Xorg.conf vs. Xorg.config With BFG Nvidia G71 [GeForce 7300GS] & Hardy 64 Bit

Tue Oct 21 22:26:23 UTC 2008

--- On Tue, 10/21/08, Dave Woyciesjes <woyciesjes at sbcglobal.net> wrote:

> From: Dave Woyciesjes <woyciesjes at sbcglobal.net>
> Subject: Re: Xorg.conf vs. Xorg.config With BFG Nvidia G71 [GeForce 7300GS] & Hardy 64 Bit
> To: "Ubuntu user technical support, not for general discussions" <ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com>
> Date: Tuesday, October 21, 2008, 12:10 PM
> Leonard Chatagnier wrote:
> > 
> > --- On Mon, 10/20/08, Dave Woyciesjes
> <woyciesjes at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> > 
> >> From: Dave Woyciesjes
> <woyciesjes at sbcglobal.net>
> 
> >>> --- On Mon, 10/20/08, Dave Woyciesjes
> >> <woyciesjes at sbcglobal.net> wrote:
> >>>>     Okay. Here's the quick n dirty. I
> let the
> >>>> install
> >>>> use the default it 
> >>>> wanted. Then I let the Hardware Drivers
> install
> >>>> whatever
> >>>> proprietary 
> >>>> driver it thought was best. Then I used
> >>>> nvidia-settings to
> >>>> set it up. 
> >>>> The setup did not seem to persist through
> reboots,
> >>>> so I
> >>>> ended up editing 
> >>>> the menu item for nvidia-settings, added
> >>>> "gksudo"
> >>>> before the 
> >>>> nvidia-settings command. Once I got it
> tweaked the
> >>>> way I
> >>>> liked, I hit 
> >>>> the Save To X Configuration file, and
> chose to not
> >>>> merge. I
> >>>> assume it 
> >>>> did a complete replace. To get the
> advanced
> >>>> effects, I then
> >>>> had to 
> >>>> install compizconfig-settings-manager.
> 
> 
> >>> So far, I'm with you except for having
> >>> compizconfig-setings installed. It is now
> installed. I know
> >>> see it one matter to activate compiz and
> totally another to
> >>> configure it. Your post will help on this. 
> Thanks.
> 
> >> 	Yeah, not sure why it isn't included by
> default
> >> nowadays, or 
> >> automagically installed when you turn on the
> advanced
> >> settings...
> 
> 
> >>>>     That was all, no editing of xorg.conf
> from the
> >>>> terminal. I just 
> >>>> looked, and I only have xorg.conf, no
> xorg.config.
> >>>>
> 
> >>> Well, I have manually edited xorg.conf several
> times
> >>> some with succuess, some not. I guess I'm
> the only Ubutu
> >>> Hardy user with xorg.confif file in my
> /etc/X11. I still
> >>> wonder why I can run with xorg.conf deleted
> and X still
> >>> works but no one has commented.
> 
> >> 	Have you tried adding gksudo to the
> nvidia-settings, and
> >> using that to 
> >> configure? Once you get it the way you like, have
> it write
> >> to the 
> >> xorg.conf file, and have a look. I have yet to
> edit it by
> >> hand.
> >> 	As for xorg.config, rename it out of the wya and
> see what
> >> happens?
> 
> 
> > Yes, I've used both sudo and gksudo for
> nvidia-settings.
>  > After mving xorg.conf and xorg.config and rebooting,
> I
>  > get these errors when now running nvidia-settings:
> > You do not appear to be using the NVIDIA X driver.
> Please
>  > edit your X configuration file (just run
> `nvidia-xconfig`
>  > as root), and restart the X server.
> > 
> > And, the nvidia-settings panel is now blank. The
> previous
>  > settings are gone. It seems to me that Hardy's X
> system
>  > setup is very buggy.
> > 
> > Aptitude show nvidia-glx-new-envy says it's still
>  > installed but aptitude search doesn't find the
>  > nvidia-kernel-172.*.* which I just reinstalled for
> the
> > umteenth time. Nvidia-xconfig is incompatible with
>  > nvidia-glx-new-envy driver and nvidia-kernel-172.*.*
> or
>  > so aptitude show says. Strange as it seems, I appear
> to
>  > still have the native 1680x1050 res, but I'm
> getting
