striker Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 First question:Anyone using a not slack-based distro while using a LCD display connected through DVI ?If yes, which distro are you using?Second question :Do you use the nvidia driver,the nv driver or vesa?No need to respond if you're using analog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 20, 2006 Share Posted February 20, 2006 I know I should not respond . . . But have a look here: http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/search.php?searchid=412497 Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) Thanks Bruno! I've read those messages but only problems there too, and no solutions to spot.(yes, temporary hooking up analog and after the install back to DVI ,I saw it mentioned and had thought about it, but that's not what I had in mind.)I guess there won't be much response to this topics question, but who knows who reads it and knows something? Edited February 21, 2006 by striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 StrikerYes using PCLinuxOS with DVI and nvidia driver Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) Thanks for responding Barry, interesting.Since weeks I'm trying to set up any linux distro : I'm using a Samsung Syncmaster 173P + DVI connection at a Geforce FX5200 graphics card.PCLinuxOS P92 (fully updated) is installed on the system, nvidia driver too and detected+configured through dkms and it even starts now due to a message in dmesg when booting. However, when changing xorg.conf to use the nvidia driver the screen goes black and the Samsung comes up with its little grey square indicating it doesn't get any signal, neither analog nor DVI. Changing xorg.conf back to vesa or even changing it to nv, gives a normal display and the distro is starting up normally. With the help of Bruno I did all what was in our heads when it comes to ideas, Bruno and I googled the heck out of the net (maybe that's why you all get such lousy download times ) and we even perused the nvnews forums, but as you might have expected we came up without any working and permanent solution at all. Connecting the display through analog VGA cable is no problem, that opens up a welth of another possibilities, but that's just the easy way out.I want to be able to leave the DVI cabling connected and have linux on the display including the nvidia driver, not the vesa driver. There has to be a possibility to get it done. That's why I posted the topic, maybe you can shed some light on it or give us some hints. Would be great BTW because on the whole internet there's no real solution, except temporarily connecting through analog VGA during installing and after the install process - before booting up - reconnect through DVI and then just hope it all was not in vain. So let us hear about it. Edited February 21, 2006 by striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) My set up, is a Hyundai L90D+ (Not seen, using standard LCD monitor @,1280 x 1024 using DVI..the card is a Nvidia 6600GT( though seen as Gforce DDR2 generic...( BTW Using the PCLos 9.2 Nvidia version, did not install nvidia drivers from repos...Yes, I'm lazy) I have all the 3D..etc etc, also used Suse 64Bit (Nvidia installed through yast)and it actually had the monitor listed..and kanotix (Nvidia install using kano's script), these distros, thus far have been my only successes using the DVI..others have required normal VGA.I don't know if this helps, but it what has worked for me thus far Edited February 21, 2006 by BarryB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Well that certainly might be usable information! My display was not seen by the installer, but it was in there so after the install I corrected it to the real type before I went fiddling around with the nvidia stuff. And the nvidia drivers I used were from the repos. I'm facing a reinstall nevertheless.(no worries, I've got a separate /home partition ) The distros version I'm using is the 7676, there happens to be a 7174 one too iirc. Did you use any other version Barry ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) StrikerI'll look this evening, I believe it was 7676 driver(actually pretty sure), But I think I may have updated it(the nvidia driver) so I'll need to check...(really should keep better notes of what I subject my computers to )...also must add...nothing has performed better than PCLos on the 64bit box(it is my perception that it is faster than SuSE64 bit and Kanotix64 and less issues on the upgrade side..also the DVI input seems cleaner and greater clarity..again that is my perception...funny thing is I also have a P4 box with a PCIe Nvidia card, and it only seems to like SuSe 1o..go figure Edited February 21, 2006 by BarryB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) Take your time Barry, there's no hurry. In the meantime I'm downloading the 7174 version which might suit my graphics card better. (Asus V9520TD=Geforce FX5200) So later in the evening - downloading takes at least 1,5 hours - I have something to do, a reinstall and have a look how it goes. No updating, a clean reinstall only, nothing more and nothing less. It could very well be that the 7676 version I have installed now is too much of a high end version not really 100% suitable for my graphics card, so there's only one way to find out, isn't it? :DWhile we are at it, if possible could you post the xorg.conf file you used? I know I might have to tinker a bit, but at least something to get a hold on . Edited February 21, 2006 by striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) I hope that works for you..yea, that is sometimes about the only way to do it.. ...and will post the xorg.conf Edited February 21, 2006 by BarryB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 ok, thanks Barry, I'll see it tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 This is what I did: I created a parallel installation, meaning PClos nvidia 7676 on hde9 and 10, PClos nvidia 