Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

Installing a Nvidia driver run package

This is the Nvidia manufactures driver package, that gives you an install of the Nvidia provided hardware driver and settings control program.

Will need following items:
1.Nvidia driver run package
2.Puppy version DEVX SFS package
3.Puppy version kernel source SFS
4.Getnvidia program

Nvidia driver run package:
Download from official Nvidia web site.
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx
Get the specific Nvidia driver run package recomended for your hardware.
Make sure to get the bit version you need. (32bit or 64 bit)
Put the Nvidia run package in /mnt/home.

This Nvidia search site will give you a listing of all driver packages that should work for your hardware.
https://www.nvidia.com/Download/Find.aspx?lang=en-us
To see a complete list set Recommended/Beta to all.

Puppy version DEVX SFS package and kernel source SFS package:
First try this in a terminal:

sfsget

If not listed for download, you will have to go to the specific Puppy version repository to get them.
http://distro.ibiblio.org/puppylinux/
The DEVX SFS is usually where the Puppy version iso is located.
The kernel source SFS is in the Puppy version pet packages.
Note:
Some Puppy versions may provide these SFS's in their topic in the Puppy forum.

Getnividia:
http://distro.ibiblio.org/easyos/noarch ... .5.1-1.pet

To use Getnvidia:
Well, install it.
Download the Nvidia run package, place in /mnt/home
Using SFS-Load-On-The-Fly program.
Load the devx and kernel source sfs packages.
Run Getnvidia.
It will walk you through the process.
Along with installing the driver.
It also gives option to make a pet and or a sfs package of the driver.
The making of a pet and sfs package, are not part of the install. Just added stuff Getnividia can do.

Note:
The process of unpacking, compiling, and installing the driver needs free storage space and memory.
The Nvidia package is around 40 to 50 MB.
You need 3 times that space to run the process.

Note:
Understand this will install the nvidia driver.
If you checked make pet, make sfs. It will also make them.
The pet and sfs are just extra things it does.
Not necessary to just install the driver.
UN-check them if you do not want to have a pet or sfs of the driver.
Also, the pet and sfs package is kernel specific.
The kernel being used when making them.
They will only work in a Puppy that is using that specific Linux kernel.

WARNING
If you try a driver package and it does not work.
Uninstall it before trying to install a different driver.
Hopefully, the driver run package install process will replace what is already installed, but that is not 100% sure to happen.

BIG WARNING
Do not let the Nvidia driver build process make a new xorg.conf.
Select no if asked.
It will make one that will not work in Puppy.
When completed.
Reboot.
Use Puppies xorgwizard to make any changes to xorg.conf.

More information

Installing the Nvidia driver run package will install programs to control the graphics. These are not the normal ones used by Puppy.

Nvidia X Server Settings control program.
It controls the settings for Nvidia graphics hardware when using the Nvidia driver.
This is very good at making setting adjustments.
Use it for making any setting changes.

"Warning"
On the X Server Display Configuration Window is an option:
Save to X Configuration File
DO NOT USE THIS OPTION
It will make an xorg.conf file that does not work in Puppy and replaces the working Puppy xorg.conf.

ADDED INFO:

If you are using very old Nvidia hardware that needs to use one of the very old Nvidia drivers.
(drivers in the 0 to 100, 200 and some 300 series)
You may not be able to compile the driver in newest Puppy versions.
The problem is the needed support software is actually just too new and the driver compiling process can not use it to compile.
The Nvidia driver run package, for the very old driver, is wanting to use software to do the compile, that is not there or now works differently.

riedzig wrote: ↑Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:44 amCan you tell me what may be wrong ?

riedzig wrote: ↑Wed Oct 21, 2020 9:44 am I'm not able to compile a nvidia driver for fossapup64 altough I follow all possible hints here.
My MB is
https://www.gigabyte.com/Motherboard/GA ... -rev-30#ov
with builtin graphic - needs with certainty nvidia304xxx
Can you tell me what may be wrong ?

bigpup wrote: ↑Thu Oct 22, 2020 11:13 amThe Nvidia driver compiled under a specific Linux kernel, will only work for a Puppy using that kernel.
It is kernel specific.

foxpup wrote:you could try to apply the post-5.0 patch on 304.137 yourself
and compile.

