Problems with nVidia graphics card on Compaq Presario with 8.10

Asked by Steve

I am fairly new to Ubuntu and so far like the OS, however I have had a couple of problems with drivers for my Compaq Presario. Luckily there is a shop locally that has a couple of Ubuntu guys there that can work on it. Initially I had problems with my Broadcom wireless but that has been since fixed. Now I am having trouble with the drivers for the nVidia drivers, it will not allow me to use the normal setting for the desk top. I have been to nVidia's web site and downloaded what I belive to be the correct drivers but cannot install them now. The current graphics adapter is a nVidia NV 17 [GeForce4 440 Go 64M] (rev a3). Is there somewhere else I need to be looking for drivers or do I have the right ones and just don't understand how to install and use them?

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Gord Allott (gordallott) said :
#1

you can enable the nvidia drivers for your graphics card by going to system -> administration -> hardware drivers

Revision history for this message
Steve (thompson-sj) said :
#2

I have already tried that route and nothing shows up there for the nVidia drivers for me to enable.

Revision history for this message
Roger Lancefield (rlancefield) said :
#3

Steve,

Before proprietary drivers will show up in the Hardware Drivers tool that Gord Allott refers to above, (on earlier Ubuntu versions at least) you have to explicitly tell Ubuntu to register available proprietary drivers and applications. On Ubuntu 8.04, for example, you do this by going:

System > Administration > Software Sources

and checking the "Proprietary drivers for devices" box.

Once you've done this, refresh your package list (a simple way is to fire up the update manager and click the "Check" button) and then re-start the Hardware Drivers tool that Gord mentions and see if the Nvidia drivers are now listed. they should be :-)

Once you have installed the proprietary Nvidia drivers, I strongly suggest you then go:

System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager

and install the "nvidia-settings" applet. It's indispensable. Once installed, you run this from the Terminal (command line), thus:

sudo nvidia-settings

It works wonderfully for me (on different nvidia hardware, admittedly).

Revision history for this message
Steve (thompson-sj) said :
#4

I did as you instructed and checked to make sure the "Proprietary drivers for devices" box was checked, and I am still not seeing the drivers (which are currently on my desktop) in the drivers list when I go to the hardware drivers. I downloaded the drivers from nVidias web site and hope they are the correct ones. Thanks for your input though hopefully I am just one step closer to fixing my little problem.

Steve

----- Original Message ----
From: Roger Lancefield <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: Saturday, November 1, 2008 7:04:31 AM
Subject: Re: [Question #49668]: Problems with nVidia graphics card on Compaq Presario with 8.10

Your question #49668 on xorg in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668

    Status: Open => Answered

Roger Lancefield proposed the following answer:
Steve,

Before proprietary drivers will show up in the Hardware Drivers tool
that Gord Allott refers to above, (on earlier Ubuntu versions at least)
you have to explicitly tell Ubuntu to register available proprietary
drivers and applications. On Ubuntu 8.04, for example, you do this by
going:

System > Administration > Software Sources

and checking the "Proprietary drivers for devices" box.

Once you've done this, refresh your package list (a simple way is to
fire up the update manager and click the "Check" button) and then re-
start the Hardware Drivers tool that Gord mentions and see if the Nvidia
drivers are now listed. they should be :-)

Once you have installed the proprietary Nvidia drivers, I strongly
suggest you then go:

System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager

and install the "nvidia-settings" applet. It's indispensable. Once
installed, you run this from the Terminal (command line), thus:

sudo nvidia-settings

It works wonderfully for me (on different nvidia hardware, admittedly).

--
If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668/+confirm?answer_id=2

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
following page to enter your feedback:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668

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Revision history for this message
marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said :
#5

First try to discover your nvidia card by open a terminal from Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

lspci

you will see the nvidia video card listed... take note of it... for your reference.

Then please read the Ubuntu 8.10 release note regarding nvidia cards
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810#nVidia%20%22legacy%22%20video%20support

Then please install and try to use the envy-gtk package to set your nvidia card driver...

Open a terminal from Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install envy-gtk

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter.

Then run envy-gtk, type:

envy-gtk

and try to install suggested driver.

Then reboot your-pc

Then set desired resolution from menu System → Preferences → Screen resolution

Hope this helps

Revision history for this message
Steve (thompson-sj) said :
#6

below is a copy of the messages after I did the initial update and then the other commands that you instructed me to type in. Please let me know what you think, do I have 8.10 installed or am I still running on 8.04. My local PC shop has several guys that are Ubuntu savy and when I had trouble with my wireless card I thought they told me that they did an upgrade to the new 8.10. Thanks for you help though it is very much appreciated.

W: Failed to fetch cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04 _Hardy Heron_ - Release amd64 (20080423)]/dists/hardy/main/binary-amd64/Packages.gz Please use apt-cdrom to make this CD-ROM recognized by APT. apt-get update cannot be used to add new CD-ROMs

W: Failed to fetch cdrom:[Ubuntu 8.04 _Hardy Heron_ - Release amd64 (20080423)]/dists/hardy/restricted/binary-amd64/Packages.gz Please use apt-cdrom to make this CD-ROM recognized by APT. apt-get update cannot be used to add new CD-ROMs

E: Some index files failed to download, they have been ignored, or old ones used instead.
steve@compaq-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get upgrade
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
steve@compaq-laptop:~$ sudo apt-get install envy-gtk
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
E: Couldn't find package envy-gtk
steve@compaq-laptop:~$ envy-gtk
bash: envy-gtk: command not found

Again Thanks,
Steve

----- Original Message ----
From: marcobra <email address hidden>
To: <email address hidden>
Sent: Saturday, November 1, 2008 11:39:20 PM
Subject: Re: [Question #49668]: Problems with nVidia graphics card on Compaq Presario with 8.10

Your question #49668 on xorg in ubuntu changed:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668

    Status: Open => Answered

marcobra proposed the following answer:
First try to discover your nvidia card by open a terminal from
Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

lspci

you will see the nvidia video card listed... take note of it... for your
reference.

Then please read the Ubuntu 8.10 release note regarding nvidia cards
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu/releasenotes/810#nVidia%20%22legacy%22%20video%20support

Then please install and try to use the envy-gtk package to set your
nvidia card driver...

Open a terminal from Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install envy-gtk

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you
type it, then press enter.

Then run envy-gtk, type:

envy-gtk

and try to install suggested driver.

Then reboot your-pc

Then set desired resolution from menu System → Preferences → Screen
resolution

Hope this helps

--
If this answers your question, please go to the following page to let us
know that it is solved:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668/+confirm?answer_id=4

If you still need help, you can reply to this email or go to the
following page to enter your feedback:
https://answers.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xorg/+question/49668

You received this question notification because you are a direct
subscriber of the question.

Revision history for this message
marcobra (Marco Braida) (marcobra) said :
#7

Please open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:

sudo gedit /etc/apt/sources.list

give your user password when requested, you don't see nothing when you type it, then press enter...

add a # at beginning of the top row with cdrom references in it

Save and exit...

Then please simply do the latest upgrades...

Open a Terminal from the menu Applications → Accessories → Terminal and type:
(when the system ask you a password give your user password, you will not see nothing when you type it, then press enter)

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt-get -f install
sudo apt-get --fix-missing install
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
sudo apt-get clean
sudo apt-get autoremove

Then type:

sudo reboot

To reboot your pc...

If this doesn't solve your issue please read this:

http://www.ubuntugeek.com/common-problems-and-solutions-for-nvidia-restricted-drivers-after-ubuntu-810-intrepid-ibex-upgrade.html

Hope this helps

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