Nvidia drivers and linux headers

[asimovrobot]

Well I am finally gonna break down and ask for some help here. I am linux nub but have managed to get knoppix 5.1.1 installed to hard drive and even installed a couple of programs. I am however still running into a problem that I cant quite seem to get past.

I installed this system to hard drive with my 19" LCD hooked up and it displays at the native 1280x1024. This computer will eventually be living on a small CRT capable of 1024x768 but when it is hooked up to such a beast the GUI is not displayed(I can see it booting up and if I stop X can work from the command line). Now even when I am on the 19" LCD it will not let me change the resolution, when I change the resolution it goes back to the login screen but once back at desktop I am still at 1280x1024.

I thought maybe I would try latest nvidia drivers to see if that might fix both issues. Once I change the runlevel (init 3 i have been using) to quit X and run the nvidia installer it tells me it cannot find linux headers -- it then tries to download them -- that doesnt work so it tries to compile them --- that doesnt work so it errors out.

I have found a couple different stories on the linux headers under knoppix

1. Source is available for purchase from Mr. Knopper and can somehow be used to create the headers I and nvidia installer need

2. Can use apt-get to install headers. I checked into this one. Now in /lib/modules is a folder call 2.6.19 so i should be looking for linux headers 2.6.19 right?
When I run "aptitude search linux-headers- | less" I get a whole list of them but amazingly enough it skips from linux-headers-2.6.18.* to linux-headers-2.6.22.*

Can I use apt-get and get one of the newest (2.6.23) linux-headers and expect it to work?

3. I have read that the headers can be found on the knoppix DVD somewhere (I installed to Hard drive off the CD version). So I downloaded the DVD iso, burnt it, mounted it... but I have no idea where on the DVD to find the linux headers I need.


Honesly I have looked at so many how-to's, FAQ's and forum posts on this it is all getting a little fuzzy. I will say this... I am enjoying myself and learning some command line stuff out of necessity along the way.

Ahh and BTW I know that knoppix is not meant for the hard drive but the live CD was the only linux distro(i tried many of them) that I could get to auto recognize the hardware on this old computer. Since my linux skill is not quite up to snuff auto hardware recognition at least getting me to a desktop was a must.

I guess that is about it for now... any help is greatly appreciated. Let me know if there is any other info I can provide.

[JohnnyH]

... When I run "aptitude search linux-headers- | less" I get a whole list of them but amazingly enough it skips from linux-headers-2.6.18.* to linux-headers-2.6.22.*
... Can I use apt-get and get one of the newest (2.6.23) linux-headers and expect it to work?...

Not without *a lot* of *complex* configuration - use the Knoppix (custom) 2.6.19 linux-headers which match the custom kernel !
And, because Debian releases have moved on since Knoppix 5.1.1 came out, the meanings of stable testing unstable and so on, and the releases of packages that are in them, have changed in the Debian repositories.

3. I have read that the headers can be found on the knoppix DVD somewhere (I installed to Hard drive off the CD version). So I downloaded the DVD iso, burnt it, mounted it... but I have no idea where on the DVD to find the linux headers I need.

Mount your Knoppix 5.1.1 DVD (or its .iso image) and

 find       /<pathtoyourdvd>    -name      linux-headers-2.6.19_2.6.19-10.00.Custom_i386.deb

If that fails because your image is corrupt, I can send you the package if you send me your email address by Forum Private Message. (7.7 MB if your email provider allows this).

[unifex]

It's not quite as simple as mounting the DVD and searching for the linux-headers-2.6.19_2.6.19-10.00.Custom_i386.deb file. That file is located inside a compressed file called /<pathtoyourdvd>/KNOPPIX/KNOPPIX2 and will not show up on a regular search.
The file, KNOPPIX2 is a compressed file which is meant to be mounted as a cloop file, so unless you want to figure out how to use the documentation on cloop files at http://www.knoppix.net/wiki/Cloop , the easiest thing to do is to actually boot the knoppix dvd THEN search for the file linux-headers-2.6.19_2.6.19-10.00.Custom_i386.deb from within the booted system.

JohhnyH wrote:

Mount your Knoppix 5.1.1 DVD (or its .iso image) and

find /<pathtoyourdvd> -name linux-headers-2.6.19_2.6.19-10.00.Custom_i386.deb

[JohnnyH]

Just seen your posting Unifex - thanks for the correction. Put the error down to a 'senior moment'