01101001b wrote:It's a MUST your xorg server version is 1.19 or older. With version 1.20 (and probably this is the version your system is using), nvidia 304.xxx driver won't work

foxpup wrote: ↑Thu Oct 22, 2020 1:06 pm Then bigpup's suggestions of 340 is your best shot, but 340 does not support this gc according to its specs.

bigpup wrote: ↑Sat Oct 24, 2020 10:21 am I use that Nvidia site all the time, but it usually just gives me the latest suggested driver.
How did you get it to give you that list of drivers?

There are some precompiled nvidia drivers (and other drivers too) at this link
https://archive.org/download/Puppy_Linu ... river_Repo

More than 500 Nvidia compiled packages for puppy!
Well done whoever has been building that collection!

Compare the nvidia driver versions from that directory against the type of nvidia card you have using the nvidia website search in the first post of this topic. It is also necessary to know the linux kernel you are using, most of the nvidia files in that directory have that info in the file name (some don't though).

If you are lucky you can fine a precompiled driver that matches your card and kernel.

The driver names start with NVIDIA, Nvidia, nVidia, and nvidia. Because of that you have to scroll the whole driver list to find the Nvidia sections due to how they are sorted.

Have Fun!

<>

Hi, I did all steps. Trying to install it on a fresh Puppy install. After I run Getnvidia and set it to exit to prompt (After I ram it for the first time and it sets to reboot my pc) I get this screen
https://imgur.com/a/RJTsDjr
As I'm totally new to Linux I have no idea what to do. So I appreciate any help.
The driver seems not to be installed since I can't find the 'Nvdia X settings' under the Multimedia menu.
thanks in advance!

vvictormart wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 8:23 pm

Hi, I did all steps. Trying to install it on a fresh Puppy install. After I run Getnvidia and set it to exit to prompt (After I ram it for the first time and it sets to reboot my pc) I get this screen
https://imgur.com/a/RJTsDjr
As I'm totally new to Linux I have no idea what to do. So I appreciate any help.
The driver seems not to be installed since I can't find the 'Nvdia X settings' under the Multimedia menu.
thanks in advance!

Hi vvictormart

Fossapup has a program for installing nvidia drivers

Menu-->Setup-->quickpet fossapup

vvictormart wrote: ↑Wed May 17, 2023 8:23 pm

Hi, I did all steps. Trying to install it on a fresh Puppy install. After I run Getnvidia and set it to exit to prompt (After I ram it for the first time and it sets to reboot my pc) I get this screen
https://imgur.com/a/RJTsDjr
As I'm totally new to Linux I have no idea what to do. So I appreciate any help.
The driver seems not to be installed since I can't find the 'Nvdia X settings' under the Multimedia menu.
thanks in advance!

@vvictormart :-

Sorry, but we do need to ask:-

You loaded the DevX SFS?
You loaded the kernel sources SFS? (Some call this 'headers'...)
You downloaded the correct run file for your specific card from the Nvidia site?
Before running GetNvidia, you DID put the .run file in the right place, i.e., beside the Puppy sfs files and stuff in /mnt/home (or /initrd/mnt/dev_save)?

Mike.

hey @mikewalsh thanks for the reply!

You loaded the DevX SFS?

Yes.

You loaded the kernel sources SFS? (Some call this 'headers'...)

Yes.

You downloaded the correct run file for your specific card from the Nvidia site?

Yup. Been using the card under windows 10 for 5 years now so I'm sure I downloaded the right Linux run file.

Before running GetNvidia, you DID put the .run file in the right place, i.e., beside the Puppy sfs files and stuff in /mnt/home (or /initrd/mnt/dev_save)?

Yes.
Also followed the guide from this guy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LvU9uCYPgU
So on his tutorial as soon he goes to the prompt the driver will compile. And in my case I get that screen I showed on my previous reply.
Will try again in a newer Fossapup64 clean install to double check and I will let you know the results.

@vvictormart :-

Okay. Assuming you've re-booted (to disable the 'nouveau' kernel-module driver), wait for the GetNvidia GUI to come back up again. At this point, your desktop is usually all stretched out of shape, and weird-looking.

Double-check to make sure everything's showing 'OK' (green) - the Devx is loaded, the kernel sources are loaded, the .run file is in the correct place, etc. Then decide if you want to build SFS and/or .pet packages while you're at it, check/uncheck those boxes accordingly, and finally hit the button at the bottom to start the process (I can't remember the name on the button off the top of my head, because it's a couple of years since I last ran this).

When you hit this, the screen will default back to the prompt, like your image shows. At this point, type

getnvidia

.....then hit 'Enter'. NOW the process should start.

