NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200 HELP

[ddr3XD]

Ok first of all like a lot others here, i'm EXTREMLY NEW to Ubuntu. So first I just want to take the time out to say that I LUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUVVVVVVV UBUNTU!!! XD


So on to the problem...After a fresh install I try to enable visual effects but it hits me with error message “Desktop effects could not be enabled”. So after reaming a few threads and a little experimenting, I found out that I had to install drivers for my graphics card (which is a GeForce FX 5200). So I went to Hardware Drivers and downloaded and installed the recommended drivers. Then rebooted(cz it said to). But after I reboot my screen resolution was set to 800x600(it was 1024x768).
When I tried to change it back using the default Display software it said “It appears that your graphics driver does not support the necessary extensions to use this tool. Do you want to use your graphics driver vendor's tool instead?” So I choose yes which brought me to NVDIA X Server settings thingy. I changed the resolution back 1024x768 successfully but when I try to enable desktop effects again it still doesnt enable, giving me the same error message. So I restarted but when I restart the resolution was set back to 800x600 and it turns out after every restart it automatically gets set back to it. What do I do???? Can someone please guide me in the right direction? Ur help will be greatly appreciated!


Ubuntu 9.10
NVIDIA GeForce FX 5200
Old CRT monitor

[mmmichael]

There's a trick to using the Nvidia X Servers Settings - you need to open it with administrative privileges if you want to keep the settings.
Open a terminal (Applications>Accessories>Terminal) and enter:

gksudo /usr/bin/nvidia-settings

,press enter, then enter your password.
When the settings window opens, select X Server Display Configuration.
Set your resolution and then click on "Save to X Configuration File".
When you reboot you should have your desired resolution and you can try to enable desktop effects again.

[ddr3XD]

I was really hoping that would work but it didnt XD. When I click Save to X Configuration file it gives the error message “Failed to parse existing X config file '/etc/X11/xorg.conf'!”. And in the terminal it gives me this:
VALIDATION ERROR: Data incomplete in file /etc/X11/xorg.conf.
Undefined Device "(null)" referenced by Screen "Default Screen".
after I press 'Save to X Configuration file' also. What now?


Thanks for the help

[mmmichael]

OK, the Nvidia software is having trouble editing your xorg.conf file.Try this:

sudo mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak

Then try the advice from my previous post. This way a fresh file will be generated. If it doesn't work you can restore your original file by typing

sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf && mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Just be careful to type exactly and observe upper and lower cases (or just copy and paste commands).

[mmmichael]

If you get any errors, do not reboot until you have restored your original xorg.conf!

[HappyFeet]

Do:

sudo rm /etc/X11/xorg.conf

then restart nvidia-settings with:

gksudo nvidia-settings

then make all the changes you need, apply, then save configuration, and it will see you don't have a xorg.conf file. A new window will open. Hit the button lableled show output, and copy the file. Leave nvidia-settings open, and open a new terminal. Do:

sudo touch /etc/X11/xorg.conf && sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

then paste what you copied from nvidia-settings. Save and reboot.

[ddr3XD]

OK. HALF WAY THRU!!!
NVIDIA X Server saved settings
BUT Desktop effects still cant be enabled(same error message)


I used mmmicheals method because when I tried HappyFeet's it said “rm: cannot remove `/etc/X11/xorg.conf': No such file or directory”


But like I said desktop effects still cant be enabled.
When I click 'Normal' visual effects it says “Searching for drivers” then all my windows disappear and then reappear then it says “Desktop effects could not be enabled”.
Any suggestions?


Thanks for your help HappyFeet and mmmicheals.

[mmmichael]

There is a script called compiz-check that may help diagnose the problem. You can install it in your home directory by typing

wget http://blogage.de/files/9124/download -O compiz-check

Then make the script executable by typing

chmod +x compiz-check

Then run it with

./compiz-check

and post the output here.

[ddr3XD]

This is what I get:

jamey@jamey-desktop:~$ ./compiz-check

Gathering information about your system...

Distribution: Ubuntu 9.10
Desktop environment: GNOME
Graphics chip: nVidia Corporation NV34 [GeForce FX 5200] (rev a1)
Driver in use: nv
Rendering method: None

Checking if it's possible to run Compiz on your system... [SKIP]

Checking for hardware/setup problems... [SKIP]

At least one check had to be skipped:
Error: No rendering method in use (AIGLX, Xgl or Nvidia)

Would you like to know more? (Y/n)

When I type y for the “Would you like to know more? (Y/n)” question, this is what I get:

Would you like to know more? (Y/n) y

The nv driver is not capable of running Compiz, you need to install
the proper driver for your graphics card.


Check if there's an alternate (proprietary) driver available? (Y/n) y
jamey@jamey-desktop:~$

Then after it takes me to the Hardware Drivers thingy, but then I realize the driver I installed is not installed anymore. And when I try to run the NVIDIA X Server app, it says: “You do not appear to be using the NVIDIA X driver. Please edit your X configuration file (just run `nvidia-xconfig` as root), and restart the X server.”


Should I reinstalled the driver again?
If yes am I not doing the same thing over again?


Wow what a long post

[mmmichael]

A couple of weeks after I upgraded to karmic my desktop effects stopped working. I ran

compiz --replace

and got an error message twice. The third time it worked. Apparently repetition is sometimes helpful?

open the Hardware Drivers app and make sure you enable driver version 173. Then log out and back in and see what happens.