Blockiness with suggested nVidia Driver [SOLVED]

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rian · #1 Post by **rian** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 01:01

Using Puppy 5.1.1 frugal install on 4GB Mem Stick. Created this a few days ago.

Acer Aspire 4530 laptop
AMD Athlon 64x2 CPU
3GB RAM
nVidia 9100M G (w/ dedicated 256MB RAM IIRC)

Under QuickPet -> Drivers (tab) -> Test graphics card: recommended the nVidia 256.35 driver. However, this driver looks very bad. Ex: the icons to the left of this edit window are VERY blocky as are most fonts and all avatars.

I looked at the Menu-> Setup-> nVidia Setup config window but didn't see anything right off that would seem to fix this, though I am not a graphics tweaker. Usually the right driver works well enough out of the box for the basics: i.e. making fonts and graphics look smooth and sharp.

I wish I remembered what the graphics looked like when I first booted Puppy a few days ago, but installing this driver was one of the first things I did, so I don't know if it looked better with the default driver or not. I tried uninstalling nVidia to see, but the directions said "Exit from X Prompt (See Shutdown Menu)" and I don't know what "exit from X prompt" means. My Menu->Shutdown does not have a choice to "Exit from X Prompt". So I tried running the suggested commands from the console window (rmmod nvidia, then reboot) but didn't work cause I missed that first step, I guess.

Any suggestions?

rian · #2 Post by **rian** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 05:41

As an aside, I made a frugal install of FatDog500 on the 4GB USB Stick, and the default vid driver works perfectly. (Sound works in FatDog too, whereas Lucid Puppy 5.1.1. can't detect my RealTech HDA, so sound is not working.) The 64-bit browser in FD500 is also faster, BUT Lucid Puppy has Nathan Wallpaper and IceWM and is much nicer eye-candy-wise!

bigpup · #3 Post by **bigpup** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 06:49

Here is info on installing video drivers:
http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=58810

rian · #4 Post by **rian** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 08:35

Thanks, bigpup. In reading that I remembered that when choosing the parameters, I chose 1280x800x16 when I should have chosen 1280x800x24. (I chose x24 in FatDog, which is why it looks nice!)

looseSCREWorTWO · #5 Post by **looseSCREWorTWO** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 09:28

With my Frugal installs I always backup the "save" file before installing new stuff, because a number of programs in Puppy will not "uninstall" and I'm not enough of an Einstein to do a manual uninstall.

If I've backed-up the "save" file first, then i can at least go back to where I was before the dodgy install.

rian · #6 Post by **rian** » Fri 08 Oct 2010, 10:10

rian wrote:Thanks, bigpup. In reading that I remembered that when choosing the parameters, I chose 1280x800x16 when I should have chosen 1280x800x24. (I chose x24 in FatDog, which is why it looks nice!)

I was wrong. Apparently I had chosen 24-bit in Lucid...

Will uninstall the nVidia driver per the link's instructions. Will report back when fixed, if I can find a good driver...

I guess I can't run a 64-bit driver in Lucid, right? (Because I have a feeling that's why my screen looks so good in FatDog, and also why I have sound in FD... cause it's using 64-bit drivers.)

@loseScrew
Yup, the stick is backed up.

rian · #7 Post by **rian** » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 08:50

Well, no success. Tried three different nVidia drivers, and all are blocky. I guess because they are 32-bit drivers and this is a 64-bit machine, as (again) FatDog's 64-bit nVidia driver works great.

bigpup · #8 Post by **bigpup** » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 17:01

Lucid Puppy 5.1.1 is a 32-bit system but your computer should not have any problem running it.
If you found one in Fatdog64 that works try to find the same version in one for Lucid Puppy 5.1.1.
A 64-bit program will not work in a 32-bit system.
The kernel it was made for is important.

rian · #9 Post by **rian** » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 18:34

OK, thanks. But I did not install anything special in FatDog. It just loaded the right drivers right out of the gate. I know how to find driver info in Windows, but not in Linux. Where can I see what version is being used of both the video and sound drivers?

bigpup · #10 Post by **bigpup** » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 19:47

Menu>system>hardinfo

It's probably using a generic driver. That is what most versions of Puppy Linux use at start-up. That gives the best chance of working in the beginning. The Driver section of Additional Software(Pets & Stuff), in this forum, is a good place to look for drivers.
Puppy Package Manager may have something you have not tried.
Nvidia,s support site says you need the Nvidia 256.53 driver. If one is not made for Puppy, try one newer then 256.35

postfs1 · #11 Post by **postfs1** » Mon 11 Oct 2010, 21:30

To reedit up to date.

rian · #12 Post by **rian** » Wed 13 Oct 2010, 08:26

@ bigpup

The graphics driver that works in FatDog looks like [edited] Mesa Project, 2.1 Mesa 7.6.1 ... and it looks as good as the nVidia driver used in Windows!

