib/modules for each of the kernels Mandrake has installed? SMP, Enterprise etc.

If you installed the nvidia kernel drivers while booted to a certain kernel, then you will need to always boot to that one as the nvidia driver (NVdriver) is only installed into the /lib/modules/<kernel version> directory of the running kernel you were booted to when compiling the drivers.

Also have a look in your X logfiles for any errors.

less /var/log/XFree86.0.log