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Operating Systems => Linux and UNIX => Topic started by: Mistshadow on 12 January 2004, 02:40

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Mistshadow on 12 January 2004, 02:40

I'm waiting for my copy of SuSE 9.0 to get here (since if I tried to download and install it by ftp it wouldn't get it finished before 10 came out) so I just updated 8.2 to the 2.4 kernel. While it was at it, it updated my NVidia drivers and enabled 3d. Now it won't boot up into XWindows, only a console login. Everytime I try, the xserver just crashes. Needless to say, I'm a bit miffed. :mad:  

Ok, so what did it? Was it the new kernel or the drivers? What shoudl I do to keep this from happening again?    :confused:   Anyone?

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: hm_murdock on 12 January 2004, 03:15

Oooh... that's a hard call. It could be the X server... but it could be for multiple reasons... if you updated the kernel, it's possible that the X server is failing  because of incompatibilites with SuSE's compile of 2.4. It could also be failing simply because it's a shitty version of that server.

Is there a way to revert back to your previous kernel and X server easily?

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: flap on 12 January 2004, 03:57

Are you saying you did recompile/reinstall the nvidia drivers? If not, do that.

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Mistshadow on 12 January 2004, 04:17

Well, so far as I understand it, the update program just downloaded an updated, full version of the latest NVidia drivers; before, it was using the basic driver included without 3d. I didn't compile them myself.

Same with the kernel; SuSE did that itself, not me - and for much the same reason, the two times I've recompiled a kernel, it was a disaster (ugh). So it could be either or both; the driver or the way SuSE compiled the new kernel.

Unfortunately, if there's an easy way to revert back, I don't know what it is. I guess I can just reinstall. Luckliy I didn't have any vital files on the hard drive.

I guess when that copy of 9.0 gets here, I'm going to do some googling before my NVidia drivers are touched. I don't know whether I'll let SuSE update it and enable 3d (I really want 3d enabled because I have a few 3d games) or download and install the full drivers myself. Probably the latter. So I guess I'll just have to experiment to figure out what to/not do.

At any rate, at least 9.0 has the 2.4 kernel already, so I won't have to update that; I'll wait for a new distro version to be built on 2.6 instead of updating it. It seems like everytime the kernel is even glanced at in whatever distro I'm using at the time it's a catastrophe.    :rolleyes:  

Sorry for the long post, but let this serve as a warning for anyone else updating the kernel and NVidia driver at the same time; back up everything first!

[ January 11, 2004: Message edited by: Mistshadow ]

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Uipe on 12 January 2004, 04:20

Could you post the error mensage please without it it's very hard to help you out

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: flap on 12 January 2004, 04:22

Just get the nvidia driver source package and compile it yourself.

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: insomnia on 12 January 2004, 07:41

[ January 11, 2004: Message edited by: insomnia ]

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: insomnia on 12 January 2004, 08:05

SuSE 8.2 also uses Linux 2.4 in default...
SuSE has already build their 2.6 kernel and will use it very soon as default... The distro-version doesn't make any difference.

Just go to nvidia's home page and download it's linux driver.

Install it as root (and edit xf86config).


EDIT: To keep Yast and Sax updated:

*First cd to  /usr/src/linux

*Type make cloneconfig && make dep

*Now install u're driver:
download:
http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-5328/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328-pkg1.run (http://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/1.0-5328/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328-pkg1.run)

Install with:
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-5328-pkg1.run

*Use Sax to configure X
type sax2 -m 0=nvidia

[ January 11, 2004: Message edited by: insomnia ]

[ January 11, 2004: Message edited by: insomnia ]

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: Mistshadow on 12 January 2004, 13:44

Thanks!   (http://smile.gif)

Title: CRAP!!!!!!!!!!!!
Post by: SAJChurchey on 14 January 2004, 05:30

If you want to boot an older kernel, the kernel image should still be in the /boot directory.  I'm not sure how SuSE handles updates, but you should be able find an older image (i.e. vmlinuz.old) and overwrite the current image (vmlinuz) w/ the mv command, or you can edit your GRUB config (/boot/menu.lst) and add an entry for a previously used kernel.

SuSE should also have a "safe mode" kernel, which is basically the original kernel that was shipped w/ the distro (usuallty called vmlinuz.shipped), you can repeat the above steps w/ that if that is of any help.