The generic driver in Puppy looks worse than the nVidia drivers. (I had forgotten what it looked like when I began this thread, but in trying so many nVidia drivers I was having to revert to the generic between each one, so...)

And yes, I tried drivers from the Driver section of Additional Software (Pets & Stuff), in this forum, and from the Puppy Package Manager.

I noted you mentioned that nVidia support says I need 256.53 and the closest I found for Puppy was 256.44 made for 510 with the same kernel as 511. So I tried that and all these:

256.44 (tried twice - for puppy 510 though)
256.35 (tried many times, from the packager, from links here, etc)
256.36 (also tried multiple times)
173.14.25 (from the packager)
96.43.16 (from these forums)

@postfs1

Yup. Tried that one twice too.

I tried the same driver versions (but downloaded pets from different places) thinking maybe it was compiled differently or maybe I'd done something wrong before...

Like I would uninstall a package using the Puppy Package Mgr, then would do the Logout (am using icewm), and type: rmmod nvidia [enter] then type reboot [enter] and... sometimes would get "nvidia module not found." But even when I got no errors...

...upon the reboot I could tell by the screen that it was still using the nVidia driver, even though hardware reported generic... Cause when it's generic the screen is slightly squashed and fuzzier. So I would click Menu - Setup and see nVidia settings would still be listed, and would click on it just to see if it would work [b/c it shouldn't], and get an error that the X Driver is not loaded, and to run 'config nvidia' from root.

So I would run xorgwizard again, and chose the generic driver to get rid of the nVidia driver completely.

Finally after a lot of this kind of thing, I'd get the generic driver back, then I would start over, installing a new nVidia pet.

And often upon installing, I would try to access nVidia settings afterward, and I'd get that same error, that the X driver isn't loaded, and to run 'config nvidia' from root. But I don't know what that means... run it from root? I tried opening a terminal in root folder and it would say it couldn't find what it needed. ...other times I installed the driver, clicked on nVidia settings, and it allowed me full access to the menus, so I *did* do it right many times too... but never did the driver look good!

As a test I tried booting the mem stick from my Toshiba (Sat L305-S5933) laptop instead, w/ Intel graphics... Puppy went into xorgwizard upon the boot to configure the screen. I thought maybe b/c the generic driver in FatDog looks so good on the Acer, the generic driver in Puppy might look good on the Toshiba. But no such luck. (Don't wanna look for an Intel driver b/c I don't use the Tosh. The Acer is the computer that's always in my lap.)

Looks like it will have to be FatDog, until a new nVidia pet is available. I like both distros anyway... am going to get another stick so I can have both on hand... but really wanted to get Puppy working. (Puppy has no sound yet either, on the Acer or on the Toshiba. But was taking one step at a time!)

Thanks to everyone for your help. I will be happy to try more stuff if there are more suggestions or more guidance.

rian · #13 Post by **rian** » Wed 13 Oct 2010, 09:31

One more thing!

Right now the 256.35 driver is working, and I want to uninstall it to try the 195 driver. (I think I already tried 195, but what the heck.)

However, the current nVidia driver does not appear in the Puppy Pkg Mgr as an installed package... so how do I manually uninstall it?

bigpup · #14 Post by **bigpup** » Thu 14 Oct 2010, 06:22

However, the current nVidia driver does not appear in the Puppy Pkg Mgr as an installed package... so how do I manually uninstall it?

At this point, of what you have done, I think you have a mixed up install. If you can, I would start again with a clean install of Puppy Linux. Let it use the initial generic driver and see what that looks like. You have a newer video card, so the Nvidia 256.35 or newer driver should work. This may be a driver bug for your video card.
Video card drivers are a treasure hunt to find the one that works. I have an ATI card. You think you have problems!

