Well, the https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Fi...esolutionHowto
didn't work since that wasn't the problem to begin with. After reading up
on how to properly install the video drivers for my card I realized I
hadn't installed squat the first time and I'm still running the default
driver. Another try with the instructions from the Nvidia webpage got me
this:

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9755-pkg1.run

Verifying archive integrity... OK
Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86 1.0-9755...


The Nvidia Installer window comes up and I get this message:

Error: Nvidia Installer must be run as root


A quick search on "Run As Root" yielded confusing results - as in I don't
know what this means or what I should be doing. (sigh) I think I'll go back
to using my old sig file.

Mike

"Computers are a lot like women. Once you think you've got the damn thing
figured out, along comes something new to make you look like a complete
idiot."

On Aug 30, 2:26 pm, Mike <somewh...@zerivon.net> wrote:
> Well, thehttps://help.ubuntu.com/community/FixVideoResolutionHowto
> didn't work since that wasn't the problem to begin with. After reading up
> on how to properly install the video drivers for my card I realized I
> hadn't installed squat the first time and I'm still running the default
> driver. Another try with the instructions from the Nvidia webpage got me
> this:
>
> sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9755-pkg1.run
>
> Verifying archive integrity... OK
> Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86 1.0-9755...
>
> The Nvidia Installer window comes up and I get this message:
>
> Error: Nvidia Installer must be run as root
>
> A quick search on "Run As Root" yielded confusing results - as in I don't

Switch to an "administrator" shell or use the "sudo" command (as in
"sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux...")

This is getting annoying, to say the least. First the Nvidia driver I
downloaded from the Nvidia website was the wrong one, despite clearly
choosing my video card from the list. 1.0-9755 doesn't support my card, so
after a little searching I found I had to download the 1.0-96xx version.

Downloaded, run that with the sudo command gets me an error that says "You
appear to be running an X server. You must Exit X before installation can
continue, or some such nonsense.

Next obvious question: What is an "X Server" and where do I find it?

Mike (somewhere@zerivon.net) writes:
> This is getting annoying, to say the least. First the Nvidia driver I
> downloaded from the Nvidia website was the wrong one, despite clearly
> choosing my video card from the list. 1.0-9755 doesn't support my card, so
> after a little searching I found I had to download the 1.0-96xx version.
>
> Downloaded, run that with the sudo command gets me an error that says "You
> appear to be running an X server. You must Exit X before installation can
> continue, or some such nonsense.
>
> Next obvious question: What is an "X Server" and where do I find it?

It's the thing that fills the screen and has pretty pictures that you
point to with the mouse in order to get the computer to do things.

Somewhere on the menu system, or one of the panels (it depends on
what GUI you are running) there should be a means of exiting the
GUI. You do that, and you get a text-only console. Then you log
in as root and there you go.

The driver is only used by the GUI, and you have to quit it so
there'll be no problem as you install it, otherwise things may
break up yet you won't be getting a display to see what's wrong.

Now given that you don't know what an x server is, or even what
root is, chances are you have one of those Linux distributions
that default to a GUI, and logging out of the GUI may not be
so simple.

I wouldn't know what to do then, since I only run A gui when there
is an actually good reason for doing so.

Michael

> It's the thing that fills the screen and has pretty pictures that you
> point to with the mouse in order to get the computer to do things.
>
> Somewhere on the menu system, or one of the panels (it depends on
> what GUI you are running) there should be a means of exiting the
> GUI. You do that, and you get a text-only console. Then you log
> in as root and there you go.
>
> The driver is only used by the GUI, and you have to quit it so
> there'll be no problem as you install it, otherwise things may
> break up yet you won't be getting a display to see what's wrong.
>
> Now given that you don't know what an x server is, or even what
> root is, chances are you have one of those Linux distributions
> that default to a GUI, and logging out of the GUI may not be
> so simple.
>
> I wouldn't know what to do then, since I only run A gui when there
> is an actually good reason for doing so.
>
> Michael


I realize that there's not a lot of hand-holding with Linux and that you
pretty much have to do things for yourself. But if in the all the related
material I have gone through on this it had simply said somewhere that I
needed to do this in Console Mode, or even a non-GUI command line mode, I
would have understood. It probably did somewhere but in terms I don't yet
know or recognize.

