NVIDIA settings lost

[gman]

I'm trying Mint 9 on a Compaq F730 with nVidia graphics. This is the first time I have tried hardware with nVidia graphics. No matter what I do, my nVidia settings do not stick and I end up with a screen that is not readable.

I've reinstalled packages. I've booted into low graphics mode, recreated the xorg.conf using the nvida-xconfig command restarted x server and nothing.

Am I fighting a losing battle? Should I continue to struggle with Ubuntu 10.04 based distros or should I simply go to a distro like PCLinuxOS that includes the nVidia drivers and works great on that laptop? I'm leaning towards PCLinuxOS since I won't have to mess with the configuration. I'm not kidding when I say I have had to run the nvida-xconfig command at least a dozen times today. Is there any possibility of Mint including the nvidia drivers right from the start?

[deleted]

Try run the nvidia settings application as root. (sudo)
-Hinto

[vincent]

To expand a bit on what Hinto said:

Code: Select all

sudo nvidia-settings

If that doesn't work, then I suppose you'll probably have to edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf by hand.

[curmudgeon5]

Vincent, there is nothing more frustrating than hardware that doesn't work properly. I installed Mint 9 RC. EVERYTHING worked perfectly. Used it a coupla days then along comes an update. Quite a major update. Designed to improve things I presume. Since it installed, my NVIDIA has gone south on vacation. Nothing I do seems to be able to coax it to come back home.

I am not a "computer geek". I am not interested in going to a freaking "command prompt" in order to try and coax things to work. I simply want a good solid OS that does what it's supposed to with minimum interference from me. I though Mint was it (well it almost is if I stay with Helena) but it is still an OS relegated to geekdom. Updates are issued before they have be deemed bug free. Linux users, in general, think it's quite normal to spend half your life at the "root command prompt". Well, I'm here to tell ya, it's 2010. People, in general, are looking for things that work. OSs are not a hobby for them. So, the Linux community needs to determine whether it ALWAYS wishes to remain a "Hobby OS" or whether it wishes to move into the real world for use by real USERS.

Sadly, as much as I hate to do it, I'll be moving back into the Bill Gate's world until such time as Linux matures or I die. Whichever comes first.

[proxima_centauri]

Sadly, as much as I hate to do it, I'll be moving back into the Bill Gate's world until such time as Linux matures or I die. Whichever comes first.

Enjoy.

In the meantime, please create your own thread if you have a problem and refrain from hijacking threads in the future. The statements you make do not help the OP.

[curmudgeon5]

proxima_centauri, please pardon my ignorance.

And your response helped???

Have you been told today? You may now consider that you have been.

Soooo touchy

[curmudgeon5]

On my older HP, I slipped into "Simple CompizConfig Settings" and disabled ALL "Special Effects" that seemed to do the trick for that machine and gave me normal control minus (of course) any effects. Give it a crack. Not knowing your configuration, I don't know whether it will work for you or not.

[gman]

curmudgeon5,

Don't paint a Linux problem in general. This is an issue because Ubuntu (the base for Mint) has decided not to support nVidia video by default. Like I said in my original post PCLInuxOS includes the nVidia drivers and works quote well on my particular laptop, no need for anything command line. I was just trying to see what if anything could get done so that I can run Mint, which is my favortie distro with PCLinuxOS a close second.

[gman]

I run nVidia-settings as root and get the following message:

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.

So this is where I have been running nvidia-xconfig as root and restart X server, it is not working.

I'm going to try something different and will report back.

[proxima_centauri]

Out of curiosity, how have you installed the nvidia drivers gman?

[deleted]

Out of curiosity, how have you installed the nvidia drivers gman?

gman, the correct answer should be through synaptic or the "hardware applet" in the gnome control center.


After you have installed them, then you'll either need to restart X or reboot the PC, then use the nvidia settings manager. BTW... I specifically got nvidia card for my linux box because of the ease of setting it up under linux. Install the drivers, use the manager and bingo, set it up for dual head without cracking a manual.
-Hinto

[gman]

Through the restricted drivers tool.

I reinstalled and will try through synaptics or the hardware applet.

[jlr1701]

This is an issue because Ubuntu (the base for Mint) has decided not to support nVidia video by default.

Are they insane? nVidia has an enormous user base! Duh! The two choices in today's world for graphics cards are nVidia or ATI. Both should be FULLY supported. I use nVidia because I like their cards better and I have had fewer problems using them with Linux.

Just as an aside, I tried Ubuntu 10.04 and, sure enough, had major problems with the nVidia drivers. Same was the case with Karmic. The last two Ubuntu releases have blown chunks. I've heard talk of Mint moving to a Debian base. I find myself strongly in favor of such a move.

