[SOLVED] Legacy NVidia (GF Go 7300) driver installation?

JustSomeGeek · 03-26-2019, 03:41 PM

I've slapped Manjaro x64 Cinnamon on one of our old laptops, which runs fine, apart from the sluggish graphics/video. Even the mouse pointer in Kodi is stuttering badly.

(It had Mint on before that, but wasn't updated for a long time, so i didn't have this issue when it was installed with that.)

If i've understood it correctly, I need to install the NVidia 304xx driver, but I can only do this if I downgrade XOrg to v1.19?

Any major downsides to this?

mrmazda · 03-26-2019, 11:09 PM

Maybe you don't need proprietary software. Is KMS DDX usage being blocked by a boot configuration carryover from the installation process?

Code:

cat /proc/cmdline

Which DDX is currently in use? (run in xterm or equivalent for complete output)

Code:

inxi -Gxx

Please wrap these commands' output in code tags. ([ # ] icon above the input window)

JustSomeGeek · 03-27-2019, 10:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

Maybe you don't need proprietary software. Is KMS DDX usage being blocked by a boot configuration carryover from the installation process?

Code:

cat /proc/cmdline

Which DDX is currently in use? (run in xterm or equivalent for complete output)

Code:

inxi -Gxx

Please wrap these commands' output in code tags. ([ # ] icon above the input window)

cat /proc/cmdline

Code:

BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-5.0-x86_64 root=UUID=379a6204-fdfd-46a5-bc8a-9774abb64be7 rw quiet rd.udev.log-priority=3

inxi -Gxx

Code:

Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA G72M [Quadro NVS 110M/GeForce Go 7300] vendor: Toshiba America Info Systems
           driver: nouveau v: kernel bus ID: 01:00.0 chip ID: 10de:01d7
           Display: tty server: X.org 1.20.4 driver: nouveau unloaded: modesetting alternate: fbdev,nv,vesa
           tty: 117x27
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display

inxi -G --display

Code:

Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA G72M [Quadro NVS 110M/GeForce Go 7300] driver: nouveau v: kernel
           Display: tty server: X.org 1.20.4 driver: nouveau unloaded: modesetting tty: 117x27
           Message: No advanced graphics data found on this system.

Will look up what a KMS DDX is now. Thanks!

mrmazda · 03-27-2019, 11:17 AM

Two kinds of nouveau drivers exist: 1-kernel (provides modesetting service, nicknamed KMS); 2-X. DDX is the X driver (which utilizes KMS). DDX is the driver inxi lists following the server version.

Your NVidia GPU is currently utilizing the Nouveau DDX. Before trying to install the legacy NVidia driver, give the Modesetting DDX a try by uninstalling the package that provides the Nouveau DDX. The X server package includes the Modesetting DDX, which should be automagically be utilized in the absence of availability of the Nouveau DDX.

mrmazda · 03-27-2019, 11:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustSomeGeek

Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display

This is suggesting to run inxi in an X session (e.g. Xterm) instead of a vtty. It cannot determine the upper layers of graphics drivers X uses when X is not running.

JustSomeGeek · 03-27-2019, 12:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

Two kinds of nouveau drivers exist: 1-kernel (provides modesetting service, nicknamed KMS); 2-X. DDX is the X driver (which utilizes KMS). DDX is the driver inxi lists following the server version.

Your NVidia GPU is currently utilizing the Nouveau DDX. Before trying to install the legacy NVidia driver, give the Modesetting DDX a try by uninstalling the package that provides the Nouveau DDX. The X server package includes the Modesetting DDX, which should be automagically be utilized in the absence of availability of the Nouveau DDX.

OK, did that and confirmed using inxi Gxx on the laptop, but still seems like really awful performance. eg mouse pointer in Kodi is very stuttery, playback of a 720p video in VLC drops a lot of frames etc. The desktop pointer is fine and all seems responsive enough. But it's really not usable as it is, let alone once I start putting a few games on it.

Any other tweaks to try before I try the NVidia drivers route?

mrmazda · 03-27-2019, 01:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JustSomeGeek

Any other tweaks to try before I try the NVidia drivers route?

I'm not a Manjaro user, so have no specific suggestions to make without more info. How old is that "old laptop"? It might be the proprietary driver is your only hope. Post

Code:

inxi -b

and perhaps someone will have other suggestion(s) to make.