So I need to be in Console Mode? That I know how to get to, one of the
first things I look for. I spent way too much time with DOS commands, even
old CP/M and some Unix.:-)

Ok, I give up. How do I get out of X-Server in Ubuntu 7.04 Fiesty?

Using Console Mode:
CTRL-Alt-F1 : Nope, still in X.
CTRL-Alt-(F2-F6) : Doesn't seem to make any difference.
CTRL-Alt-Backspace : Nope, just returns me to the login screen.

Boot in recover mode?

Go to System Monitor and end process on the X-Session Manager? (That really
doesn't sound like something I should be doing.)

Mike wrote:
> Ok, I give up. How do I get out of X-Server in Ubuntu 7.04 Fiesty?
>
> Using Console Mode:
> CTRL-Alt-F1 : Nope, still in X.
> CTRL-Alt-(F2-F6) : Doesn't seem to make any difference.
> CTRL-Alt-Backspace : Nope, just returns me to the login screen.

:-)

Hi Mike,

I think people are having a few problems understanding the limits of
your knowledge. You seem to know a lot of things that would be expected
from an experienced user, but have some gaps in surprising places.

Historically Unix/Linux was a multi-user system, with many people
logging into a machine via remote terminals (VDUs, other machines, and X
Window displays).

The Ctrl-Alt-F1 stuff just gets you a different (virtual) screen on the
computer.
The X Server is still running (on a different screen).

Probably best if you first logout of your X session.
Then Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get to a console.
Then you need to stop X.

I don't have a regular setup, so I'm not sure what would work best for you.

You'll probably need to be root, or use sudo.
then try running (for kde ):
/etc/init.d/kdm stop
or (for gnome - I'm guessing)
/etc/init.d/gdm stop

then:
ps -ef | grep X
Should only give one result - your grep.

When done you can restart X with:
/etc/init.d/kdm start

Regards
JohnT

> Hi Mike,
>
> I think people are having a few problems understanding the limits of
> your knowledge. You seem to know a lot of things that would be expected
> from an experienced user, but have some gaps in surprising places.
>
> Historically Unix/Linux was a multi-user system, with many people
> logging into a machine via remote terminals (VDUs, other machines, and X
> Window displays).
>
> The Ctrl-Alt-F1 stuff just gets you a different (virtual) screen on the
> computer.
> The X Server is still running (on a different screen).
>
> Probably best if you first logout of your X session.
> Then Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get to a console.
> Then you need to stop X.
>
> I don't have a regular setup, so I'm not sure what would work best for you.
>
> You'll probably need to be root, or use sudo.
> then try running (for kde ):
> /etc/init.d/kdm stop
> or (for gnome - I'm guessing)
> /etc/init.d/gdm stop
>
> then:
> ps -ef | grep X
> Should only give one result - your grep.
>
> When done you can restart X with:
> /etc/init.d/kdm start
>
> Regards
> JohnT


Hi John,

That's because two weeks ago I knew absolutely nothing about Linux other
than it was another OS that I could set up and run as an alternative to
Windows. After 20 years of DOS/Windows, and almost as long with being on
the internet one way or another, I can pretty much do whatever I want
there. I've also been building my own pc-based systems since the early
90's. I wouldn't be caught dead with a HP,Dell,Compaq,Gateway, etc.,
sitting on my desk.:-) But I certainly don't know everything, and all that
stuff doesn't necessarily translate into Linux. Having a simple basic
knowledge of Unix doesn't help much either. I'm starting from scratch here.

