FreeBSD and Nvidia card support

[richard]

Well I realize this forum is for PCBSD but I thought I'd ask anyways. I installed FreeBSD 6.2 beta 3 last night. I installed all of KDE and X11 or Xorg. It boots up but when it tries to start up (either kdm or startx from command line) the video tries to load up then crashes . . . I had also installed 2 nvidia files from the ports system. So the problem is somewhere in the configuration somewhere. . . . any help would be appreciated. This if the first Freebsd disk that actually for the first time loads up and see's my Ath0 wifi card. . . I'm amazed. . . The 'sysinstall' using a ftp download site isn't too bad . .. just seems like it takes days to get all the files you need, loaded up. By the way my Nvidia card is an old FX5200 which one of the log config files sees. . .

Thnx Rich

[dracheflieger]

Have you tried the nvidia-xconfig utility that comes with the driver? Explanation found here (http://download.nvidia.com/freebsd/1.0-8776/README/chapter-03.html)

I'm also assuming that you installed the ports and then compiled the driver.

[Apatewna]

Well I realize this forum is for PCBSD but I thought I'd ask anyways. I installed FreeBSD 6.2 beta 3 last night. I installed all of KDE and X11 or Xorg. It boots up but when it tries to start up (either kdm or startx from command line) the video tries to load up then crashes . . . I had also installed 2 nvidia files from the ports system. So the problem is somewhere in the configuration somewhere. . . . any help would be appreciated. This if the first Freebsd disk that actually for the first time loads up and see's my Ath0 wifi card. . . I'm amazed. . . The 'sysinstall' using a ftp download site isn't too bad . .. just seems like it takes days to get all the files you need, loaded up. By the way my Nvidia card is an old FX5200 which one of the log config files sees. . .

Thnx Rich

Hi there,

This is from my own FreeBSD 6.1 installation

pkg_info | grep nvidia
nvidia-driver-1.0.8776 NVidia graphics card binary drivers for hardware OpenGL ren
nvidia-settings-1.0_9 Display Control Panel for X NVidia driver
nvidia-xconfig-1.0 Tool to manipulate X configuration files for the NVidia driver

I have an NVDIA GF4 Ti4200/128MB AGP8x

Try running nvidia-xconfig as suggested. It creates the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file (if you installed Xorg) with nvidia specific options. If the Xorg crashes, what is the error message?

The FreeBSD 6.2 Release will have WiFi modules loaded by default :)

Have you tried the floppy installation? Download the three boot floppies for 6.1 boot the first then it asks the second and so on... then it asks you where to get the installation image and you say FTP and it fetches files from the FTP as needed. This is awesome! (make sure your NIC is supported and a DHCP server is availiable first)

[richard]

It seems my XF86Config file has the correct information in it for nividia driver to work. The problem I have is when the system boots up it can't find the Nividia driver module. (Is this some how loaded into the kernel ) when you install the Nvidia software from the ports tree? I've installed the nvidia files in X11 ports. The error messages I get state that: failed to load module nvidia, module does not exsist.

I'm baffled. . .. Any help would again be appreciated. . ..

Thnx Rich

[dracheflieger]

Hi richard,

I don't know where you are at in the process so bear with me...

1) be sure you have the latest ports tree loaded (open konsole, su to root and type in portsnap fetch update

2) While in konsole type in shutdown now and that will kill kdm-bin and X and bring you to a console

3) hit enter to accept the sh shell and then type login and log in as your self and you will be able to use TAB completion of file names if you wish.

4) su to root, then cd /usr/ports/x11/nvidia-driver
make install clean

5) you can now run 'nvidia-xconfig' or 'reboot now'. nvidia-xconfig creates a new /etc/X11/XF86Config file and PC-BSD will use it UNLESS you have an xorg file in that directory too. Upon reboot you should see the nvidia.ko load if you have the splash screen turned off.

6) if you are running an AGP system you might want to look here (http://download.nvidia.com/freebsd/1.0-8774/README/appendix-h.html) for more information on how it loads its own AGP that works better for me than PC/FreeBSD's AGP

Hope this helps

[richard]

updated ports. . . . logged into sh . . .. cd/usr/ports/x11/nvidia-driver...make install clean....

apparently reinstalled files that were needed or missing . ...

ran nvidia-xconfig and alot of stuff happened (created new config file. . ..when I typed in 'startx' or 'kdm' in konsole the Nvidia logo screen pops up. . . then
again disappears with error messages.

I also typed into /boot/loader.conf . . . hint.agp.0.disabled="1". . . .to allow the system to disable the bsd GART driver and keep the NvAgp GART driver.

error messages:

IO error in Xopen Display
kdm-bin : Display:0 cnnot be opened
unable to fire up local display

fatal server error
failed to initialize core devices mouse0. . .

I have a usb mouse that has to be reconfigured (another porblem) the mouse config in 'sysinstall' is primarily for serial mice. . . .

Any helpl would again be appreciated. . . .hopefully I'm getting closer. . .

thnx,

Rich

[dracheflieger]

hint.agp.0.disabled="1" goes in /boot/device.hints, not /boot/loader.conf

Don't know if it will help or maybe you got it right and posted it wrong :?

[Apatewna]

fatal server error
failed to initialize core devices mouse0. . .

I have a usb mouse that has to be reconfigured (another porblem) the mouse config in 'sysinstall' is primarily for serial mice. . . .

Take a look in /etc/rc.conf and make sure that there is no instance of moused_enable="YES". It is the console mouse daemon that causes interference with the mouse operation in X (the error you saw).

Also check /dev/mouse0, there shouldn't be any such device. I changed it for /dev/ps0, this is my PS2 mouse and X started OK. Look for your mouse device name using something like # dmesg | grep mouse