Arch Linux

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Failed updating nvidia

Hello, this is my first post here and I hope I'm not being redundant.

I installed Arch a few days ago and I'm enjoying it, I love the simplicity and the way it teaches you to use Linux without being too complicated.

I installed nvidia package (pacman -S nvidia) but it didn't work (honestly I thought the installation went well), because when I tried to start X it complained about not being able to load the nvidia module.

Then I tried to remove and install it again, but now I get this error:

Targets: nvidia-1.0.9755-5  

Total Package Size:   2.30 MB

Proceed with installation? [Y/n] 
checking package integrity... done.
cleaning up... done.
(1/1) upgrading nvidia                              [#####################] 100%
ERROR: Module nvidia does not exist in /proc/modules
In order to use the new nvidia module, exit Xserver and unload it manually.

This is my xorg.conf (I'm to using "nv" instead of "nvidia" in order to start X):

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Card0"
    Driver         "nv"
    VendorName     "nVidia Corporation"
    BoardName      "GeForce Go 6200 TurboCache"
EndSection

Any help will be appreciated.

Thanks

Last edited by VuDu (2007-05-12 17:11:26)

bt

Member

Registered: 2007-04-11

Posts: 198

Re: Failed updating nvidia

Try the following:
Boot to the command line as root without startx. Run rmmod nvidia. Then run modpprobe nvidia. Then startx.
Worked for me. YMMV.

Last edited by bt (2007-05-12 13:20:11)

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

I can't rmmod it because it doesn't exist.

bt

Member

Registered: 2007-04-11

Posts: 198

Re: Failed updating nvidia

look for the manual page for rmmod. It can only be run as root.

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

If you could read my first message again... I don't have a nvidia module, so there's no module that rmmod can "unload". In fact it's not even loaded because it just doesn't exist and I don't know how to get it since the nvidia installing fails because with the error on my first post.
Shouldn't pacman install the module with pacman -S nvidia? Why is it complaining it can't find the module, then?

sash

Member

Registered: 2005-10-16

Posts: 155

Re: Failed updating nvidia

nvidia is in the extra repository. Do you have that one enabled in your pacman.conf?

sash

Member

Registered: 2005-10-16

Posts: 155

Re: Failed updating nvidia

give us the output from:
uname -a
pacman -Ql nvidia

gentoofu

Member

Registered: 2006-10-05

Posts: 34

Re: Failed updating nvidia

Under what kernel are running on?

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

uname -a:

Linux vudumachine 2.6.21-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Sun May 6 18:33:47 CEST 2007 i686 Intel(R) Pentium(R) M processor 1.73GHz GenuineIntel GNU/Linux

pacman -Ql nvidia:

nvidia /lib/modules/2.6.21-ARCH/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia.ko

I think pacman has updated the kernel since I installed nvidia for the first time, but still no changes...

Last edited by VuDu (2007-05-12 23:26:32)

gentoofu

Member

Registered: 2006-10-05

Posts: 34

Re: Failed updating nvidia

Oh, wait. Since you're using "nv" as your driver, you're actually using xf86-video-nv. And I believe you want to switch to the nvidia package?

It's throwing that message because there's no previous nvidia module existed or that you're still running startx. And as you said, you can't rmmod nvidia because it's not even loaded. Even then, you should be able to do 'modprobe nvidia' after you've done pacman. Since you've already installed the nvidia package, just edit your /etc/X11/xorg.conf replacing the "nv" to "nvidia" and then reboot.

I should have read your post more carefully >.>:

Last edited by gentoofu (2007-05-13 06:14:02)

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

This was what happened:
I installed pacman -S nvidia the first time and (as far as I remember it went ok)  then edited the xorg.conf to use "nvidia". Rebooted and gdm failed to start. Something like: "can't find module nvidia".
Then tried to update nvidia and then it gave me that error : "ERROR: Module nvidia does not exist in /proc/modules" and didn't finished installing. I tried removing nvidia and installing over again and I got the same error.
Changed back to "nv" in xorg.conf so startx... and here I am. No direct rendering... so slow movies, no beryl and so on...

Should't "pacman -S nvidia" install that module? So why is it complaining it can't find the module? Do I have to pacman something else before nvidia to install the nvidia module in /proc/modules???

luca

Member

From: Rome

Registered: 2005-10-30

Posts: 280

Re: Failed updating nvidia

Hi VuDu,
as root try

depmod -a

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

God bless ya!! it worked

EDIT: btw, does anyone know which package has glxinfo? I want to know if I have direct rendering

Last edited by VuDu (2007-05-13 13:46:26)

luca

Member

From: Rome

Registered: 2005-10-30

Posts: 280

Re: Failed updating nvidia

glxinfo belongs to mesa package

VuDu

Member

Registered: 2007-05-11

Posts: 95

Re: Failed updating nvidia

glxinfo | grep -i direct
direct rendering: Yes

thanks