openbox on older computer ?

[melodie]

hello Melodie,

yes, nvidia is my graphic card, but which program can i use to identify what card it is exactly ?

Willem

I a console, type:

Code: [Select]

lspci | grep VGA
Here this is what it returns:

Code: [Select]

[joyce@hulotte ~]$ lspci | grep VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller: Intel Corporation Mobile 945GM/GMS, 943/940GML Express Integrated Graphics Controller (rev 03)
I had the problem you are meeting with, some time ago. It is quite difficult to solve. I'll try to find the solution that had been given to me at this time. I hope to find it and to bring it back to you.

[Muppet]

this is my output for the graphic card;


[willem@localhost ~]$ lspci | grep VGA
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV5 [RIVA TNT2/TNT2 Pro] (rev 15)

i wait kindly for your further instructions.........

Willem

[melodie]

This is the kind of message I had 2 years ago with a nvidia Graphic card, on a motherboard AsRock (the behavior of the same Graphic card, a nvidia 8400gs, on another machine, a Dell computer desktop, is completly different, no freeze as long as I use nv or the proprietary driver provided by the repositories):

With this command as root, launched just after a reboot following immediatly a freeze:

Code: [Select]

tail -n 800 /var/log/messages.log
I was getting this types of "irq mess"

(...)
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel Pid: 5118, comm: xmms Tainted: P        2.6.24-ARCH #1
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c015c244>] __report_bad_irq+0x24/0x80
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<f988fe1c>] nv_kern_isr+0x6c/0xd0 [nvidia]
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c015c52b>] note_interrupt+0x28b/0x2d0
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c015b740>] handle_IRQ_event+0x30/0x60
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c015d102>] handle_level_irq+0x92/0xf0
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c01083bb>] do_IRQ+0x3b/0x70
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c01334eb>] irq_exit+0x5b/0x90
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c011cfe5>] smp_apic_timer_interrupt+0x55/0x80
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel [<c0105f47>] common_interrupt+0x23/0x28
Apr 14 18:28:55 squirrel =======================
Apr 14 18:29:28 squirrel SysRq : Keyboard mode set to system default
Apr 14 18:30:47 squirrel SysRq : Terminate All Tasks
(....)
Apr 14 19:07:27 squirrel BIOS-e820: 000000000009fc00 - 00000000000a0000 (reserved)
Apr 14 19:07:27 squirrel BIOS-e820: 00000000000e4000 - 0000000000100000 (reserved)

Then I had tried the following advice : at the end of the kernel boot line, in the file /boot/grub/menu.lst, I added noapic, or even noapic nolapic

You can look at the definition of these options in pages such as this one : http://www.mjmwired.net/kernel/Documentation/kernel-parameters.txt and probably more detailed explanations in wikipedia.

The freezes had not totally stopped, but happened only once a while, after a few months or so, once I had configured the boot with "noapic".

But I really got rid of it when I removed the Graphic Card from this machine and sold the machine to someone who needed a computer only for office tasks !

While I say that, with your specs we might examine what driver your card uses exacly. Can you look into the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file, or in the PCC, hardware section to look at the driver which version is in use ?

[Muppet]

the info from /etc/X11/xorg.conf file is ;

Section "Device"
    Identifier "device1"
    VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
    BoardName "NVIDIA RIVA TNT to GeForce 2"
    Driver "nouveau"
    Option "DPMS"
EndSection

i saw in the forum there is a temporarely X11 section, should i put a question there about my card ?

Willem

[melodie]

the info from /etc/X11/xorg.conf file is ;

Section "Device"
    Identifier "device1"
    VendorName "nVidia Corporation"
    BoardName "NVIDIA RIVA TNT to GeForce 2"
    Driver "nouveau"
    Option "DPMS"
EndSection

i saw in the forum there is a temporarely X11 section, should i put a question there about my card ?

Willem

Hi,

I had a few problems when I tried Nouveau in my Dell with nvidia. I suggest you uninstall it from within Synaptic, reconfigure the driver in the PCC section Video, reboot twice in a row, quietly (whatever the display is at reboot, it might look like something is broken, but just reboot once more if you meet with an issue). Be sure the system uses the proprietary nvidia driver which is provided in our repos, or at worse nv (in Bonsai, you may have to install nvidia, there is almost nothing non free in it, or install Openbox full... or any other full version).