I'm finding that I'm having to get into far more advanced stuff than
I'm ready for just to get my Linux system configured properly with my
hardware. Jumping ahead like this there's bound be some pretty
strange gaps in what I know and don't know, and half the time I'm not even
sure of what question I should be asking. But I've never been afraid to,
how should I say? "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"

Usually all I need is a good, clear example of something and I can figure
it out. But it doesn't help when I'm browsing web sites, forums, etc., for
information and I get a lot of conflicting information. This Root thing is
a good example. One says I need to be in it to do the thing with my video
drivers, another says to stay away from Root. Eh, I'll figure it out.:-)

Anyway - Thanks, I'll give the instructions you provided a shot and see how
it goes. Oh, I'm running with Gnome, so the command to restart X should be
"gdm start"? ;-)

Mike

> Hi Mike,
>
> I think people are having a few problems understanding the limits of
> your knowledge. You seem to know a lot of things that would be expected
> from an experienced user, but have some gaps in surprising places.
>
> Historically Unix/Linux was a multi-user system, with many people
> logging into a machine via remote terminals (VDUs, other machines, and X
> Window displays).
>
> The Ctrl-Alt-F1 stuff just gets you a different (virtual) screen on the
> computer.
> The X Server is still running (on a different screen).
>
> Probably best if you first logout of your X session.
> Then Ctrl-Alt-F1 to get to a console.
> Then you need to stop X.
>
> I don't have a regular setup, so I'm not sure what would work best for you.
>
> You'll probably need to be root, or use sudo.
> then try running (for kde ):
> /etc/init.d/kdm stop
> or (for gnome - I'm guessing)
> /etc/init.d/gdm stop
>
> then:
> ps -ef | grep X
> Should only give one result - your grep.
>
> When done you can restart X with:
> /etc/init.d/kdm start
>
> Regards
> JohnT


Hi John,

That's because two weeks ago I knew absolutely nothing about Linux other
than it was another OS that I could set up and run as an alternative to
Windows. After 20 years of DOS/Windows, and almost as long with being on
the internet one way or another, I can pretty much do whatever I want
there. I've also been building my own pc-based systems since the early
90's. I wouldn't be caught dead with a HP,Dell,Compaq,Gateway, etc.,
sitting on my desk.:-) But I certainly don't know everything, and all that
stuff doesn't necessarily translate into Linux. Having a simple basic
knowledge of Unix doesn't help much either. I'm starting from scratch here.

I'm finding that I'm having to get into far more advanced stuff than
I'm ready for just to get my Linux system configured properly with my
hardware. Jumping ahead like this there's bound be some pretty
strange gaps in what I know and don't know, and half the time I'm not even
sure of what question I should be asking. But I've never been afraid to,
how should I say? "Damn the torpedoes, full steam ahead!"

Usually all I need is a good, clear example of something and I can figure
it out. But it doesn't help when I'm browsing web sites, forums, etc., for
information and I get a lot of conflicting information. This Root thing is
a good example. One says I need to be in it to do the thing with my video
drivers, another says to stay away from Root. Eh, I'll figure it out.:-)

Anyway - Thanks, I'll give the instructions you provided a shot and see how
it goes. Oh, I'm running with Gnome, so the command to restart X should be
"gdm start"? ;-)

Mike

Ohhhh, So gonna love this. I got to the Nvidia installer window and it gave
me an error, something to do with the Kernal. The installation aborted and
I'm back at the command line. Restart X with the "gdm start" and I get this
message that X can't start due to a problem with the video driver, which
refered to the xorg.conf file. Opened the xorg.conf file using vi. The
sections for "Device", "Monitor", and "Screen" were changed. I swear I didn't
edit the file before. I was going to by a procedure I found on a website but
decided to do a little more digging and found that procedure wouldn't solve
my problem. I called it up in gedit once in read only mode to look at the
video sections. I made a backup copy of xorg.conf, at least I thought sure I
did, before I went and messed with the driver install, but I can't seem to
find it.

Is there a way to force a re-identify of my video card & monitor, or restore
the original video drivers, from the command line?

OR - I'm boned, inseret CD, install? :-)