IF the process has run successfully, the machine should automatically re-start 'X', and you will then be back to a normal-looking desktop, running the Nvidia display driver. Let us know what happens, please.

Mike.

hey @mikewalsh

When you hit this, the screen will default back to the prompt, like your image shows. At this point, type

Code: Select all

getnvidia

.....then hit 'Enter'. NOW the process should start.

That was the missing step! Thanks! Driver installed also I installed the Nvidia X Setting via pkg add nvidia-settings

Thank you guys! Win 10 was driving me crazy. Every Win10 update the past 2 years it somehow messed with my gpu drivers. Dozens of win10 updates I had to sort how to fix the OS. Or reinstalling drivers, or installing an specific driver version which was the only one able to run 100% stable on a newer update and so on. And since the last win10 update the past month the gpu drivers could not run 100% stable even trying all the tricks I learnt from the past 2 years. Or the drivers would crash as soon it was installed or they would start to crash after a few days installed. Can it be a GPU hardware issue? Yes but I doubt after all I saw the past 2 years. So running a few stuff via Fossapup will help me to diagnose if its all the GPU fault.
Sorry , I'm bit excited to see my card working with Nvidia drivers again and was a bit excited so that's why I shared my story hahah.

@vvictormart :-

Hey, no worries. Glad we could help.

I've actually never run a discrete GPU under Windows.....but then, my very last Windoze was XP. I ran it for every one of the nearly 13 years it was supported, and by the end I was absolutely sick of it.

Jumped ship at EOL. Downloaded Ubuntu - 14.04 LTS "Trusty Tahr" had just been released. That very evening, I nuked XP, and installed Ubuntu in its place. And so the fun began.....and I've had a whale of a time ever since. Until that point, I'd forgotten that computing CAN be fun.....

------------------------------------------

I bought my GT 710 - the one the 'gamers' all like to take the p**s out of! - shortly after the start of the pandemic. Not because I really needed one (I'm not a 'gamer'), but because it was the one hardware item I'd never tried. Up till that point, I'd been content with onboard graphics, but there was a LOT of chatter on the forum about GPUs at the time, so I thought.....yeah, let's go for it.

I picked the GT 710 because its power draw is just 19W - all supplied through the PCI-e slot - and this HP desktop has a weird, low-output custom HP power supply that cannot easily be replaced (no space for anything else, y'see.) It does what I want, and lets me offload work to it from the Openshot video editor.....which makes things run a lot cooler.

It just goes to prove; you have to take a lot of what you watch on YouTube with a big pinch of salt. I thought it sounded like there was a step missing. Apparently, I was right..!

Mike.

I successfully used the getnvidia pet in Fatdog - 812 & 901 - and in LxPupSc64 21.04 and 23.04 .

Thank you

also I installed the Nvidia X Setting via pkg add nvidia-settings

The Nvidia Settings program should have installed when you run the Nvidia driver run package to compile the driver modules.

May have to reboot for it to show in the main menu.

Or run

fixmenus

in a terminal.

Hello @Gobbii

Gobbi wrote: ↑Fri Mar 15, 2024 8:23 pm

I successfully used the getnvidia pet in Fatdog - 812 & 901 - and in LxPupSc64 21.04 and 23.04 ...

@fatdog does not have PETs, do they? @peebee where is this PET for slackware use in adding nvidia driver to the 'slacky' WoofCE Pup64s?

Hello @Clarity
Fatdog has an option when you right-click on a pet to transform it into a txz package .
It worked for me . I have put the Nvidia...run installer in /home and made it executable , loaded kernel-sources and devx and made sure nouveau was not used ,
got out of X , on prompt menu where I launched getnvidia .
In Fatdog it is easy to keep the changes with a remaster . It's not so easy in Puppy .

Thanks for this guidance. Will try this later today and report back on the FATDOG thread.

Oh the fun and joy of installing gpu drivers (no really, the challenge is fun)

So, for the very first time, I'm trying the getnvidia program on F96CE_XFCE_FUSILLI

• uname -a gives me 6.0.12-FP

• kernel I'm using is kernel_sources-6.0.12-FP.sfs

When I ran getnvidia, I got a kernel mismatch error

When executing the NVidia run driver installer, it also fails building kernel module.

This indicates something is wrong with that kernel SFS.

This is an issue you need to report on the F96CE_XFCE_FUSILLI forum section.