[gman]

Does Debian support nVidia by default?

I've given up. Every time I get it working the xorg.conf file gets rewritten and I lose the nVidia settings and end up with a screen that is not viewable.

For the Compaq F730 laptop I'm going with PCLinuxOS.

[deleted]

Does Debian support nVidia by default?

I've given up. Every time I get it working the xorg.conf file gets rewritten and I lose the nVidia settings and end up with a screen that is not viewable.

For the Compaq F730 laptop I'm going with PCLinuxOS.

If that's the case, then you aren't running the nvidia setting manager as root and saving the result.

-Hinto

[gman]

Does Debian support nVidia by default?

I've given up. Every time I get it working the xorg.conf file gets rewritten and I lose the nVidia settings and end up with a screen that is not viewable.

For the Compaq F730 laptop I'm going with PCLinuxOS.

If that's the case, then you aren't running the nvidia setting manager as root and saving the result.

-Hinto

I haven't been getting to the nvidia settings manager. What happens is that I try to run nvidia settings manager. I get the message to run nvidia-xconfig as root. I run nvidia-xconfig as root, restart xserver and try the nvidia settings manager. I once again get the message that I need to run nvidia-xconfig as root. The new xorg.conf file that is suppose to be written when I run nvidia-xconfig isn't being written or saved properly. Doing this in PCLinuxOS the result is persistent, the nvidia-xconfig command writes the new xorg.conf file and I can use the nvidia settings manager.

I know this is a Ubuntu and not a Mint issue.

There is one other things I may try to get this to work in Mint.

[vincent]

This is an issue because Ubuntu (the base for Mint) has decided not to support nVidia video by default.

Are they insane? nVidia has an enormous user base! Duh! The two choices in today's world for graphics cards are nVidia or ATI. Both should be FULLY supported. I use nVidia because I like their cards better and I have had fewer problems using them with Linux.

Just as an aside, I tried Ubuntu 10.04 and, sure enough, had major problems with the nVidia drivers. Same was the case with Karmic. The last two Ubuntu releases have blown chunks. I've heard talk of Mint moving to a Debian base. I find myself strongly in favor of such a move.

There seems to be this mis-perception that Ubuntu doesn't support nvidia cards. Wrong. Actually, practically every Linux distro can support every type of graphics cards out there by using the vesa driver, but of course you'd get crappy performance with vesa...anyways, by default, Ubuntu loads the "nouveau" drivers (and so does Fedora) if it detects a nvidia card. Nouveau is the latest attempt at providing an open-source driver for Nvidia cards, which by now has more or less achieved full 2D support, with 3D acceleration still being worked on (although it is currently way better than any other open-source nvidia drivers that exist, it still can't match up to the performance of the "nvidia" drivers released by Nvidia).

[deleted]

@gman
If you install via synaptic or the hardware applet it will use them by default (when X starts). You just have to set them up using the settings manager. Alternatively, you can download and install them (which builds them for you) from nvidia's site. There's really no "tweaking" of config files, obscure command line compiler options or the like. I mentioned (maybe in this thread), that I intentionally chose nvidia since the setup/config was sooooo easy.
-Hinto

[gman]

@gman
If you install via synaptic or the hardware applet it will use them by default (when X starts). You just have to set them up using the settings manager. Alternatively, you can download and install them (which builds them for you) from nvidia's site. There's really no "tweaking" of config files, obscure command line compiler options or the like. I mentioned (maybe in this thread), that I intentionally chose nvidia since the setup/config was sooooo easy.
-Hinto

Going through this experience in just Mint and Ubuntu, I could understand how someone would give up and go back to Windows. The fact that I get this to work in PCLinuxOS provides with knowledge that may help me get this to work in Mint.

In PCLInuxOS I get to the settings manager and can generate a new xorg.conf file that is persistent. After that I had to make some easy edits to the xorg.conf file and after that everything worked great and is really easy at that point. So right now in Mint I'nm struggling with simply being able to get to the settings manager. I likely will try one more time, but I will do so knowing that I will have to manually tweak the xorg.conf file. I'm going to use my working PCLinuxOS xorg.conf file as the basis for the Mint xorg.conf file.

[deleted]

Actually Mint was the easiest I ever had to do. When I booted Mint, it told me I had hardware drivers available for my card. I "ok'ed" the notice to download them and install them (which including building). I restarted X, then ran the nvidia setting manager (as root) and said I wanted "twinview" since I was running dual head. I don't see how it could be much simpler.
-Hinto