Let us know how that works.

[Muppet]

Hi,

in the synaptic i have found 'nouveau firmware', but this is not currently installed. 

in openbox bonsai i have for nvdia;

nvclock
nvdock
nvidia173-cuda
nvidia173-devel
nvidia173-doc-html
nvidia96xx-devel
nvidia96xx-doc-html
nvidia-current-cuda-opencl
nvidia-current-devel
nvidia-current-doc-html
nvtv
nvtv-devel

do you think one of these files could be an option ?

could it be that there is no nouveau driver currently installed ?

Willem

[Yankee]

in the synaptic i have found 'nouveau firmware', but this is not currently installed. 

in openbox bonsai i have for nvdia;

If you search for xorg, then x11, then nv, you should find the uninstalled
driver(s).   Search for xorg first I would think.

[Muppet]

hello Melodie,

i could not find the driver in synaptic that i could uninstall.

so i opened PCC video section and reconfigured now with 'nv' driver.

after 2 reboots it went ok and when i am now in ect/x11/xorg.conf the output is;

Section "Device"
    Identifier "device1"
    Driver "nv"
    Option "DPMS"
EndSection

i hope this solution has a positive effect on not stalling my computer anymore...........

regards,

Willem

[Muppet]

had already  2 stallings..............pffff

could you show me where i should put the command; noapic in the boot/grub/menu.lst ?

give that a try.......

Willem

[melodie]

Hi,

You open a console as root. Then you go to /boot/grub directory, this way:

Code: [Select]

cd /boot/grub
don't forget the space between the command "cd" (means "change directory") and the argument "/boot/grub".

Then type this:

mcedit menu.lst

You will be using a text mode editor easy to use. go to the line of the first block text which boots your distribution. Mine looks like this:

title linux
kernel (hd0,5)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=/dev/sda6 acpi_apic_instance=2 splash=quiet vga=864
initrd (hd0,5)/boot/initrd.img

but your's is probably a bit different : both your's and mine (as other's PCLinuxOS installs) start with just "title linux".

At the end of the line that starts with "kernel":
(example line):

Code: [Select]

kernel (hdX,Y)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUIDD=long-number splash=quiet vga=788
add noapic nolapic this way:
you go to the end of the line with the keyboard keys : arrows, or end (and begin when you want the selection to move to the beginning of a line).

kernel (hd0,3)/boot/vmlinuz BOOT_IMAGE=linux root=UUIDD=long-number splash=quiet vga=788 noapic nolapic

And you should configure your Video card correctly. Here are a few (old) images about how to do that in the PCC:
firststeps.html

go to the part starting from Synaptic, then you will be on the part in PCC.

Same here in French, the images are just a little less old:
firststeps-fr.html

There is a wiki, but at the moment it is waiting for you.
http://www.pclinuxoshelp.com/index.php/Main_Page

I hope this will help you.

[Yankee]

I'm curious.

If Muppet goes into the Configure your computer program, goes to Hardware,
goes to Browse and Configure Hardware, goes to Video card, clicks on the Video
Card, looks at the right hand screen on the bottom,  go to bottom where it
says MISC, what module does it say to use for that Video card ?   

If the menu.lst adjustment fails there's still the "do-vesa"  option  I think.

Have a good one.

[melodie]

If the menu.lst adjustment fails there's still the "do-vesa"  option  I think.

Have a good one.

Hi Patrick,

I don't think so. The story with nvidia cards triggering freezes is particularly hard to solve, because it is mostly related to some instructions that are not well interpreted, or something else really tricky. The combination is:

nvidia gpu + motherboard + kernel version (and instructions from one and other). As I said, deactivating local apic had helped me solve the problem, but just enough to make it possible to bear (once to several times a day makes freezes unbearable, once each few weeks or months is not that impossible to stand, if you have learned to use the SysRq. Of course one day it has to end !

