NVIDIA-173 - driver makes problems

[liquid]

I'm trying to get my FX5500 card working on a desktop. Appropriate driver is nvidia-173. With nouveau driver my old desktop works very slowly in terms of graphics.
Based on my reading about the problem, I tried to uninstall desktop and install the driver but it failed at kernel compilation stage. The outcome was as it would miss some headers - compilation warnings.
Then I have tried installation from minimal CD. This sets base system software without any graphics. Then you can choose what to install next (e.g. server, www server, (k)ubuntu desktop a.s.o). I managed to install nvidia-173 driver without any problem but afterwards any installation of desktop failed. After I logged in in graphics mode, the screen was complete mess.

Does anybody know how to overcome the issue?

[vinnywright]

if you go to system settings>driver manager ,,,,,,,,,dose it recommend or show any driver's for you ?

VINNY

[liquid]

Sure it does. Just nvidia-173. Setting it from GUI fails, from cmd line too due to xorg-video-abi-?? problem. That's why I used minimal CD installation.

[schnelle]

I think that the nvidia-173 driver is very old and does not support 14.04's kernel and X stack.
http://www.nvidia.com/download/drive...px/71303/en-us

Maybe you should try to install 12.04 (not the latest 12.04.5 because it comes with 14.04 kernel and X stack).

Btw is it Geforce FX5500 or Quadro fx5000? Latter has newer drivers available which support 14.04.

[liquid]

It's FX5500, the only I could get for AGP slot. I've tried the driver from NVIDIA but it failed to install. Compilation problem arose, as previously. Of course any other drivers were blacklisted beforehand.

[vinnywright]

sudo apt-get install nvidia-304

,,,,,,,,,,nvidia page showing it is suported by this driver as well (near the bottom of list ....Quadro FX Series: section)
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/drive...px/80134/en-us

vinny@vinny-Bonobo-Extreme:~$ apt show nvidia-304
Package: nvidia-304
Priority: optional
Section: restricted/misc
Installed-Size: 172 MB
Maintainer: Ubuntu Core Developers <ubuntu-devel-discuss@lists.ubuntu.com>
Source: nvidia-graphics-drivers-304
Version: 304.125-0ubuntu2
Replaces: xorg-driver-binary
Provides: nvidia-driver-binary, xorg-driver-binary, xorg-driver-video
Depends: x11-common (>= 1:7.0.0), make, sed (>> 3.0), dkms, linux-libc-dev, libc6-dev, patch, acpid, lib32gcc1
, libc6-i386, libc6 (>= 2.2.5), libgcc1 (>= 1:4.1.1), libx11-6, libxext6, libxv1, libxvmc1, xorg-video-abi-11
| xorg-video-abi-12 | xorg-video-abi-13 | xorg-video-abi-14 | xorg-video-abi-15 | xorg-video-abi-18 | xorg-vid
eo-abi-19, xserver-xorg-core
Recommends: nvidia-settings (>= 331.20), libcuda1-304, nvidia-opencl-icd-304
Conflicts: xorg-driver-binary
Download-Size: 35.5 MB

Bugs: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+filebug
Origin: Ubuntu
Supported: 9m
APT-Sources: http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ vivid/restricted amd64 Packages
Description: NVIDIA legacy binary driver - version 304.125
The binary driver provide optimized hardware acceleration of OpenGL
applications via a direct-rendering X Server. AGP, PCIe, SLI, TV-out
and flat panel displays are also supported.
.
This package also includes the source for building the kernel module
required by the Xorg driver, and provides NVIDIA's implementation of
the Video Decode and presentation API. The latter enables acceleration
for GeForce 8 and later series cards for h264 video.
.
GPUs such as GeForce series 6 or newer are supported.
.

VINNY

[schnelle]

It's FX5500, the only I could get for AGP slot. I've tried the driver from NVIDIA but it failed to install. Compilation problem arose, as previously. Of course any other drivers were blacklisted beforehand.

I think this card's driver doesn't support 14.04's kernel.
You should try 12.04 (and you can add backports ppa and you'll have the same KDE version as in 14.04).

[liquid]

I'll try 12.04. I think it's worth of trying nvidia-304 as well. I keep searching a solution and I'll let you know.

[oshunluvr]

According to nVidia: The appropriate and current linux driver for the Quatro FX5500 is 334.21 (346.59 for my GTX). However, AFAICS 331. is the newest in the 14.04 repos. If it's the GeForce version; 173.14.39 is the newest.

You might also just try the Nouveau driver. It's much better these days.

[liquid]

@schnelle @vinnywright: both ways failed.
I'm trying to install nvidia driver because that PC is pretty old and graphics works very slowly with nouveau driver. I did manage to install nvidia driver on a little younger PC with 14.04 and it succeeded. Performance got better.
My card isn't Quatro FX5500, just simply FX5500 by MSI on AGP slot.

[liquid]

Both ways failed. I keep trying further.

[mastablasta]

I read (and I am not sure if this would help) but some NVidia driver apparently crash when the Kubuntu splash screen is loading. if you add nosplash to grub you might get arround this and it would then boot.

btw I had problem installing a much newer Nvidia card and even at NVidia they couldn't help me. all I got was blinking cursor when i installed their drivers. so I would say again it depends on luck if HW is supported or not. if you tried som earchived version like 10.04 and it still doesn't work then it means the problem is not in kernel or x support.

[liquid]

After a struggle, I've managed to install nvidia-173 for a FX5500 (AGP) card on a fairy old PC. Here is what I've done:
I used a Minimal Ubuntu CD for installation of core system. It's important not to install any graphic software (desktop) nor drivers until then.
Next I've installed nvidia-173 (from repository, not from NVIDIA) driver. It was the only way of installing the driver without any errors.
Then I've installed the desktop which, having graphic card driver at hand, won't install one (e.g. nouveau driver). The desktop was Ubuntu but it's worth to remember that Unity won't work. I've got flashback instead.
At the end there were minor problems with sound but they could be solved by reinstalling it.
After all, 14.04 with NVIDIA graphic card is running on my 15-year-old PC quite well.