Nouveau blacklisting tool unavailable

[laprjns]

Unless I am mistaken, with the nvidia proprietary driver, you need to add "nomodeset" as a boot option..

Yes it is needed.

I have never added that.

Actually you have. The first time you run the nVidia script it disables the nouveau driver and adds the a file named nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf to /etc/modprobe.d. Here's what the file contains:

Code: Select all

# generated by nvidia-installer
blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0

[laprjns]

After "slapt-get --update" and "slapt-get -i kernel-source", I simply "Ctrl + Alt + F1", cd to where I have stashed the driver, "init 3", then "sh N[TAB completion]" and run the shell script.
The first time thru, the script will ask questions which (iirc) are merely to disable the nouveau driver (thus eleminating the need for the "blacklist tool"). Reboot when done, logon, "Ctrl + Alt + F1", cd to where I have stashed the driver, "init 3", then "sh N[TAB completion]" and run the shell script again. This time it will actually install the driver.
Easy peasy.

I agree that this is the easiest method, although I use a different method to get to a terminal. The nvidea installer script does everything for you. No need for blacklisting packages.

[ElderDryas]

I have never added that.

Actually you have.

EDIT: I have never manually added that

IMNSHO, the wiki article might need some editing. I have thought about it (even mentioning it to mimosa in the past) but decided to wait until some one verified that some variation of "my method" was not just particular to my case.

I guess now is good time to decide what/how the wiki article should be edited.

[laprjns]

I took a look at the xf86-vidio-nouveau-blacklist-norarch-1-1.txz package. All it does is to add a file called BLACKLIST-nouveau.conf to /etc/modprobe.d. Here is the contents of the added file:

Code: Select all

# Do not load the kernel nouveau dri module, since it interferes with both
# the nv and binary nvidia drivers.

blacklist nouveau

This file does not have the "options nouveau modeset=0" line. It's my understanding that some video card will need the option to work properly and some don't.
Since according to the wiki, you need to reboot after installing the xf86-vidio-nouveau-blacklist-noarch package, I see no advantages installing it over running the nvidia installer script twice. In fact you will not need to do any excluding in slapt-getrc using this method.

[kevjonesin]

Alack-and-alas, the nvidia installers /etc/modprobe.d/ nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf entry:

# generated by nvidia-installer
blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0

... resulted in blank screens on reboot. I was able to type blind and login on tty1 and issue a 'sudo reboot' command. "Out of the frying pan and into the fire". I booted into the Bodhi instance on another partition and removed the nvidia modprobe.d entry and rebooted back to where I'm at now—Salix running dual monitors as an extended desktop via nouveau (I configured alignment and resolutions with an app called 'zarfy'; strangely my usual tool to use with nouveau, 'arandr', wasn't readily available).

My two monitors are a Samsung 19" LCD, 1280x1024, and a Dell 18" flatpanel CRT, 1600x1200. Unfortunately, the flatpanel CRT displays fuzziness (quite noticable on fonts) under nouveau. All is crisp and clear via both the default driver (when nouveau was disabled) and via the nvdia driver when running it via other distros. In addition to the fuzziness, nouveau is also lacking in VDPAU support* which I require to lighten the load on my monocore Pentium 4 CPU when decoding video playback and compositing and such.

*[I've seen some mention of enabling such for nouveau by extracting firmware from the nvidia driver ... but i'd like to avoid 'ducking down another rabbit hole' ... especially as, even if gpu decoding succeeded, I'd likely still be left with the fuzziness.]

[edit: It's unclear whether the firmware extraction, http://nouveau.freedesktop.org/wiki/VideoAcceleration/, would help/hinder nouveau with my particular card (nVidia GeForce 8400 GS). I may try it afterall, just to see.]

[ElderDryas]

...my particular card (nVidia GeForce 8400 GS).

FWIW, I also have a nVidia GeForce 8400 GS (well, 8400M, but from what I can find out it's the same card, just for a laptop). I use the NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-325.15 driver (I had a few problems with later versions and there's really nothing in the later versions that I really needed) http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-disp ... river.html (If you need the 32 bit, then just search the nvidia site.)

Not sure what's going on, but if it's at all possible, I'd start all over, changing one variable at a time...Use one monitor, re-install salix, initial update, then install nvidia drive (iaw the steps I use).

If this works, then add the second monitor (making necessary changes to the xorg.conf) and try that.

If that doesn't work, then I'm cluless as to what to do next.

[mimosa]

Starting again is definitely a good idea, not just because as ElderDryas says it gives you full control over the variables (what you did or didn't do and where it falls down), but also because you may have unintentionally made some alteration to your system without even realising it, which is somehow affecting all this.

The fact that ElderDryas has the same card and it works smoothly for him does suggest the same *should* be true at your end.