Let's see first how the configuration of the card with the non free driver will go, and with the "noapic nolapic" kernel options. Later, maybe some more investigation could be suggested to Willem, about the brand and model motherboard... if necessary.

[Yankee]

Let's see first how the configuration of the card with the non free driver will go, and with the "noapic nolapic" kernel options. Later, maybe some more investigation could be suggested to Willem, about the brand and model motherboard... if necessary.

Well granted you have the experience...but when nouvaeou-firmware  is not installed ?
Let me have a clear crack at it, as if it were my own machine, later.

I never try my computer at anything but default settings in this case.  Are all the drivers installed
on Bonsai ?   Very old computer no doubt.   All the Nvidia drivers are installed then ?
Turning off acpi isn't exactly optimal in the long run.

Well if all else fails I'd delete that 40GB partition, recreate it, reinstall, knowing that !!!
Freshly starting from there...where is that old driver ?    Or "do-vesa" as a last resort.

Shame not to isolate the problem and get this computer working 100% or
at least with the do-vesa driver.    But that as only a last resort.

Who can say we haven't tried.

[Muppet]

I'm curious.

If Muppet goes into the Configure your computer program, goes to Hardware,
goes to Browse and Configure Hardware, goes to Video card, clicks on the Video
Card, looks at the right hand screen on the bottom,  go to bottom where it
says MISC, what module does it say to use for that Video card ?  

If the menu.lst adjustment fails there's still the "do-vesa"  option  I think.

Have a good one.

the infor i see in MISC is ;


dentification
Vendor: ‎nVidia Corporation

Description: ‎NV5 [RIVA TNT2/TNT2 Pro]

Media class: ‎VGA compatible controller

Connection
Bus: ‎PCI

PCI domain: ‎0

Bus PCI #: ‎1

PCI device #: ‎0

PCI function #: ‎0

PCI revision: ‎0x15

Vendor ID: ‎0x10de

Device ID: ‎0x0028

Sub vendor ID: ‎0x1462

Sub device ID: ‎0x8806

Misc
Module: ‎Card:NVIDIA RIVA TNT to GeForce 2

the output i have now in ect/X11/xorg.conf is;

Section "Device"
    Identifier "device1"
    Driver "nv"
    Option "DPMS"
EndSection

is this all looking as it should be ?

i found the nouveau driver in synaptic ;x11-driver-video-nouveau
i have clicked for complete removal.
i saw in synaptic; x11-driver-video-nv was installed

regards,

Willem

[melodie]

Ferdes Fides: you may never meet with the hard freezes Willem meets with.

The Bonsai version contains all free drivers, all brought in one shot with the meta-package "task-X11", and none of the non free drivers which are not necessary to get a machine working, and would make the distro much bigger : it is up to the user to install the non free drivers he needs, this way the version is reduced to the minimum necessary.

Willem : Riva TNT 2 Pro : Device ID: ‎0x0028 is seen here:
http://www.nvidia.fr/object/legacy_drivers_fr.html

I looked in the nvidia USA section but didn't find the same section. I wonder...

Module: ‎Card:NVIDIA RIVA TNT to GeForce 2

Does that mean it can be classified as a Gefore 2 card ? If so, you may try to install and use the x11-driver-video-nvidia96xx package.

NVIDIA proprietary X.org driver and libraries for most GF2/3/4 class cards
NVIDIA proprietary X.org graphics driver, related libraries and
configuration tools for most NVIDIA GeForce2/3/4 class video cards.

NOTE: You should use XFdrake to configure your NVIDIA card. The
correct packages will be automatically installed and configured.

If you do not want to use XFdrake, see README.manual-setup.

This NVIDIA driver should be used with GeForce 3, GeForce4 and
GeForce 2 MX cards.

If I am wrong, then I invite you to search "nvidia" "by name" in Synaptic with the search button, and read the descriptions of each driver to find which would be most suited. Then, reconfigured the card once more in the PCC.

For the freezes, I can't tell you if it will get a solid fix. What is the brand/model of the motherboard ? Is that a Desktop ?

You can see what brand motherboard in the output of a "lshw" as root in console. lshw needs to be installed first.

Regards,
Mélodie