New Nvidia Graphics Card

[kbunt]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

@kbunt, take a look at your xorg.conf file, and see how close the "device" stanza matches the one I posted up above (#9). It should be pretty close to the same.

Does the nvidia-settings utility work? You didn't try to set the refresh rate, did you?

I should be able to access it from my sidux partition? It's getting hard to maneuver in my Kubuntu install now.

Thanks for your help but I will probably have to re-install if I want to try Kubuntu 8.10 w/ KDE 4.2 again.

Btw, no, I didn't try to set the refresh rate nor did I do anything with nvidia-settings. I don't know if it works as most applications aren't opening/running properly.

Edit: Here it is:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 1.0 (buildmeister@builder58) Thu Dec 18 15:01:22 PST 2008

Section "ServerLayout"
  Identifier  "Layout0"
  Screen   0 "Screen0"
  InputDevice  "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
  InputDevice  "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "Module"
  Load     "dbe"
  Load     "extmod"
  Load     "type1"
  Load     "freetype"
  Load     "glx"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  # generated from default
  Identifier  "Mouse0"
  Driver    "mouse"
  Option    "Protocol" "auto"
  Option    "Device" "/dev/psaux"
  Option    "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
  Option    "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
  # generated from default
  Identifier  "Keyboard0"
  Driver    "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
  Identifier  "Monitor0"
  VendorName  "Unknown"
  ModelName   "Unknown"
  HorizSync   28.0 - 33.0
  VertRefresh  43.0 - 72.0
  Option    "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
  Identifier  "Device0"
  Driver    "nvidia"
  VendorName  "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
  Identifier  "Screen0"
  Device    "Device0"
  Monitor    "Monitor0"
  DefaultDepth  24
  SubSection  "Display"
    Depth   24
  EndSubSection
EndSection

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

That doesn't look bad. You could try pasting in these two options:

Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "1"
Option "TripleBuffer" "disable"

into the "Device" section -- I dunno whether they will make any difference or not.

Did you try booting an 8.10 Live CD yet? It should default to the "nv" driver -- if it works at all. It didn't work on a system I built that had an 8800GTS card -- had to use the Alternate Install CD.

[troycarpenter]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

Ok, I've been having many display problems with my 8600GT since the latest Kubuntu Nvidia drivers and after reading this plan to plunge into the 180.18 driver.

Problems I am seeing include tearing and misplaced objects. Also, whenever windows/menus pop up, there is buffer garbage shown from previously displayed graphics. Also, the Mack daddy of all my problems happens at KDE startup: The screen becomes inverted (upside-down) and backwards (like in mirror image backwards). I have to switch to a virtual console and back to clear up the problem.

So after reading Kubunt's experience, how realistic is it that the driver install will go smoothly? This is an Intrepid install. I just checked and linux-restricted-modules is installed, and the installed Nvidia driver is 177.80 (EnvyNG wants to install 177.82 since it is the latest released).

I've checked and did everything that dibl suggested in his earlier post short of actually running the installer, so I think I'm ready to actually attempt the install. From what I can tell I just need to uninstall linux-restricted-modules, modify /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common, and give it a go.

Am I missing anything?

PS - I'm also following this guide at http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=72490 which seems to say much of the same, but has more guidance on the restricted modules front.

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I also experienced some of what you describe, with the 177.xx driver. I don't see that anymore, with 180.18. You mileage may vary, of course. I'm running the 9600GT.

Too bad EnvyNG doesn't include the 180.series yet -- you have to install it the hard way.

To find out if it will do better for you, you'll need to download the 180.18 installer (get the "..pkg2.run" package), and make sure you get the 32-bit or 64-bit, as appropriate for your system architecture. Then open Adept or Synaptic and mark the "linux-restricted-modules" or whatever that is for removal, along with "nvidia-xxx-glx" packages.

Then you can probably follow, kinda-sorta, the hen scratching in #19 above to get through the process. If the installer errors outs and stops, post the problem and we can probably deal with it. Answer "yes" when it asks if you want it to write an xorg configuration file for you.

[troycarpenter]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I would say it can't get worse that what I have, but given that Kubunt's desktop disappeared on him, I guess it could. I plan to try the driver upgrade tonight when I can sit at the console and observe the behavior, as opposed to doing it all remotely via ssh if I tried it now...don't think my wife would appreciate that if something goes wrong

[kbunt]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I tried a 8.10 LiveCD. It boots up so it's using the default 'nv' driver? It appears to be in a 'vga mode.' I didn't look. I am looking at re-installing. I'm making some notes for it. I just need to know what to do when upgrading to KDE 4.1.85. I followed the instructions on:
http://www.kubuntu.org/news/kde-4.2-beta-2
But, installing packages individually doesn't seem like a good idea?

I am guessing that it's probably best (if you upgrade KDE) to upgrade FIRST and then when all the packages are upgraded and the desktop is done, to install the NVIDIA beta driver AFTER. Perhaps, I should upgrade KDE by adding that repository to the sources.list and then using 'dist-upgrade?'

Anyway, back to nvidia drivers installer method for second: what did you do when it got to the '32-bit compatibility lib(rary) section? It asks if you want it (installed)?