>  > tired of this buggy X system setup(nvidia's) and
> am
>  > going to move back what I had before.
> > 
> 
> 
> >>>>     Now, currently I had to switch back to
> my
> >>>> nVidia Quadro
> >>>> NVS 400 ( 
> >>>> the powersupply couldn't keep up with
> the
> >>>> BFG), which
> >>>> is using nvidia in 
> >>>> the xorg.conf file (nvidia-glx).
> 
> 
> >>> Thanks to a new relatively upscale machine, I
> >>> don't have that problem. Running 65C well
> below max.
> >>> BTW, I couldn't get my card to work with
> nvidia-glx or
> >>> nvidia-glx-new.
> 
> 
> >> 	Mayeb try removing both, reboot, and just take
> whatever
> >> the 
> >> restrictedd/propreitary driver manager chooses?
> >>
> 
> 
> > Did that above and it appears it didn't install
> >  the restricted/proprietary driver at all.
> 
> 
> >>>>     Let me know how you make out....
> >>>>
> 
> >>> well, I think I'm running at 1680x1050
> native
> >>> resolution but not sure how to verify that. I
> still have
> >>> "nvidia" driver in xorg.conf and
> >>> "nvidia-glx-new-envy in xorg.conf and if
> I remove
> >>> xorg.conf I can't tell the difference in
> resolution.
> >>> Wish I knew what I'm doing or better, what
> Hardy is
> >>> doing.
> 
> 
> >> 	Don't know the details, but from what I
> gather reading
> >> here, X now 
> >> dynamically detects hardware. IIRC, someone
> mentioned that
> >> xorg.conf 
> >> isn't really needed anymore...
> 
> 
> >>> Dave, thanks for the details I needed.  Much
> >>> appreciated.
> 
> 
> >> 	No problemo. Just for giggles, try it the way I
> did, and
> >> see what it 
> >> gives you. Then compare that to your hand-edited
> >> xorg.conf...
> 
> 
> > As mentioned above, it's no longer giggles for me,
> so going
>  > back to what I had using the proprietary driver. 
> FWIW,
>  > lsmod now doesn't have nvidia or nv in it now but
> did.
> > I repeat, BUGGY, BUGGY. Thanks for your input, I did
> learn
>  > something new but still don't understand what is
>  > going on underneath.
> 
> 	Hmmm? all seems terribly odd to me. The only thing I can
> figured is 
> remove _all_ nvidia* drivers, and basically start from
> scratch. Of 
> course, I can fully understand how this is not fun anymore
> for you.
> 	What is the difference between the glx and glx-envy
> drivers anyway?
> 
> --
Well, I did go back to my last set of working xorg.conf and xorg.config files and everything is working ok including compiz and thanks to your suggestion, I installed that copiz configuration thingy and have added some effects.  Only bad thing is I get a kwin crash notice after initial login which doesn't seem to have much effect. I also lost the close, minimize, expand buttons on the top right of screen.  Sometines I can hover over the area with mouse pointer and see them again, other times not. Haven't had time to revisit the compiz configuration utility again to see if I can determine what is causing it, but will eventually.
Can't  tell you the difference between glx and glx envy except that nvidia-glx-new-envy is the latest nvidia driver and the only one that seems to allow compiz and desktop effects to work for me. Somehow, doing what you did or as I did it removed the 173.14.12 kernel source whick comes with the package nvidia-new-kernel-source-envy and is not loades automatically and conflicts with other nvidia kernel source packages. It's rather difficult/complicated which set of nvidia packages one needs to install for his specific graphics card but I think I'm there now through a lot of trial and error. These are some of the reasons I asked the 4 specific questions on the original post but I guess no one knows the answers.

Leonard Chatagnier
lenc5570 at sbcglobal.net