nVIDIA 3123 drivers

Aonoa · Guru Joined: 23 May 2002 Posts: 589

Hi,

I've lately got a problem with the 3123, after installing Gentoo 1.4 RC1 with gcc3.2 using the gentoo-sources-2.4.19-r7 (2.4.1

kernel built without DRI and without AGPGART

This is what happens... X is about to initiate the nvidia driver and display the nvidia logo; scenario #1 The nvidia logo looks graphically borked before running X, at least it runs.
scenario #2 My computer crashes completely, and I need to press my reboot button.
I haven't tried to ssh in and killall but I doubt it works, I think the hardware crashes, some files have been smashed on my harddrive because of it.

I have tried using just "-march=pentium3 -O3 -pipe" to build everything with, but that did not help.

My hardware setup:
Abit VP6 Apollo Pro 133A
Dual Pentium III 866Mhz
512MB SDRAM
AHA-2940U2W SCSI Controller
Abit GeForce Ti200 64MB

When I use the XFree nv driver everything works fine, what I don't understand, is that everything worked perfectly couple days ago, with 1.4 RC1 using nvidia drivers.
Only thing changed is that I put in a SCSI controller card and HD instead of IDE.

That should not have any impact on the graphics card/driver at all anyway.

I'd use gentoo-sources-2.4.19-r9 (2.4.19) but I'm using XFS and that kernel does not support XFS unfortunately. By the way, anyone know when that will happen ?

Back to the problem at hand, anyone had the same problem/know a solution ?

berhr · Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2002 5:35 am Post subject:

eonic, I have not experienced the same problems as you describe here, but I too have had some problems with the nvidia-1.0-3123 drivers. Although XFree starts up normally when I'm using these drivers, all OpenGL programs fail - including the OpenGL XScreenSaver modules (with a SIGSEV error) and the UT2003 demo (with an error about GLX modes). These problems only appear after installing the latest nvidia drivers - reverting back to the nvidia-kernel-1.0.2960-r1 drivers solves my problems. It's possible that the 3123 revision is just buggy, so maybe using the older drivers might solve your problems too.

Sorry I cannot provide a guaranteed solution, but I hope this helps anyway!

ghost_o · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 10 Jul 2002 Posts: 119

mksoft · l33t Joined: 28 May 2002 Posts: 844

berhr · Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2002 3:40 pm Post subject:

Aonoa · Guru Joined: 23 May 2002 Posts: 589

Thanks for the tips, guys.. but I'm still no further along with my problem

I really have to use the XFree nv driver. Just removing load glx and changing nvidia to nv in XFree86 fixes my problem.. I don't understand it, I've used them lot's of times before.

Larde · Posted: Tue Sep 24, 2002 9:16 pm Post subject:

You write that you use a kernel compiled without agpgart. Well, this is totally a "for some it works better without, for some it works better with" thing - I have to use the kernel agpgart and give the Option "NvAGP" 2 (use AGPGART, if possible) in XF86Config, to prevent my machine from locking. So perhaps you should give it a try to enable kernel agpgart to see if it makes a difference. Perhaps NVidia changed some things in their driver that suddenly changes your system behaviour regarding the agp handling.
Well, I just reread your first post - my suggestion does not seem to be reasonable, because it wasn't the new driver that makes your system crash, it was the change to SCSI. Hmmm...
This is just a suggestion so that you can try *something* - I have no better idea. :-)

Regards,
Larde.
(running 3123 flawlessly)
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Aonoa · Guru Joined: 23 May 2002 Posts: 589

A few times now, while in X with the nv driver and I'm almost starting to suspect that it might be the old SCSI harddrive that is dying on me. It makes no odd sounds however, as is usual on IDE drives when they die.

But, the difference in use of nv over nvidia is clear, it crashes almost every time with the 3123, and almost never crash with the nv driver.. at least while loading X. I've found 2960 driver gives the same crash problem as well.

The problem began while I was using AGPGART, I removed it to test. So can't be that.

I've changed from XFS to ReiserFS now and use gentoo-sources-2.4.19-r9 kernel, it didn't help either. Seems to only be the SCSI thing left to try, unless someone has any other idea ?

Thanks for all help so far.

oisch · Tux's lil' helper Joined: 17 Jul 2002 Posts: 130

haven't read it all but I just wanted to mention that imho the katest nvidia drivers are buggy.
I was using them with a gf2 gts and a Via apollo pro133 host bridge.
I expierienced lockups in X and when playing ut2003.
neither nvagp or agpart worked (I really played with it a long time).
Switching back to the older drivers fixed it for me.

maybe one should think over if these buggy drivers should really be the default when emerging vidia-kernel.