HowTo: NViDIA 185.18 Drivers in Ubuntu

[Ambidextrous]

Some people I have been supporting use twin view with two NViDIA graphics cards. While this is perfectly fine, you may run into problems if your xorg.conf file is setup to handle only one card.

Such a setup will look like this when you go to edit the xorg.conf file.
PHP Code:

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

To work around the issue, it is best advised to remove the secondary card from the computer, boot up and acquire the output of the following.
Code:
lspci | grep VGA
and you should see something like this:
Quote:
04:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation GeForce 9800 GX2 (rev a2)
Make a note of the Bus ID of the card, and edit the xorg.conf file.
Code:
sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
Scroll to the Device section and add the Bus ID to the conf file, except remove all leading zeros, replace the period with a colon, and add 'PCI' as a prefix.
So, our example of 04:00.0 becomes:
PHP Code:

Section "Device"
BUSID "PCI:4:0:0"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

After doing this, save the file, then shutdown the workstation and reinsert the second GFX card back into the machine.

I'm trying to use two graphics cards with a single monitor using NVIDIA's proprietery Scalable Link Interface (SLI), which probably makes a difference.

I tried the solution offered above with no change in behaviour: I can't boot into anything but a tty. I couldn't find a chain-saw, so I re-installed Jaunty from my ISO image (with re-format) and went through the entire "how-to" again.

When I say that I'm still looking for a chain-saw, you might be able to picture how that turned out.

Terry

[gacb]

My GeForce 6400 hasn't been a problem up to Jaunty. Karmic has had issues, starting with a black screen at boot and restart/shutdown although set to 'quiet splash'. Also, when the 185 driver was released in the updates, it broke the display entirely, requiring it to be disabled to get any GUI at all.

I ended up reformatting that partition and reinstalling Alpha 4, this time as ext4, and it's working properly, other than the no splash issue.

[amites]

** shameless bump **

been trying different things with no luck, anyone else have an idea?

[amites]

New question:

Found a good thread on nVidia to disable detection

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/show...highlight=edid


changed my xorg.conf to

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "CRT-0"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 55.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
    ModeLine       "1280x1024@69" 139.00 1280 1312 1840 1872 1024 1044 1056 1076
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor1"
    VendorName     "Gateway"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    ModeLine       "1280x1024@72" 147.56 1280 1312 1872 1904 1024 1044 1056 1076
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce 6200 A-LE"
    Option         "UseEdidDpi" "FALSE"
    Option         "UseEdid" "FALSE"
    Option         "DPI" "96 x 96"
EndSection

Section "Screen"

# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024 +1280+0, CRT-1: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024 +1280+0, CRT-1: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
# Removed Option "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1280x1024 +1280+0, CRT-1: nvidia-auto-select +0+0"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "TwinView" "1"
    Option         "TwinViewXineramaInfoOrder" "CRT-1"
    Option         "metamodes" "CRT-0: 1152x864 +1152+0, CRT-1: 1152x864 +0+0"
    Option         "UseEdidDpi" "FALSE"
    Option         "UseEdid" "FALSE"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

When I boot up monitors both go blank saying that 91.2kHz Sync and 85Hz Refresh are out of range

which is throwing me off since I generated modelines for
63.98 Sync / 60 Refresh as max values...

2 of the same Gateway Monitor
http://support.gateway.com/s/MONITOR...05298sp2.shtml

Using modeline generator at
http://xtiming.sourceforge.net/cgi-bin/xtiming.pl

also tried generating modelines with gtf
different settings same Sync/Refresh out of range


any ideas?

[amites]

got it working

for future reference:
remove the range for the refresh rates (damn that seemed simple after getting it right)

static settings for both monitors with EDID disabled as shown in the Xorg.conf above

and defined resolution for both monitors in metamodes (no nvidia select)

[scion xd]

Hello, i have a ubuntu 9.04 and i was triyng to install geforce 8400gs but when i boot ubuntu it freezes.

can any one plz help me, i had this video card for a month now and i cannot figure how to insall it.

one thing is for shure it works on windows XP but it freezes the loading screen when i boot ubuntu.

[nikesniper]

nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Sun Sep 13 14:58:43 2009

option status:
  license pre-accepted    : false
  update                  : false
  force update            : false
  expert                  : false
  uninstall               : false
  driver info             : false
  precompiled interfaces  : true
  no ncurses color        : false
  query latest version    : false
  OpenGL header files     : true
  no questions            : false
  silent                  : false
  no recursion            : false
  no backup               : false
  kernel module only      : false
  sanity                  : false
  add this kernel         : false
  no runlevel check       : false
  no network              : false
  no ABI note             : false
  no RPMs                 : false
  no kernel module        : false
  force SELinux           : default
  no X server check       : false
  no cc version check     : false
  force tls               : (not specified)
  X install prefix        : (not specified)
  X library install path  : (not specified)
  X module install path   : (not specified)
  OpenGL install prefix   : (not specified)
  OpenGL install libdir   : (not specified)
  utility install prefix  : (not specified)
  utility install libdir  : (not specified)
  doc install prefix      : (not specified)
  kernel name             : (not specified)
  kernel include path     : (not specified)
  kernel source path      : (not specified)
  kernel output path      : (not specified)
  kernel install path     : (not specified)
  proc mount point        : /proc
  ui                      : (not specified)
  tmpdir                  : /tmp
  ftp mirror              : ftp://download.nvidia.com
  RPM file list           : (not specified)