7174 on hde 7 and 8.The 7676 version was already installed and is used with DVI connection using the VESA driver.The 7174 version was installed with analog connection and the install went smoothly, no problems.The monitor was autodetected as 'Plug'n Play (Syncmaster)' which is correct.The graphics card was detected as GForce fx (Generic) which might be sufficient. (it's a fx5200)After the install I adjusted for runlevel 3, rebooted and after this the nVidia splash screen was shown for a short period.Right now I'm posting through the 7174 version, after that I'm going to shut down completely and reconnect the DVI cable : let's see if I can get in here again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 ok, here I am again :the display went completely black after logging in and starting X, so in order to get in I had to nano-out the nvidia driver in xorg.conf's Device setion, and replace it (to be lazy) with 'nv'. Then a log out and a log in with a startx and I'm back posting through DVI-connected display but without the nvidia driver loaded. I've made a copy of the xorg.conf of both the 7174 and the 7676 version, they're different btw.[7676 was installed through DVI connected display with cheatcode xdrv=vesa, 7174 was installed through analog connected display without cheatcodes at all.]So let's wait until Barry posts his xorg.conf. May be that gives us a hint, you' ll never know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 21, 2006 Share Posted February 21, 2006 Striker Hope this helps you# File generated by XFdrake.# **********************************************************************# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of# this file.# **********************************************************************Section "Files" # Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together) # By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of # the X server to render fonts. FontPath "unix/:-1"EndSectionSection "ServerFlags" #DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort) AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse does not work #DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching)EndSectionSection "Module" Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Load "extmod" Load "type1" Load "freetype" Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.so"EndSectionSection "InputDevice" Identifier "Keyboard1" Driver "kbd" Option "XkbModel" "pc105" Option "XkbLayout" "en_US" Option "XkbOptions" "compose:rwin"EndSectionSection "InputDevice" Identifier "Mouse1" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2" Option "Device" "/dev/mouse" Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"EndSectionSection "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" VendorName "Generic" ModelName "1280x1024 @ 60 Hz" HorizSync 31.5-64.3 VertRefresh 50-70 # TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output. # 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630 # 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616EndSectionSection "Device" Identifier "device1" BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce2 DDR (generic)" Driver "nvidia" Option "DPMS" Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"EndSectionSection "Screen" Identifier "screen1" Device "device1" Monitor "monitor1" DefaultColorDepth 24 Subsection "Display" Depth 8 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 15 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 16 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 24 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsectionEndSectionSection "ServerLayout" Identifier "layout1" InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard" InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer" Screen "screen1"EndSectionand before the driver up date'# File generated by XFdrake.# **********************************************************************# Refer to the XF86Config man page for details about the format of# this file.# **********************************************************************Section "Files" # Multiple FontPath entries are allowed (they are concatenated together) # By default, Mandrake 6.0 and later now use a font server independent of # the X server to render fonts. FontPath "unix/:-1"EndSectionSection "ServerFlags" #DontZap # disable <Crtl><Alt><BS> (server abort) #DontZoom # disable <Crtl><Alt><KP_+>/<KP_-> (resolution switching) AllowMouseOpenFail # allows the server to start up even if the mouse does not workEndSectionSection "Module" Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Load "extmod" Load "type1" Load "freetype" Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/libglx.so"EndSectionSection "InputDevice" Identifier "Keyboard1" Driver "kbd" Option "XkbModel" "pc105" Option "XkbLayout" "en_US" Option "XkbOptions" "compose:rwin"EndSectionSection "InputDevice" Identifier "Mouse1" Driver "mouse" Option "Protocol" "ExplorerPS/2" Option "Device" "/dev/mouse" Option "ZAxisMapping" "6 7"EndSectionSection "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" VendorName "Generic" ModelName "1280x1024 @ 60 Hz" HorizSync 31.5-64.3 VertRefresh 50-70 # TV fullscreen mode or DVD fullscreen output. # 768x576 @ 79 Hz, 50 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 50.00 768 832 846 1000 576 590 595 630 # 768x576 @ 100 Hz, 61.6 kHz hsync ModeLine "768x576" 63.07 768 800 960 1024 576 578 590 616EndSectionSection "Device" Identifier "device1" BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce (fbdev)" Driver "nvidia" Option "DPMS" Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"EndSectionSection "Screen" Identifier "screen1" Device "device1" Monitor "monitor1" DefaultColorDepth 24 Subsection "Display" Depth 8 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 15 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 16 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsection Subsection "Display" Depth 24 Virtual 