Is that what this section of that url is about?:

32-bit distributions with 64-bit kernels
Some distributions have the option of installing a 64-bit kernel for use with all 32-bit userspace programs. This configuration is not supported by the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver. If you try to install the 64-bit driver package on such a system, you will receive an error like the following:

./nvidia-installer: No such file or directory

If you have this configuration, use your distribution's package manager to install a 32-bit kernel and then install the 32-bit version of the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver.

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

Yes, the instructions on that Kubuntu.org link are what I used to install KDE 4.2 (which is actually 4.1.8xx).

I'm not sure what the Live CD automatically sets up for Nvidia -- when it is booted and running, you should be able to open /etc/X11/xorg.conf and see what the "device" stanza says.

Yes, I always say "yes" to the 32-bit compatibility question. I think that's only a question for folks running the 64-bit OS -- some apps are looking for a 32-bit architecture, and that's how it supports them (I think). There's also a package called ia32libs that I install (or maybe that's for sidux, I forget ...).

[troycarpenter]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I think that section refers to some distributions (don't know which ones) include 64bit kernels and all 32bit programs. To install in that environment you would need to install the 64bit kernel module, but then use the 32bit userspace programs from the 32bit package. Very ugly.

[troycarpenter]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

Yes, I always say "yes" to the 32-bit compatibility question. I think that's only a question for folks running the 64-bit OS -- some apps are looking for a 32-bit architecture, and that's how it supports them (I think). There's also a package called ia32libs that I install (or maybe that's for sidux, I forget ...).

Do you use ff32-3in1? That script installs the ia32libs for use with 32bit firefox/Java/Flash/etc. Is there now 64bit Java and Flash support for Firefox that you don't need to install ff32-3in1?

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

32-bit distributions with 64-bit kernels
Some distributions have the option of installing a 64-bit kernel for use with all 32-bit userspace programs. This configuration is not supported by the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver. If you try to install the 64-bit driver package on such a system, you will receive an error like the following:

./nvidia-installer: No such file or directory

If you have this configuration, use your distribution's package manager to install a 32-bit kernel and then install the 32-bit version of the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver.

NO, this isn't referring to *buntu. I install the 64-bit Kubuntu using the Alternate Install CD -- it's the real deal -- full 64-bit OS.

Do you use ff32-3in1? That script installs the ia32libs for use with 32bit firefox/Java/Flash/etc. Is there now 64bit Java and Flash support for Firefox that you don't need to install ff32-3in1?

No, I never heard of that. After installing the 64-bit OS, Firefox is available in the repos and you just select it for installation, along with whatever else you want. All the same packages are available, as far as I can tell, for 64-bit as for 32-bit. They are simply compiled for the 64-bit OS.

[kbunt]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I installed 64-bit Kubuntu 8.10 with the latest 64-bit Flash. I don't know if 64-bit Java is installed. I suppose not since it's probably a manual install.

I selected 'yes' for the 32-bit compatibility option but the response is a bunch of errors and it seems as though something fails, IIRC. Next time I do the process, I'll pay more attention and record the result.

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

I selected 'yes' for the 32-bit compatibility option but the response is a bunch of errors and it seems as though something fails, IIRC.

Bummer. I have never, ever, seen an error message from that particular option (and I've generated LOTS of errors ....).

So you have an AMD or an Intel Core DUO CPU, right?

The java thing is no big deal -- there are about 3 different versions of it. Any of them work, AFAIK.

[troycarpenter]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

After some false starts, I got 180.18 installed. But I found a few issues that I have yet to get resolved:

Starting with 'Option "BackingStore" "1" ' always returns me back to KDM after typing my password. I had to disable that option so I could get to the desktop.

After the login animation, the system would tell me that kwin crashed, and looking at the backtrace it appears to have crashed in the openGL composite routines. If I click on the login animation and force the system to the desktop early, then no crash occurs.

If I turn off all KDE desktop effects, no crash occurs even when I let the login animation finish, but of course I don't get any fancy effects.

I am about to go though and turn on a few effects at a time, restarting X between each set, to see if I can figure out which one is causing the crash after the login animation (and yes, I've turned off the login animation...I think that one only did a fade from KDM to the desktop).

What I haven't yet seen is the strange ripping, errant lines, misaligned graphics, menu popup corruption, or upside-down-and-backwards text that I saw before. I would like some of the desktop effects to work, however.

Oh, and glxgears goes from 8500 fps with effects off, down to about 3300 fps when desktop effects are on.

UPDATE: It seems the BLUR effect is causing the crash after the animation login. I may find others later, but it is very repeatable with that effect.

[MoonRise]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

Yes, compositing takes a lot from a system. When I play certain on-line games or even Nexuiz, I have to turn off Compositing, even for my new card. Also, if you change the size of the window the Gears are displayed in will result in slower FPS if you make it larger. That's normal only because that is a lot of redraws for moving gears. With Nexuiz running it avgs. 300 FPS. For that it is great! Smooth as silk.

[dibl]

Re: New Nvidia Graphics Card

On my 9600GT, glxgears gave about 15,000 fps prior to installing Compiz. With Compiz running, it gives half of that. So even with fast new graphics, compositing is a big tax on the system. When I had a 7900GS card (on the same motherboard/CPU), enlarging the glxgears window would crash the X server if I went large enough.