[Linuxboy00]

Has anybody been able to get hardware acceleration for this card under Linux? If so, could you possible send me to where I could find very good step by step documentation on how to do this?
I'm kinda new, and I would like to be able to play games under linux with this card and even possible watch some DVD's or something and have very smooth playback.
Thanks!

[punkisdead]

Not to sound rude but the howto on nvidia's site should cover it. If you have any problems after that let me know and I'll try to help.

[Linuxboy00]

I printed off the ones from Nvidia's website... I'm just not that good with Linux yet to understand some of the things. Thanks for the offer. If I can't figure out what's going on, then I might just give you a shout.

[clutch]

Wow, I would have figured with a name like "Linuxboy00" you would have been all over this OS by now. The following was done in RH 7.3, but I think that since I was using the source code the process should be the same. Also, in the compiling routine, my kernel source directory was not /usr/src/linux but rather /usr/src/%linuxbuild%, and while some routines recognize that, these drivers didn't (I am guessing that the makefile didn't use a var path like that) and I just put in a symbolic link to the source in that directory to get that path.

In any case, go here for the drivers, and here for documentation on installing them. You should read the page from top to bottom, so that you will note the order in which they ask you to get the files. The first file that you will get is the GLX driver, and I always get the source TAR file. Next, you can run the NVchooser.sh file to see what kernel version you have and mate that to the kernel driver you need. However, I get the source tar in this case too. Next, I run "make" *FIRST*, and I do *NOT* run "make install" as the readme suggests, since you might have a snag once or twice in the compile, and then you could have issues if for some reason you reboot or try to cycle the X-server. Once both compiles are clean (no errors, though you might see one talking about the GNU license, disregard it) I edit the XF86Config-4 file just like the readme says to, and once I am sure that the file is ready I run "make install" on the kernel driver, and then the GLX driver. After they are ready, I logout (I boot to the command prompt) and log back in, then restart X. You should now see the nVidia logo, and then your normal desktop. Good luck.

[punkisdead]

Now is a good time to get very familiar with everyone's favorite text editor vi. It is the most lightweight and most every bare minimum system still will install vi.

I agree with clutch, building from source is the best route to go here, no matter what distro you use. After you have run make successfully you need to start editing the /etc/X11/XF86Config-4 file. (Be sure to do this as superuser)

[d-niro]

I'm trying to install mandrake 9.0 but because I don't have these drivers, my display is all screwed up with distorted lines. I am wondering is it a way to use these drivers during an installation of mandrake 9.0?

[clutch]

I don't imagine that they can be installed "during" your Mandrake installation, but could probably be configured in the manner I described above once you have it installed. You can also try using the RPMs, I just prefer compiling from the tar files myself.

[d-niro]

my problem is that when i tried to boot up mandrake 9.0 the desktop was garbled and i can't get tp anything on the desktop. My next question would be what is a good driver included with mandrake to use so that the desktop will be usable until I install the nvidia drivers?

[rude]

i am also a newbie with a gforce 4 card but it was my understanding that my mandrake 9.0 was already using nvidia drivers after installing it... should I have a go at installing anyway as i dont get the nvidia splash screen?

[punkisdead]

yes you should get the drivers from nvidia anyway, as the drivers supplied by mandrake or any other distro does not have 3d "hardware" acceleration. To see the difference, before you install the nvidia drivers, open up a command prompt and type in glxgears. Watch the fps being reported to the terminal window. Install the drivers using the sources from nvidia per their howto's and after you restart X run glxgears again and you should see a huge difference in fps.

[Orochinagi47]

I am getting a error message when ever i try to install the NVIDIA drivers using the TAR files. I have the correct kernels. this is the error i am getting.

You appear to be compiling the NVdriver kernel module with
> > a compiler different from the one that was used to compile
> > the running kernel. This may be perfectly fine, but there
> > are cases where this can lead to unexpected behaviour and
> > system crashes.
> >
> > If you know what you are doing and want to override this
> > check, you can do so by setting IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH.
> >
> > In any other case, set the CC environment variable to the
> > name of the compiler that was used to compile the kernel.
> >
> > *** Failed cc sanity check. Bailing out! ***
> > make: *** [gcc-check] Error 1

Any ideas on how to fix this? I did IGNORE_CC_MISMATCH=1 and bypassed it, but it never said anything about writing like the README said it would.

[clutch]

When you compile something in Linux, it is generally accepted that you are:

1. Using the same compiler that you used for the current kernel, and

2. Running the in most recent kernel that you have compiled, that way the source code sitting in /usr/src/linux is the same base code as the kernel that you are currently booted into

So, as such, that option may not have been listed, but you might have been in a non-standard configuration to begin with.

[punkisdead]

Let me guess.........

You are using Redhat 8.0? If this is the case, get the rpms and follow the installation howto.

[Orochinagi47]

How would i go about fixing that? Cause as of now my X server won't start because it comes up with Fatal Error 11 no device found. I have tried to run XF86config and select just the default stuff... but even that won't work. I am running Mandrake 9.0