Like I would uninstall a package using the Puppy Package Mgr, then would do the Logout (am using icewm), and type: rmmod nvidia [enter] then type reboot [enter] and... sometimes would get "nvidia module not found." But even when I got no errors...

VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU DO THIS AS WRITTEN!
If you have tried a new driver
Instructions
*Uninstall whatever new driver you have now with Puppy Package manager.
*reboot, this is important, a full reboot flushes all traces of the old driver
*install new driver from PPM or from other source.
*exit to a prompt, Menu/Start >> Shutdown >> Exit to Prompt in JWM, Menu/Start >> Logout >> Logout in Icewm
*type xorgwizard at the prompt
*select choose from the dialog
*type name of new driver in the entry box (nvidia)
*select your desired resolution in the next list view and then your desired color depth, I always recommend the "x24" option
*You can choose to test your settings (optional), and follow the prompts
*xorgwizard is now finished so then type xwin at the prompt.
Again you can us Nvidia’s X server Settings program if xorgwizard does not give you the settings you want.
If something goes wrong try again without uninstalling the driver or try this method with a new driver, FIRST uninstalling whatever driver is installed.

rian · #15 Post by **rian** » Thu 14 Oct 2010, 20:18

@bigpup

Thanks, I have followed those directions when I could. But often something wouldn't work the way the instructions said (e.g. the driver doesn't appear in the Puppy Pkg Mgr -- and this happens often but not always -- even though Hard Drive Info reports I am using it AND the nVidia Settings Manager works fine and reports I am using it... e.g. #2, when I run xorgwizard and select Choose, there is no field in which to "type nVidia" ... there is a list of drivers and I have to scroll down the list to pick nVidia... and sometimes it is there, and sometimes it isn't, even if I have just used a pet to install one) etc.

But I agree my install is likely now wonky from me screwing up and/or a bug having to do with my graphics card.

So will backup the Puppy stick, reinstall a fresh Puppy as suggested, and try starting from scratch to see if the results are different. Will report back.

Thanks again for your help and patience.

bigpup · #16 Post by **bigpup** » Thu 14 Oct 2010, 22:00

when I run xorgwizard and select Choose, there is no field in which to "type nVidia" ... there is a list of drivers and I have to scroll down the list to pick nVidia...

The new version of xorgwizard has a list the old version has an input window.
Sometimes it not being in the list could be a bug in the new version of xorgwizard. could also be how the driver loaded.

rian · #17 Post by **rian** » Thu 14 Oct 2010, 22:39

Well out of the fire and into the frying pan!

First, SUCCESS with the generic driver looking fine with the new install of Puppy. However, now my touchpad doesn't work!!

I ran into this with the first install of Puppy (I did two weeks ago now) and got instructions to run xorgwizard from Menu to force Puppy to install the Synaptics driver (http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=60547). It worked then. It won't work now. I ran xorgwizard several times, and did the Menu->Setup->Mouse/Keyboard Wiz and also installed the flsynaptics and syn clients here (http://www.murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic.php?t=48011). The touchpad works for moving the mouse, but not for tapping or scrolling, even though I have both enabled. (And I tried rebooting too.)

EDIT: Found answer here: (http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 17&t=59912) ICPUG said: "If you use flsynclient then you will see on the General tab that Touchpad mode is on but ... On the Tapping tab The Tap Time is probably set to 0. Set it to something significantly higher (225 works for me)."

EDIT#2: Arrrrgh.... scrolling does not work. Still searching for a fix... the ones I have tried have not worked. As soon as I get this fixed, will backup this config then try an nVidia driver.

postfs1 · #18 Post by **postfs1** » Fri 15 Oct 2010, 00:57

To reedit up to date.

rian · #19 Post by **rian** » Fri 15 Oct 2010, 03:34

postfs1 wrote:
1)BOOT OPTION = "puppy pfix=nox,ram"[...]

Thanks postfs1... excuse me for being so dense, but is the above command for fixing the scrolling issue I mentioned above, or part of the routine for installing a new nVidia driver?

As for the manual steps (vert/horz freq etc), I checked my Acer manual a few days back for entering that info manually, and it wasn't available. So just been entering 1280x800x24 when I go that route.

postfs1 · #20 Post by **postfs1** » Fri 15 Oct 2010, 05:05

To reedit up to date.

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Blockiness with suggested nVidia Driver [SOLVED]

Blockiness with suggested nVidia Driver [SOLVED]