1280 1024 EndSubsectionEndSectionSection "ServerLayout" Identifier "layout1" InputDevice "Keyboard1" "CoreKeyboard" InputDevice "Mouse1" "CorePointer" Screen "screen1"EndSection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 21, 2006 Author Share Posted February 21, 2006 Thanks for posting Barry ! I'll copy it to a floppy, print it out and have a play with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 PROBLEM SOLVED ! MAYDAY MAYDAY ... PROBLEM SOLVED ! Progress ... progress ... what did I say, I solved it ! Let me first describe what the problem was and after that how I solved it.Problem:Nothing visible on display when display is connected through DVI cable.The displays only shows its grey bar in which the display tries to detect whether an analog or digital signal is available.If you shut down and change the DVI connection by an analog connection, there will be no problems at all and you can boot.SolutionAfter much googling around, perusing some forums, studying some xorg.conf files from different users using different distros, I ended up with the XFree86 man pages and studied those too.Below is how I accomplished to be able to have linux through DVI connection on a LCD including the nvidia driver:1) temporary connect the LCD through analog cable during install, in order to let the installer detect the appropriate display. If that succeeded you can find afterwards in the section Device of xorg.conf.2) During install in analog mode there might be an extra Modeline line placed automatically in xorg.conf. This is used to center the display, but this one doesn't work always reliably on a LCD due to the nature of the display.In my case I had to use the Autodetect mode of the display several times (Samsung SyncMaster 173P) to center position again even with the Modeline. 3) After the install in xorg.conf section Monitor you have to check whether your LCD was detected properly or not, mine was and reads : Section "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" VendorName "Plug'n Play" ModelName "SyncMaster" HorizSync 63-80 VertRefresh 59-76 Note : the HorizSync and VertRefresh values were filled in universally by the installer (values not shown above), so I tweaked them to be pretty tight, making sure that the actual range of both of them (see your displays manual !) lays within the range I tweaked both values for. I knew the exact values for both for my LCD to 3 numbers behind the comma, for my LCD those values were : HorizSync =63,981-79,976 , VertRefresh =60,020-75,025 ,this all for a 1280 x 1024 resolution. As you can see the tweaked values lay pretty tight between the values for each I tweaked the settings for in section Monitor of xorg.conf.4) Below that section was the aforementioned extra Modeline : # Monitor preferred modeline (60.0 Hz vsync, 64.0 kHz hsync, ratio 5/4) ModeLine "1280x1024" 108 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync ...which I changed to this because it was set up during install in ANALOG mode and now I'm using DIGITAL mode : # Monitor preferred modeline (60.0 Hz vsync, 64.0 kHz hsync, ratio 5/4)# ModeLine "1280x1024" 108 1280 1328 1440 1688 1024 1025 1028 1066 +hsync +vsync Do you see the difference ? (the Modeline is commented out)5) I went further to the Device section of xorg.conf, it looked like this : Section "Device" Identifier "device1" VendorName "nVidia Corp." BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)" Driver "nv" Option "DPMS" "false" Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"EndSection I changed it to this : Section "Device" Identifier "device1" VendorName "nVidia Corp." BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)" Driver "nvidia" Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP" Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT,TV" Option "DPMS" "false" Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"EndSection What are those two extra settings doing, what do they mean one might ask ?1) Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP" : in short, this allows you to override what the nvidia kernel module detects as connected to your graphics card.This may be usefull while using a KVM where you are switched away when X is started.In this situation the nvidia kernel module can't detect what display device is connected and assumes a CRT . ( ! ) So what happens when there is a LCD ? Yes, no signal. This option used for my set up tells the nvidia kernel module the connected device is a DFP (Digital Flat Panel).2)Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT,TV" tells the nvidia kernel module to completely ignore the indicated classes of display devices while checking which devices are connected. In my case there was a LCD connected and no CRT or TV.After a restart of the X server the system succesfully loaded the nvidia driver (saw the nvidia splash screen ! ) and lo and behold I'm in and the picture I see is good.It took me almost 3 weeks on a row to solve this question. I almost took my hair out after several attempts to no avail.Nothing to be found on the net except the same question I was asking. Well, it's solved now with the help of Bruno, Barry and several others who posted here and on other forums, for which I may say Thank you ! to all who tried helping. Mission accomplished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teacher Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Awesome. You are encouraging me to dig out the dvi cables for my tower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarryB Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Way to Go Striker..LOL, I got inspired and upgraded my kernel this am...now the orginial 2.6.12 works fine, nvidia etc..is fine...the 2.6.14 has some xorg/nvidia issue, though I think I just need to reload Nvidia.Any..Glad you got it figured out.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 Woooooow . . . congrats Striker !!! . . . A major achievement !!! Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zlim Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 WOW! If I ever get a digital connection only display, I'll search for posts by striker! Congratulations! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daihard Posted February 22, 2006 Share Posted February 22, 2006 I was going to jump in, but looks like the issue has been resolved. What a team!FWIW, I use Fedora Core 4. The video card is a PNY Verto GeForce 6200. I successfully connect it to my NEC MultiSync LCD1970GX through a DVI conneciton. I use the "nvidia" driver. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 22, 2006 Author Share Posted February 22, 2006 (edited) Thanks daihard , you're welcome. Actually I just installed Fedora c4 succesfully on the machine and this is the first posting from it. After the coffee I'm off again to get the updates. We'll see where the nvidia driver is but first the updates. Thanks again for chiming in.To all :Thanks for the congrats people, but without this forum it would never have happened. Anyway I'm glad it's solved now. Edited February 22, 2006 by striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daihard Posted February 23, 2006 Share Posted February 23, 2006 Thanks daihard , you're welcome. Actually I just installed Fedora c4 succesfully on the machine and this is the first posting from it. After the coffee I'm off again to get the updates. We'll see where the nvidia driver is but first the updates. Thanks again for chiming in.Sounds great, striker.As for installing the nVidia driver, this site should be helpful.http://www.fedorafaq.org/#nvidiaIt's nice to be able to install the driver as an RPM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 (edited) The solution above for PCLinuxOS P92 is also valid (I have it installed and tested it and am using it right now): Mandriva Free 2006.The kernel I'm using : 2.6.12-12mdk, graphics card used : Geforce FX5200.Note : before doing this, check whether you have either pico or nano installed if you're not comfortable with Vi.Install :kernel-source-2.6-2.6.12-12mdk ( for the kernel used ! )dkms-2.0.5.9-3mdkdkms-minimal-2.0.5.9-3mdkdkms-nvidia-8178-4.1.20060plfnvidia-xorg-8178-4.1.20060plflibnvidia-xorg-8178-4.1.20060plflibnvidia-xorg-devel-8178-4.1.20060plfAdding plf sources ; (thanks Bruno ! )For the plf files I added the plf sources earlier for getting multimedia ready for my system. In case you haven't added the plf sources already, you can add these source(-s) as follows : ( as root, the commands are ONE line . . . and the MCC has to be closed ! ) # urpmi.addmedia plf-free ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_Linux/plf/mandrake/free/2006.0 with hdlist.cz ... and : # urpmi.addmedia plf-nonfree ftp://ftp.free.fr/pub/Distributions_Linux/plf/mandrake/non-free/2006.0 with hdlist.cz Next open up a konsole and : $ su$ root password# Kate /etc/X11/xorg.conf This is my Monitor section of xorg.conf : Section "Monitor" Identifier "monitor1" VendorName "Samsung" ModelName "Samsung SyncMaster 173P/CX710P (Digital)" HorizSync 63-80 VertRefresh 59-76 The HorizSync and VertRefresh values were universally filled by the installer, I adjusted these settings according my LCD's user manual.Below my Device section of xorg.conf : Section "Device" Identifier "device1" VendorName "nVidia" BoardName "NVIDIA GeForce FX (generic)" Driver "nvidia" Option "ConnectedMonitor" "DFP" Option "IgnoreDisplayDevices" "CRT,TV" Option "DPMS" "false" Option "IgnoreEDID" "1"EndSection Change section Module from this : Section "Module" Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Load "extmod" Load "type1" Load "freetype" Load "glx" # 3D layer ...to this : Section "Module" Load "dbe" # Double-Buffering Extension Load "v4l" # Video for Linux Load "extmod" Load "type1" Load "freetype" #Load "glx" # 3D layer Load "/usr/X11R6/lib/modules/extensions/nvidia/libglx.so" (I added the last line and commented out the one before that)Further, I adjusted the runlevel from 5 to 3 to be able to start up from text mode. (/etc/inittab)After installing all files mentioned above and adjusting xorg.conf, restart the machine and look for the nvidia splash screen after starting X.Next after succesfull login, run this command to test: $ glxgears Edited February 26, 2006 by striker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Mandriva 2006 Free with dkms for the Nvidia . . . . very nice striker, up to now it only was available for the bundled versions.And even better: You have the DVI working on this one too ! B) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 26, 2006 Author Share Posted February 26, 2006 I know, I know... All that's left to do is fiddling with SuSE10 to get the nvidia stuff there too . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 26, 2006 Share Posted February 26, 2006 Good luck Striker ! . . . You will hack it, I'm sure you will B) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Good luck Striker ! . . . You will hack it, I'm sure you will :"> Bruno ... it hacked me... time for a reinstall Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
striker Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Follow up :Have SuSE 10 reinstalled, did all updates incl. kernel + kernel-source, after that the usual /sbin/lilo followed by a reboot, back into runlevel 3; Started up X to no avail, editted xorg.conf, started up X again... no nvidia.By now I did all what was possible the way Suse tells it has to be done, but there's still no sign of nvidia, albeit all what needs to be loaded gets loaded. Ok, time for plan B : reinstall again and this time use nvidia's propriatary driver and use their method. Let's see what this brings me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bruno Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 Looks like SUSE is giving you the hardest time Striker ! ;) Bruno Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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