[Opium]

Hi all: long time reader, first time poster ;)

I've spent the past few hours trying to install my new Asus 210 graphics card (Nvidia Geforce 210 chipset) in to my existing XBMCbuntu 11.0 machine without much luck.

The best result I can get it a max resolution of 640x480 in XBMC and LXDE and CPU usage = 100% in XBMC and mouse is very "jumpy" i.e. huge half second or so refresh rate. Worst result = XBMC wont start at all (frozen at pretty black and white "XBMC" screen))

I guess what i'm expecting is an option for "1920 x 1080" when I go to "monitor settings" in LXDE (via "xrandr") and also a 1920x1080 option in XBMC (assumedly these are views to the same function?)

Also expecting that running "nvidia-settings" would work without display an error "... you do not appear to be using the Nvidia X driver" and that it will give some resolution options etc in there maybe?

Sooo... things I've tried:

I've installed "nvidia-settings" and "nvidia-current" using this method:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-x-swat/x-updates
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nvidia-current nvidia-settings

I'm confident that worked successfully as they're appearing "ticked" in the package manager.
After googling that nvidia settings error mentioned above, found that you have to navigate to full path to run nvidia-xconfig... found that OK, ran that and it created an Xorg.conf file for me under /etc/X11 but now XBMC won't start at all: I'm getting the following error in Xorg.0.log:

[ 18.790] (II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
[ 18.802] (WW) Warning, couldn't open module nvidia
[ 18.802] (II) UnloadModule: "nvidia"
[ 18.802] (II) Unloading nvidia
[ 18.802] (EE) Failed to load module "nvidia" (module does not exist, 0)
[ 18.802] (EE) No drivers available.
[ 18.802]
Fatal server error:
[ 18.802] no screens found
[ 18.802]

The xorg.conf file that nvidia created for me looks like this:

# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig: version 304.43 ([email protected]) Sun Aug 19 21:28:54 PDT 2012

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Layout0"
Screen 0 "Screen0"
InputDevice "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
InputDevice "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Mouse0"
Driver "mouse"
Option "Protocol" "auto"
Option "Device" "/dev/psaux"
Option "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
Option "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
# generated from default
Identifier "Keyboard0"
Driver "kbd"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Unknown"
HorizSync 28.0 - 33.0
VertRefresh 43.0 - 72.0
Option "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Device0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Device0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Depth 24
EndSubSection
EndSection

To be sure i re-ran

sudo apt-get install nvidia-current nvidia-settings

but to no avail (i.e. says "already newest version"

So I feel I'm making some sort of progress but it's been about 4 hours and I'm about fresh out of ideas. Googling that xorg log error just seems to give errors relating to differing kernel versions between current and when the nvidia module was installed... but will keep searching down that path.

If anyone has any suggestions for a poor old frustrated linux n00b that would be muchly appreciated :)

Thanks, Simon

[freebs]

Did you purge out and reinstall ?

sudo apt-get remove --purge nvidia-current nvidia-settings

then

apt-get update

then

apt-get install nvidia-current nvidia-settings

Disable nouveau as well ..

[Opium]

Thanks freebs for your help! I'll give that a try in the morning. So to disable nouveau i found this advice (assumedly i only need the nouveau line)

Open the blacklist.conf file.

sudo vim /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

add the following modules in the file.

blacklist amd76x_edac #this might not be required for x86 32 bit users.
blacklist vga16fb
blacklist nouveau
blacklist rivafb
blacklist nvidiafb
blacklist rivatv

Does that sound right? Disable, purge, reboot maybe and stop lightdm, reinstall nvidia drivers?

Sorry I would just give it a go buy im falling asleep

Thanks again for your help, Si

[freebs]

Thanks freebs for your help! I'll give that a try in the morning. So to disable nouveau i found this advice (assumedly i only need the nouveau line)

Open the blacklist.conf file.

sudo vim /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf

add the following modules in the file.

blacklist amd76x_edac #this might not be required for x86 32 bit users.
blacklist vga16fb
blacklist nouveau
blacklist rivafb
blacklist nvidiafb
blacklist rivatv

Does that sound right? Disable, purge, reboot maybe and stop lightdm, reinstall nvidia drivers?

Sorry I would just give it a go buy im falling asleep

Thanks again for your help, Si

That's sounds just about right...

[Opium]

Hmm still no joy. Still getting the "module does not exist" error in X error log (as above)

I'm wondering if it's something to do with kernel headers? Have been googling along those lines for an hour or so... can't quite work out what I need to do bit will keep searching (unless you could please offer suggestions? :)

Interestingly, I get this when I enter "modprobe nvidia"

FATAL: Module nvidia_current not found.

That tells me there's something that's translating the word "nvidia" in to "nvidia_current", so maybe it's that translation that's actually broken?

[Opium]

Something else of interest... "dmesg | grep nvidia" gives:

[ 10.535452] nvidia: module license 'NVIDIA' taints kernel.
[ 11.888621] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: PCI INT A -> GSI 16 (level, low) -> IRQ 16
[ 11.888636] nvidia 0000:01:00.0: setting latency timer to 64

To me, that doesn't sound good?

