[tlug] NVIDIA Geforce 9600GT driver on opensuse

[Raedwolf Summoner <rarooam@example.com>]

Geez, I have been batting this around for several hours. This is on my desktop computer, with core2duo intel cpu.

I selected the nvidia repo, but don't know which packages I need for the Geforce 9600GT video card. The website said it should autoselect, but I don't see that happening. I tried to do it manually, downloading the driver that nvidia offers, then using chmod +x <driver>, then booting with runlevel 3. Won't finish booting, so I can't manually install. (The nvidia driver won't install manually with the x-system running.) Nvidia does have some rpm packages, but does not say which ones are for which cards, as far as I can tell. I spent at least an hour trying to google up that information alone. There are three sets of drivers on the repo: a group that starts with "nvidia-gfx-", a group that starts with "nvidia-gfxG01-", and a group that starts with "nvidia-gfxG02-". I am sure I need one of those groups of files, but don't know which one.

Funny thing is, with openSUSE 11.0 I don't remember what I did, but it wasn't a problem, it got installed automatically when I selected the nvidia repo, IIRC. I know it worked just fine with 11.0. Now I don't have any of the advantages of a quality video card, no 3-d no compiz no nothing. I would go back to 11.0 if I could, but assume I'd just have the same problem assuming that the nvidia setup or something has changed. Anyone know of an rpm package for this or some way of installing the driver on my desktop?

Same trouble with the 11.1 installation on codecs. Nothing would run my videos after installing. (Yeah, I d/l them all, including libdvdcss, etc, doing the famous one-click SUSE install of all proprietary codes that I did with 11.0). I finally got vlc to work by installing libdvdcss-devel. On 11.0, only Totem couldn't play videos, now no xine-based app can either. But at least VLC can now, so no worries. Would like to have better video, though.

Also, when installing 11.1, the monitor wasn't properly recognized. SUSE decided it was a "Vesa" monitor and the display was distorted. It is fairly new, a Mitsubishi 24" model, and was recognized with no problems when I installed 11.0. I had to manually set all the specs in 11.1, and it is fine now, but was a PIA to set up. I hope 11.2 is better than this. Sure would like to get that video card working.

I SHOULD HAVE installed 11.1 as a separate OS so I could keep 11.0 if 11.1 gave me problems. But. I've never had problems installing SUSE before, from 10.3 on, and whoda thought going from 11.0 to 11.1 would be all that different? With all these problems, I'd really like to try Mint Linux or Ubuntu on this computer. I may try to install them again. Thanks to Johan Berntsson's advice on that, I have seen that the intel P45 chipset on this motherboard is likely the culprit for the boot problems and have found some other changes that might be made in the BIOS that have worked for other people.

Anyone have any suggestions on getting an nvidia driver to work in opensuse 11.1?

Thanks,
--Ralph

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