Uggg... I can't get the drivers to install for my BFG 8800GTS OC in Linux Mint "Bianca"


I've tried the Automatrix, I've tried Envy, and I've tried typing "sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86blahblah" and it says "sh Can't open NVIDIA-Linux-x86blahblah"


So... I'm stuck.

This should work (Keyword should, I don't use Linux Mint).

First of all, are you root when you are trying to open the nvidia installer?

If so, well I don't know what to tell ya but it smells like a PEBKAC.

You can try this:

Add the next line to your /etc/apt/sources.list

You'll need the GPG security key, so do this

Update the apt cache and install the driver with the next command

Then setup the xorg.conf (It may not work this way so you may want to copy your /etc/X11/xorg.conf to /etc/X11/xorg.conf.bak)

Doesn't Linux Mint have some sort of tool for stuff like this called "envy" or something?

Yes, but when I try Envy and hit install the screen goes black and doesn't come back on.

I tried your method and I restarted to a bunch of lime green vertical bars...

So... Still stuck but thanks!

Could it be because I have an 8800GTS and its installing the driver for everything before 8800's? (there are seperate drivers)

Is it a LCD monitor?

Yea a Dell 20.1" Widescreen. Does that change something? DVI too.

Pastebin your xorg log (/var/log/Xorg.0.log). You might just not have the settings right for your monitor (Sounds that way to me). Also pastebin your xorg.conf.

pastebin private pastebin - collaborative debugging tool

noob question, how do I copy and paste from terminal?

Paste FROM Terminal?
Pasting into terminal is right click and select paste on the menu, or middleclick.
If you are trying to get all of the stuff of your xorg out, just copy it in like gedit and use pastebin.

He wants to be able to copy and paste IN a terminal. (At least my take is his X server isnt working at all) I actually use a cool little program a fellow Arch user made called "nopaste", that will pastebin files for you and output the link. I'm not really sure of another way off the top of my head unfortunately.

When in doubt, type it out.

I got it, basically to run Envy I had to boot to console without X server starting which didnt seem to get the hint that I didnt want it to start. So I changed the xorg.conf file so it would crash then ran

sudo init 3
sudo envy
and away it went


w00ts

thanks everyone

Now t o change the screen resolution....

Now all I need to change in the refresh rate and the screen depth (32bit)

Quote: Originally Posted by Dreyco Now all I need to change in the refresh rate and the screen depth (32bit)

Im quite sure Linux does not support thirty two bit colour, because thirty two bit colour, in Windows, is twenty four bit colour, with an eight bit control, what ever that means. actually, Im not sure if it's still that way, but, Im checking.

to set the refresh rate, there are a few ways to do this, you could use a program, like, if you're using KDE, just open the display properties, and change the refresh rate. Im not sure where the display properties, is, in Gnome, but, Im quite sure that Gnome has one, that does the same as the one in KDE.
sometimes, it gives strange refresh rates, like eighty seven hertz, or fifty one hertz. to get around this, you can modify the xorg.conf file

open an editor, as root, or, with sudo, like nano, and open the xorg.conf file, like
nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf or sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf

find the section called, Screen, you should see a line beinging with DefaultDepth, and then a number
a little bit, below, there are subsections, called, Display
in these subsections, you should see a few lines, one of them beings with Depth, followed by a number, which is the depth. find the subsection that has the same depth, as the DefaultDepth
to set the refresh rate, find the section called, Monitor, and check to see if it has a horizontal and vertical refresh rate range set. it would look kind of like this, well, an example would look like this

you can set the horizontal and vertical rehresh rate range, to ones that your monitor supports.

you could also use a modeline. a modeline is a line, that goes in the monitor section, that tells the monitor what refresh rate to use, at a certain resolution
there's some information about adding one, here, X.Org Wiki - FAQVideoModes
and there's a tool that makes one for you, here, Modeline tool
the tool is quite useful

I hope it helps, and you get it working

The newest version's of Xorg can do 32 bit (Although you won't see a distro use it, unless you configure it manually) but it's been shown to have some bugs, and isn't even worth it when your brain can't see 32bit colors.

Quote: Originally Posted by EvilClown The newest version's of Xorg can do 32 bit (Although you won't see a distro use it, unless you configure it manually) but it's been shown to have some bugs, and isn't even worth it when your brain can't see 32bit colors.

it's not your brain, that can't see them, you don't notice them, because there's no real visual difference between twenty-four bit colour, and thirty-two bit colour. at least, that's what I read. the extra eight bits, in thirty-two bit colour are used for encoding, and sometimes as an alpha channel. I also read that sometimes, using thirty-two bit colour, over twenty-four bit colour, can improve performance, slightly

so, really, the extra eight bits, in thirty-two bit colour, do not do anything, in terms of colour
well, if I read it right, then, yeah

Quote: Originally Posted by Fire Hawk it's not your brain, that can't see them, you don't notice them, because there's no real visual difference between twenty-four bit colour, and thirty-two bit colour. at least, that's what I read. the extra eight bits, in thirty-two bit colour are used for encoding, and sometimes as an alpha channel. I also read that sometimes, using thirty-two bit colour, over twenty-four bit colour, can improve performance, slightly so, really, the extra eight bits, in thirty-two bit colour, do not do anything, in terms of colour well, if I read it right, then, yeah

Now that I think of it, your right. I must've fell for the myth about 32bit being 4,294,967,296 colors.

Quote: Originally Posted by EvilClown Now that I think of it, your right. I must've fell for the myth about 32bit being 4,294,967,296 colors.

Im quite sure I know what you mean. I remember the first time I tried setting the colour depth of the x server, and it was not able to go up to thirty-two bit colour. I was thinking, this is terrible. things won't look right. things looked fine, but, I think because I belived there should be a difference between thirty-two bit colour, and twenty-four bit colour, I thought I noticed one. thought, should be in quotes.
twenty-four bit colour is just as impressive, visually, as thirty-two bit colour, and has the same amount of colours, as thirty-two bit colour has.

perhapse it's more of a markerting thing?