[Opium]

"sudo lsmod | grep nvidia" gives:

nvidia 10235966 0

X is saying one thing that module "nvidia" doesn't exist, and lsmod is saying another thing. I would tend to think lsmod would be the definitive source of info: modprobe is thinking "nvidia" = "nvidia_current" and X just doesnt think there's an "nvidia" module at all...

[Opium]

OK have been informed that X uses it's OWN drivers separate from the kernel drivers, so am going to try the following when I get home:

apt-get install nvidia-glx${VERSION}

I'm wondering if that's right though, as it's strange no other site mentioned that as being important? Perhaps it should normally do that automatically when apt-get'ing nvidia-current and nvidia-settings but has failed on this occasion?

[Opium]

That failed too

All these resulted in "package not found":

apt-get install nvidia-glx-new
apt-get install nvidia-glx304.43
apt-get install nvidia-glx-304.43
apt-get install nvidia-glx304
apt get install nvidia-glx-304
apt get install nvidia-glx-new

This resulted in a different error:

apt-get install nvidia-glx

Package nvidia-glx is not available, but is referred to by another package.
This may mean that the package is missing, has been obsoleted, or
is only available from another source

E: Package 'nvidia-glx' has no installation candidate

Have checked /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers and there is definately no mention of nvidia in there. So assuming the person who told me "X requires it's own drivers" is correct, then I just need to figure out how to install the nvidia X driver. Thinking there must be something else wrong: if it was common to have to install a seperate driver for X, other users would've reported that :/ Assumedly that error when trying to install nvidia-gfx separately is telling me that it should come with something else (nvidia-settings or nvidia-current maybe?)

Would really appreciate some help if anyone can please offer some suggestions? I think i'm going to start crying soon

[freebs]

The tainted message from kernel can be ignored..

Have you tried to download right from nvidia site... driver is 304.43

Purge everything again and try it.. Are you using 64 bit or 32 bit ?

Are you using nightlies ? compiling git source ?

Also, have you purged Xserver out and reinstall ?

[Opium]

Thanks freebs

I haven't tried straight from nvidia site, a few sites didn't recommend it but at this stage i'm willing to try anything

Running 32bit: uname -m gives "i686"

Not using any nightlies or compiling git source... i'm not a confident linux user so really i just installed XBMCbuntu from downloaded and burnt bootable CD/DVD, and the only other stuff i've done is either through package manager in LXDE or command line apt-get. Everything "just worked" after fresh install...has been fine for 6 months or so and still works fine when i remove the nvidia card and remove xorg.conf. Only reason i want a new video card is so i can use HDMI and not have to run seperate VGA and audio to my TV & stereo (damned sony TV and it's "digital audio in" only for PC audio!)

I am prepared to reinstall Xserver buy do you think that will screw up XBMC? Just seems so integrated. Turning on machine goes straight in to whatever was last used, XBMC or LXDE...Just dont want to create more problems for myself But i guess ill have to try that too!

Thanks again for your help,

Si

[Opium]

Success! I installed straight from Nvidia site download, and that worked perfectly.

I basically followed this page in the end http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=Bui..._XBMC_Live

There were A LOT of packages it said to install first, being an XBMC live machine... so assumedly that's what stopped it working in the first place? After following instructions, could see that there was an "nvidia_drv.so" file in my X modules/drivers directory... that's exactly what I was looking for. Rebooted, and machine went straight in to XBMC at 1920x1080!

Thanks again for your help freebs: you were dead on. Didn't need to reinstall X in the end.

Now, to get HDMI audio working... I'll post my findings soon, for anyone stumbling across this thread who was as frustrated as I was

[Opium]

Damnit, now I can't get HDMI audio to work :/

Followed instructions on this page http://wiki.xbmc.org/index.php?title=HOW...,_or_GT240

The initial "simple" setup didn't work. Changed settings in XBMC:

In XBMC System => System => Audio output [Both Audio Out and passthrough] on custom : hdmi:CARD=NVidia

Did this stuff:

add-apt-repository ppa:team-iquik/alsa
add-apt-repository ppa:ubuntu-audio-dev/ppa
apt-get update
apt-get upgrade

Used alsamixer and unmuted the four "S/PDIF" outputs listed.

Sound not working in XBMC or in LXDE (tested with a youtube video in chromium)

There's some "manual" instructions later on this page but not having much luck:

apt-get install linux-alsa-driver-modules-$(uname -r) --force-yes

There is no package named that for my kernel (3.0.0.17-generic)

Then there's a table of options for sound.conf but it says nothing needed for ASUS: the last column on that table says best working device =

plughw:X,7 (PCM, multichannel PCM, bitsteam (DD/DD-EX/DTS/DTS-ES)

Not sure what they're trying to say there... Should I used that in XBMC sound output?

The page keeps going with more instructions... but kinda lost and frustrated. What should I try first?

[neil.j1983]

http://forum.xbmc.org/showthread.php?tid=134252

install that and be happy!

latest version - http://xbmcfreak.binkey.nl/xbmcbuntu-11....ing-v4.iso

[Opium]

Well, whatever you do don't run Step 1 at https://help.ubuntu.com/community/SoundT...gProcedure.... it looks like it's completely writing over my XBMCbuntu with a standard Ubuntu install :/

Thinking I'll need to completely wipe this machine and reinstall XBMCbuntu now. Argh.