LQWiki - User contributions [en]

NVIDIA graphics drivers

2004-03-08T02:52:29Z

OwlManAtt:

= Installing NVIDIA drivers =
This is a guide on how to install NVIDIA's drivers under [[XFree86]]. While these drivers are not required, if you wish to run such games as Quake or Unreal, you need to install them. Before you start, take note that the drivers are distributed under a non-opensource license.

== Download ==
The first step is to download some needed files. First, grab the latest version of the drivers from the [http://nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp NVIDIA Website]. Once you have that downloaded, make sure you have the source for your kernel. You can check what kernel you have by running the command '[[uname]] -r', without the quotes.

== Install ==
First of all, you need to shut down X. Yes, that's right, we're going to be working from a command line. For more information on this, refer to [[run levels]]. Once you get X shut off, navigate to where ever you downloaded the driver file to, and run it. You can run it by typing ./filename. It should check to make sure that it downloaded OK, then start up the installation program. Go through the first screen, accept the license, and when it asks if you want to try and download a kernel interface from NVIDIA, say no. I've never seen anyone get the kernel interface form the site, so we'll save time and move onto the next screen, where it tells us it will compile the kernel interface on its own. This is where oour kernel source comes into play. It should compile and install on its own, so go to the next screen. This should pretty much wrap up anything important in the installation.

== Editing the Xfree86 configuraton ==
The next step is to edit the Xfree configuration so it loads our new driver. But, before we do that, we should back up the file, just in case we do something wrong. Then, open up the Xfree Config in vi (or whatever editor you prefer, be it [[pico]], nano, or [[joe]]) by running vi /etc/X11/XF86Config. Look for the 'Module' section, and make sure you have the 'Load "glx"' line. If you don't, add it in. Then, remove the 'Load "dri"' and 'Load "GLCore"' lines, if you have them. Then, find the Device setion, and change the 'Driver "nv"' line to read 'Driver "nvidia".

== Start X ==
Now all that's left is to start X back up. You should now have your brand-new NVIDIA drivers installed and working. Good job! An easy command is to just type 'startx' at the console prompt.

= Uninstalling NVIDIA drivers =
Did something in your installation go terribly, terrible wrong? No problem! Start your box up in console-only mode, navigate to where you have the nvidia driver installation file saved, and run it with the --uninstall option. './filename.run --uninstall', and it uninstalls everything it put in. Then it's just a simple matter of restoring your old Xfree configuration, with the line 'Driver "nv"' instead of 'Driver "nvidia"'.

= Issues =
* One issue I've had is between the GeForce FX 5200 card and the Asus P4S8X-X motherboard. When you started the X server, it would display garbled text and then hang. This problem can be solved by going into the BIOS and setting your AGP speed down from 8x to 4x.

Persistent online worlds

2004-03-08T01:33:45Z

OwlManAtt:

A Persistent Online World is a program that provides a virtual reality on a central server machine. It is called Persistent because the world it creates persists over a long period of time. It is called Online because users of the system run programs on their own computer called 'clients' which connect to the
main server and control [[avatars]] (online personas) in that world.

* [[Magicosm]] - a cross-platform persistent online fantasy world
* [http://www.planeshift.it/ PlanetShift] - Another online fantasy world, partially open-source.

Futuristic Hardware

2004-03-07T01:04:38Z

OwlManAtt:

<b>New Hardware</b>

* [[electric ink displays]]

* [[Holographic Storage Devices]]

Talk:Live CD distributions

2004-03-07T00:59:55Z

OwlManAtt:

If the emphasis of any of these distributions ever changes to primarily being a hard drive install rather than as a Live CD we can simply remove them from this section - no problems - not a difficult judgement really.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] - 21/02/04

----

Given the variety of Live CD distros one possibility would be to have the links section on this page like:

Multimedia
<br>
System rescue

etc etc

doubt that would complicate things too much - still only a couple of clicks from top to bottom, and more tailored information - look at the pros and cons over the coming weeks.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] 10:37, Feb 22, 2004 (EST)
----

Added [http://www.linux-live.org/ linux live] util, not sure whether there is a better page or whether it deserves a page of its own, but I thought I'd place it here for now. Any recommendations???

[[User:Geniarse|Geniarse]] 04:29, Mar 3, 2004 (EST)

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Probably best keeping it as a separate section on the Live cd page for now, but in a different position - I'll move it around.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] 10:07, Mar 3, 2004 (EST)

----

Maybe someone should add a bit about Tom's RtBt, the mini-linux distro that fits on a floppy?
[[User:OwlManAtt|OwlManAtt]] 19:59, Mar 6, 2004 (EST)

Talk:Live CD distributions

2004-03-07T00:59:39Z

OwlManAtt: Live floppy

If the emphasis of any of these distributions ever changes to primarily being a hard drive install rather than as a Live CD we can simply remove them from this section - no problems - not a difficult judgement really.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] - 21/02/04

----

Given the variety of Live CD distros one possibility would be to have the links section on this page like:

Multimedia
<br>
System rescue

etc etc

doubt that would complicate things too much - still only a couple of clicks from top to bottom, and more tailored information - look at the pros and cons over the coming weeks.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] 10:37, Feb 22, 2004 (EST)
----

Added [http://www.linux-live.org/ linux live] util, not sure whether there is a better page or whether it deserves a page of its own, but I thought I'd place it here for now. Any recommendations???

