very confusing

[MAlfare]

Hi!
Not interested in any MS WIN XP successors, I installed Linux Mint 13 LTS on my Laptop (Compaq nc8430) and my Desktop Computer (AMD Athlon 2600+).
In spite of using the same DVD to install, the results are very different.
First, the menu on the two machines look very different, see attached pictures
(The first, the ugly one, is from Desktop Computer, the second, good looking, from Laptop)
Second, Laptop uses Nemo, Desktop uses Nautilus.
Third, Fourth, ......

While on the Laptop, the installed ATI graphics controller is recognized, on the desktop the Nvidia Geforce FX520 seems to be emulated.

Code: Select all

[Graphics:  Card: Advanced Micro Devices [AMD/ATI] RV530/M56-P [Mobility Radeon X1600] bus-ID: 01:00.0 
           X.Org: 1.11.3 drivers: ati,radeon (unloaded: fbdev,vesa) Resolution: 1280x800@60.0hz 
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on ATI RV530 GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.4 Direct Rendering: Yes]

Code: Select all

[Graphics:  Card: NVIDIA NV34 [GeForce FX 5200] bus-ID: 02:00.0 X.Org: 1.11.3 driver: vesa Resolution: 1024x768@0.0hz 
           GLX Renderer: Gallium 0.4 on softpipe GLX Version: 2.1 Mesa 8.0.4 Direct Rendering: Yes]

Does this cause all the differences?
Where else can I search?

BTW: I made a lot of tries tries, to install Nvidia driver, and every try ended up in a new installation of Linux Mint from scratch.
In the meantime, I invested a lot of time with installations and configurations, so I want to avoid another re-installation.

Can anyone give a foolproof and save tutorial to install the correct driver for my graphics card, and to get the same look and feel on my laptop also on my desktop?

I hope so!

Regards
Manfred

[kyphi]

It seems most likely that the first image shows a different "session" to the second image. When you boot, before you enter your password, you have a choice of which "session" you want to use.
The second image with the dark menu is the Cinnamon menu and shows that you are in the Cinnamon session. The first image I am unable to identify but I think it may be the fall-back session.
Regarding Nautilus and Nemo, Nautilus is a leftover from older versions of Linux Mint and is still present in version 13 (not in 14, 15, 16). The current file manager is Nemo.
Many Windows users have a preoccupation with installing drivers. This is often not necessary in Linux where drivers are part of the kernel module. If you open the Driver Manager in your main menu, it will identify which drivers for your video card are available. The default would most likely be the Nouveau driver which is the open source nvidia driver. For many users it is quite capable.

[MAlfare]

Hi!
Thank you for your response.

It seems most likely that the first image shows a different "session" to the second image. When you boot, before you enter your password, you have a choice of which "session" you want to use.
The second image with the dark menu is the Cinnamon menu and shows that you are in the Cinnamon session. The first image I am unable to identify but I think it may be the fall-back session..

This I have tried first, and now again. Did not change anything

Regarding Nautilus and Nemo, Nautilus is a leftover from older versions of Linux Mint and is still present in version 13 (not in 14, 15, 16). The current file manager is Nemo.

Softwaremanager shows me that Nautilus is installed, but does not find Nemo to install on desktop computer. It does on the laptop and tells me, that is it installed.

Many Windows users have a preoccupation with installing drivers. This is often not necessary in Linux where drivers are part of the kernel module. If you open the Driver Manager in your main menu, it will identify which drivers for your video card are available. The default would most likely be the Nouveau driver which is the open source nvidia driver. For many users it is quite capable.

I never had looked for nvidia driver, if Nouveau would have worked. It seems to me, that it does not like my video card and uses softpipe, which does not provide full functionality, which my be a requirement for other things, that might make the differences I observe.
So it is still very mysterious.