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
WARNING: You do not appear to have an NVIDIA GPU supported by the 173.08 NVIDIA
         Linux graphics driver installed in this system.  For further details,
         please see the appendix SUPPORTED NVIDIA GRAPHICS CHIPS in the README
         available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.
-> License accepted.
-> No precompiled kernel interface was found to match your kernel; would you li
   ke the installer to attempt to download a kernel interface for your kernel f
   rom the NVIDIA ftp site (ftp://download.nvidia.com)? (Answer: Yes)
-> No matching precompiled kernel interface was found on the NVIDIA ftp site;
   this means that the installer will need to compile a kernel interface for
   your kernel.
-> Performing CC sanity check with CC="cc".
-> Performing CC version check with CC="cc".
-> Kernel source path: '/lib/modules/2.6.28-15-generic/build'
-> Kernel output path: '/lib/modules/2.6.28-15-generic/build'
ERROR: If you are using a Linux 2.4 kernel, please make sure
       you either have configured kernel sources matching your
       kernel or the correct set of kernel headers installed
       on your system.
       
       If you are using a Linux 2.6 kernel, please make sure
       you have configured kernel sources matching your kernel
       installed on your system. If you specified a separate
       output directory using either the "KBUILD_OUTPUT" or
       the "O" KBUILD parameter, make sure to specify this
       directory with the SYSOUT environment variable or with
       the equivalent nvidia-installer command line option.
       
       Depending on where and how the kernel sources (or the
       kernel headers) were installed, you may need to specify
       their location with the SYSSRC environment variable or
       the equivalent nvidia-installer command line option.
ERROR: Installation has failed.  Please see the file
       '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for details.  You may find suggestions
       on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux
       driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

HELP MEEEEEEEEEEE !

[ibuclaw]

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
WARNING: You do not appear to have an NVIDIA GPU supported by the 173.08 NVIDIA
         Linux graphics driver installed in this system.  For further details,
         please see the appendix SUPPORTED NVIDIA GRAPHICS CHIPS in the 
README
         available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

This is a guide for the 185 drivers, not the 173, not sure if this really falls under the scope of aid, but why not.

-> Performing CC sanity check with CC="cc".
-> Performing CC version check with CC="cc".
-> Kernel source path: '/lib/modules/2.6.28-15-generic/build'
-> Kernel output path: '/lib/modules/2.6.28-15-generic/build'
ERROR: If you are using a Linux 2.4 kernel, please make sure
       you either have configured kernel sources matching your
       kernel or the correct set of kernel headers installed
       on your system.

Install the headers for your kernel:

sudo apt-get install build-essential pkg-config linux-headers-2.6.28-15-generic

Purge your system of any debian installed nvidia packages

sudo aptitude purge $(dpkg -l | grep nvidia | awk '{print $2}')

And post the output of the following once you've done that:

ls -l /lib/modules/2.6.28-15-generic

Regards
Iain

[ibuclaw]

Hello, i have a ubuntu 9.04 and i was triyng to install geforce 8400gs but when i boot ubuntu it freezes.

can any one plz help me, i had this video card for a month now and i cannot figure how to insall it.

one thing is for shure it works on windows XP but it freezes the loading screen when i boot ubuntu.

If you are able to switch to a virtual console when this freeze happens (Alt+Ctrl+F1)

Login to the console, and run the following:

sudo nvidia-bug-report.sh

That will create a file in your home directory.

Then run:

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
sudo killall Xorg
sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

To restart X using failsafe VESA drivers and post the created file in an attachment.



If you are unable to switch to a VT when the freeze occurs, boot into recovery mode, select "root shell" and do the same as above:

nvidia-bug-report.sh
exit

Then select Fix X
Then select Resume normal startup

Regards
Iain

[michwill]

I've read a great deal of this thread, but being as it has gotten huge, I have surely missed something. I have the following system specs:

Athlon X2 4600+
2GB Corsair RAM
250 GB WD HD
Nvidia GeForce 6600

I followed the instructions explicitly but used the "185.18.36" driver. I am now actually stuck with 640x480 resolution with no fix in sight. If I go back and reset my system to pre-driver settings then I can get back up to 800x640 -- still unacceptable. Can someone please explain 1) how to fix this and 2) why in the world we don't have a simple default/universal/basic driver capable of *AT LEAST* 1024x768 if not higher?

Best.