[[User:Geniarse|Geniarse]] 04:29, Mar 3, 2004 (EST)

----

Probably best keeping it as a separate section on the Live cd page for now, but in a different position - I'll move it around.

[[User:Skyline|Skyline]] 10:07, Mar 3, 2004 (EST)

----

== Live floppy ==

Maybe someone should add a bit about Tom's RtBt, the mini-linux distro that fits on a floppy?

User:OwlManAtt

2004-03-06T22:52:50Z

OwlManAtt:

Hello. I'm OwlManAtt.

NVIDIA graphics drivers

2004-03-06T21:58:59Z

OwlManAtt: Information on installing/uninstalling the NVIDIA graphics drivers for Linux.

= Installing NVIDIA drivers =
This is a guide on how to install NVIDIA's drivers under [[XFree86]]. While these drivers are not required, if you wish to run such games as Quake or Unreal, you need to install them. Before you start, take note that the drivers are distributed under a non-opensource license.

== Download ==
The first step is to download some needed files. First, grab the latest version of the drivers from the [http://nvidia.com/content/drivers/drivers.asp NVIDIA Website]. Once you have that downloaded, make sure you have the source for your kernel. You can check what kernel you have by running the command '[[uname]] -r', without the quotes.

== Install ==
First of all, you need to shut down X. Yes, that's right, we're going to be working from a command line. Once you get X shut off, navigate to where ever you downloaded the driver file to, and run it. You can run it by typing ./filename. It should check to make sure that it downloaded OK, then start up the installation program. Go through the first screen, accept the license, and when it asks if you want to try and download a kernel interface from NVIDIA, say no. I've never seen anyone get the kernel interface form the site, so we'll save time and move onto the next screen, where it tells us it will compile the kernel interface on its own. This is where oour kernel source comes into play. It should compile and install on its own, so go to the next screen. This should pretty much wrap up anything important in the installation.

== Editing the Xfree86 configuraton ==
The next step is to edit the Xfree configuration so it loads our new driver. But, before we do that, we should back up the file, just in case we do something wrong. Then, open up the Xfree Config in vi (or whatever editor you prefer, be it [[pico]], nano, or [[joe]]) by running vi /etc/X11/XF86Config. Look for the 'Module' section, and make sure you have the 'Load "glx"' line. If you don't, add it in. Then, remove the 'Load "dri"' and 'Load "GLCore"' lines, if you have them. Then, find the Device setion, and change the 'Driver "nv"' line to read 'Driver "nvidia".

== Start X ==
Now all that's left is to start X back up. You should now have your brand-new NVIDIA drivers installed and working. Good job!

= Uninstalling NVIDIA drivers =
Did something in your installation go terribly, terrible wrong? No problem! Start your box up in console-only mode, navigate to where you have the nvidia driver installation file saved, and run it with the --uninstall option. './filename.run --uninstall', and it uninstalls everything it put in. Then it's just a simple matter of restoring your old Xfree configuration, with the line 'Driver "nv"' instead of 'Driver "nvidia"'.

= Issues =
* One issue I've had is between the GeForce FX 5200 card and the Asus P4S8X-X motherboard. When you started the X server, it would display garbled text and then hang. This problem can be solved by going into the BIOS and setting your AGP speed down from 8x to 4x.

Common Tasks

2004-03-06T21:31:29Z

OwlManAtt:

Desktop Linux is still under heavy development. While we all wish Linux was so intuitive nobody needed instructions, currently that isn't the case. This section is meant for notes and quick guides on how to perform common tasks on Linux. If a section isn't yet written and you are able to write it, please do so!

* NOTES for others: some tasks here (like compiling the kernel) are not common, and usually are thought of as advanced.

== General User Tasks ==

* [[Office tasks]] - word processing, spreadsheet, presentation, image manipulation and other
* [[Multimedia tasks]] - listen to music, extract CDs, watch videos and DVDs
* [[Burning a CDROM]] - some pointers on how to write CDs.
* [[Browsing tasks]] - browsing the WWW and downloading safely
* [[EMailing tasks]] - sending and receiving emails, setting up different mail applications
* [[Talking to friends online]] - how to access common instant messaging networks

* [[Connecting to the net]] - using your modem/network connection to get online
* [[Installing Software]] - there's an excellent guide to this in the forums, so use this page for random tips and notes on the process
* You want to show somebody your desktop? There are tools that will help you make a [[screenshots | screenshot]] and [[record your desktop]] so that you can send movie-files of how nice your desktop looks.

== Power User Tasks ==

* [[Getting help from IRC]] - LinuxQuestions is a great forum, but it isn't the only one. If you know how, the IRC chat networks can also be a useful resource.
* [[Compiling a Kernel]] - here is a guide for compiling a kernel
* [[Recover a Terminal Session]] - What to do if your screen's garbaged.
*[[GRUB boot menu]] - Remove the old kernel entries from your boot up options.
* [[Configure Storage Devices]] - how to partition a hard drive, add a new hard drive, use software RAID, or use LVM (logical volume management).
* [[Installing NVIDIA drivers]] - Information on installing the newer (but closed-source) drivers released by NVIDIA. These drivers are sometimes required to run some games, like Unreal or Quake.