JustSomeGeek · 03-27-2019, 01:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

I'm not a Manjaro user, so have no specific suggestions to make without more info. How old is that "old laptop"? It might be the proprietary driver is your only hope. Post

Code:

inxi -b

and perhaps someone will have other suggestion(s) to make.

inxi -b

Code:

System:    Host: LAP-A100 Kernel: 5.0.3-1-MANJARO x86_64 bits: 64 Console: tty 1 Distro: Manjaro Linux
Machine:   Type: Other-vm? System: TOSHIBA product: Satellite A100 v: PSAARE-05P02JAV serial: <root required>
           Mobo: Intel model: CAPELL VALLEY(NAPA) CRB serial: <root required> BIOS: Phoenix v: 6.00
           date: 07/12/2007
Battery:   ID-1: BAT0 charge: 982.3 Wh condition: 982.2/982.2 Wh (100%)
CPU:       Dual Core: Intel Core2 T5200 type: MCP speed: 920 MHz min/max: 800/1600 MHz
Graphics:  Device-1: NVIDIA G72M [Quadro NVS 110M/GeForce Go 7300] driver: nouveau v: kernel
           Display: tty server: X.org 1.20.4 driver: modesetting tty: 117x27
           Message: Advanced graphics data unavailable in console. Try -G --display
Network:   Device-1: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network driver: iwl3945
           Device-2: Intel PRO/100 VE Network driver: e100
Drives:    Local Storage: total: 186.31 GiB used: 7.53 GiB (4.0%)
Info:      Processes: 183 Uptime: 1h 29m Memory: 1.94 GiB used: 1.39 GiB (71.4%) Init: systemd Shell: bash
           inxi: 3.0.32

She's getting on a bit now. Probably at least 11 years old. But I hate waste, and we've had many good old school LAN parties, so i'm not willing to give up on her yet :-)

mrmazda · 03-27-2019, 02:19 PM

When you run inxi in console instead of X it can't provide all the desired info. I neglected to have you add the m switch. Please using code tags paste output from

Code:

inxi -bm

run from within X.

JustSomeGeek · 03-28-2019, 02:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

When you run inxi in console instead of X it can't provide all the desired info. I neglected to have you add the m switch. Please using code tags paste output from

Code:

inxi -bm

run from within X.

Code:

System:
  Host: LAP-A100 Kernel: 5.0.3-1-MANJARO x86_64 bits: 64 
  Desktop: Cinnamon 4.0.9 Distro: Manjaro Linux 
Machine:
  Type: Other-vm? System: TOSHIBA product: Satellite A100 v: PSAARE-05P02JAV 
  serial:  
  Mobo: Intel model: CAPELL VALLEY(NAPA) CRB serial: N/A BIOS: Phoenix 
  v: 6.00 date: 07/12/2007 
Battery:
  ID-1: BAT0 charge: 982.3 Wh condition: 982.2/982.2 Wh (100%) 
Memory:
  RAM: total: 1.94 GiB used: 1.15 GiB (59.3%) 
  Array-1: capacity: 2 GiB slots: 2 EC: None 
  Device-1: M1 size: 1 GiB speed: 533 MT/s 
  Device-2: M2 size: 1 GiB speed: 533 MT/s 
CPU:
  Dual Core: Intel Core2 T5200 type: MCP speed: 931 MHz 
  min/max: 800/1600 MHz 
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA G72M [Quadro NVS 110M/GeForce Go 7300] driver: nouveau 
  v: kernel 
  Display: server: X.Org 1.20.4 driver: modesetting 
  resolution: 1280x800~60Hz 
  OpenGL: renderer: NV46 v: 2.1 Mesa 18.3.4 
Network:
  Device-1: Intel PRO/Wireless 3945ABG [Golan] Network driver: iwl3945 
  Device-2: Intel PRO/100 VE Network driver: e100 
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 186.31 GiB used: 7.67 GiB (4.1%) 
Info:
  Processes: 157 Uptime: 9m Shell: bash inxi: 3.0.32

JustSomeGeek · 03-28-2019, 12:09 PM

I've marked this as solved now. Purely because there seem to be other issues that have cropped up now with the system hanging and becoming unresponsive in use, so i'll be trying other things first, as it may not be the graphics alone that are at fault. But many thanks for all the info, especially on the modesetting!