Regards
Manfred

[Mark Phelps]

Can anyone give a foolproof and save tutorial to install the correct driver for my graphics card

For the ATI card -- there is nothing to install, the drivers are already there. Only the default Radeon drivers will work with that card now, as AMD dropped fglrx driver support for that card YEARS ago. Those drivers are installed automatically during initial setup.

[DrHu]

For Nvidia, drivers should be installed otherwise the system uses the Noueau driver, which won't support the hardware of Nvidia completely as does their binary driver, that is available for Linux
http://forums.linuxmint.com/search.php
http://www.blogsolute.com/install-lates ... int/23836/
--you can also use sgix (name of utility is something like that ..) to download and install the nvidia driver, if you don't want to try and manually set it up..

Some utilties that help with nvidia installations, worth checking out if an easier or manual mnethod isn't available or awkward for you..
http://techhamlet.com/2012/12/install-l ... s-drivers/

http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/176
--blacklisting noveau and manually installing the nvidia binary file(*.run file) from nvidia web site for your specific nvidia graphics card, would also work, but it is more work

• You usually need build essential tools that enables compiling intoi the kernel, the nvidia driver..)

--that is a standard Ubuntu/Mint utility, but usually not installed, since compiling is not the normal exoected install path for programs: as in compiling source files..
http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/thre ... petra.545/
[listr]That's a foolproof method, if you follow the steps correctly and provide the programs needed (such as the build-essential package..) [/list]

[MAlfare]

Hi Mark!
The Ati card is in the Laptop and works fine from the beginning, without any actions from me, as the whole Laptop-Installation does.

Can anyone give a foolproof and save tutorial to install the correct driver for my graphics card
For the ATI card -- there is nothing to install, the drivers are already there. Only the default Radeon drivers will work with that card now, as AMD dropped fglrx driver support for that card YEARS ago. Those drivers are installed automatically during initial setup.

Wished it would be so easy on the Desktop Computer with its Geforce FX520.

Regards
Manfred

[MAlfare]

Hi!
Thank you for your tips!
The first and third method look very easy to do, but what to do, if it fails (again)?
Is there a way back, to avoid a new installation number 10 or 12, if I try for example first method ?
Regards
Manfred

For Nvidia, drivers should be installed otherwise the system uses the Noueau driver, which won't support the hardware of Nvidia completely as does their binary driver, that is available for Linux
http://forums.linuxmint.com/search.php
http://www.blogsolute.com/install-lates ... int/23836/
--you can also use sgix (name of utility is something like that ..) to download and install the nvidia driver, if you don't want to try and manually set it up..

Some utilties that help with nvidia installations, worth checking out if an easier or manual mnethod isn't available or awkward for you..
http://techhamlet.com/2012/12/install-l ... s-drivers/

http://community.linuxmint.com/tutorial/view/176
--blacklisting noveau and manually installing the nvidia binary file(*.run file) from nvidia web site for your specific nvidia graphics card, would also work, but it is more work

• You usually need build essential tools that enables compiling intoi the kernel, the nvidia driver..)

--that is a standard Ubuntu/Mint utility, but usually not installed, since compiling is not the normal exoected install path for programs: as in compiling source files..
http://www.gamersonlinux.com/forum/thre ... petra.545/
[listr]That's a foolproof method, if you follow the steps correctly and provide the programs needed (such as the build-essential package..) [/list]

[MAlfare]

Hi!
I did what you told in your first tip:

For Nvidia, drivers should be installed otherwise the system uses the Noueau driver, which won't support the hardware of Nvidia completely as does their binary driver, that is available for Linux
http://forums.linuxmint.com/search.php
http://www.blogsolute.com/install-lates ... int/23836/

Driver is installed and used now (did not require to run installation twice?), but:

Working is impossible due to extremely lagging, the response to any action is delayed about 20 seconds.

Menu is fully transparent, as good as unreadable, edges are made of letters and numbers.
After updating the system, menu is cluttered with different icons.

Still very confusing

Regards
Manfred