Bienvenido! - Willkommen! - Welcome!

Bitácora Técnica de Tux&Cía., Santa Cruz de la Sierra, BO
Bitácora Central: Tux&Cía.
Bitácora de Información Avanzada: Tux&Cía.-Información
May the source be with you!
Showing posts with label Xserver. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Xserver. Show all posts

Thursday, November 25, 2010

OpenSUSE -changing from CRT to LCD monitor

http://www.suse.de/~sndirsch/nvidia-installer-HOWTO.html
openSUSE 11.3-AMD64

It is recommended to use YaST for installation of the NVIDIA driver. There are several reasons for this. 
First, it's simple. 
Second, and this is the most important one, you won't need to recompile the nvidia kernel module after a kernel update.
Update your Kernel via YOU (YaST Online Update). Use
  YaST - Software - Software Repositories - Add
  Protocol: HTTP
  Server Name: : download.nvidia.com
  Directory on Server: /opensuse/11.3
to add the NVIDIA http server as additional installation source.
Now use
  YaST - Software - Software Management
to install the NVIDIA driver. The appropriate NVIDIA packages will be autoselected, if your card is supported. These are either
  a) x11-video-nvidia + nvidia-gfx-kmp-(kernel_flavor)
or
  b) x11-video-nvidiaG01 + nvidia-gfxG01-kmp-(kernel_flavor)
or
  c) x11-video-nvidiaG02 + nvidia-gfxG02-kmp-(kernel_flavor)
If no additional packages are autoselected, your card is not supported by the driver (RPMs) at the moment. It needs to be mentioned that 'xen'
is excluded from the kernel flavors supported by the Nvidia drivers.
People who aren't afraid of recompiling the nvidia kernel module or even reinstalling the nvidia driver each time the kernel has been
updated and want or need to use the latest and greatest nvidia driver can use the following steps 1-4. The others should use the
instructions above using YaST and skip the steps below. 
1) Kernel sources must be installed and configured. Usually this means installing the 'kernel-source', 'make' and 'gcc' packages with YaST2. 
2) Run the following commands 
# echo "blacklist nouveau" > /etc/modprobe.d/nvidia.conf

 ## recreate initrd without KMS, if the use of KMS is enabled in initrd
 if grep -q NO_KMS_IN_INITRD=\"no\" /etc/sysconfig/kernel; then
   sed -i 's/NO_KMS_IN_INITRD.*/NO_KMS_IN_INITRD="yes"/g' /etc/sysconfig/kernel
   mkinitrd
 fi
3) Reboot your machine.
4) Use the nvidia installer for 260.19.12.
# sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-260.19.12.run -qIMPORTANT: You need to recompile and install the nvidia kernel module after each kernel update.
# sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-260.19.12.run -K

SuSE:Configuring graphics cards
Source

CRTs typically run at 80 or 85 Hz to avoid flickering. LCDs, on the other hand, run nicely at 60 Hz, as flickering is not an issue. Some support higher resolutions, for compatibility sake, but others don't.
This problem might happen when for some reason X doesn't have enough info to change the frequency, and keep sending a higher frequency than the monitor supports.
By default X doesn't create a xorg.conf file anymore in opensuse 11.2, but running sax2 will generate one and, if it exists, X will use it.
You could also try to set your monitor to a lower frequency/resolution with your DE tools (there's one in KDE control panel, IINM, don't know about Gnome/others) just to switch monitors, so you can reconfigure it.
Now, if you intend to switch monitors on a regular basis I think you'll need to use xorg.conf to configure both. 
FIRST:
At start simply type 3 at the grub screen. 
Or if started:
Apllication luncher - yast - system - system services (runlevel) - (use expert mode)
there under were you select the simple and expertmode is an option to set the runlevel after booting.
Running in runlevel 3 you can then use the "startx command to start X
Or open up a console, login as root and type:
# init 3
That is the same as the YaST way.
Or
# nano /etc/inittab
In run level 3 you have to login first which means you can'nt have the OS start it for you automatically when it boots, however, you can add startx to your startup script for bash, (if you are using bash) and have it startx automatically once a user logs into the system. This can be done manually for each users .bash file or you can place it in the global /etc/bash file in order to have it executed for all users.

THEN:
Login and reconfigure your graphics
# sax2

Friday, September 17, 2010

Unable to parse X.Org version string

After this error
"unable to parse X.org version string"

...
update-alternatives --config gl_config
config gl_conf
ldconfig
nvidia-xconfig
...
Then
WARNING: Unable to parse X.Org version string
....
try before reinstall:
sudo apt-get install linux-headers-$(uname -r)
sudo apt-get install build-essential pkg-config xorg-dev

If anything goes:
sudo apt-get install - reinstall xserver-xorg
or try EnvyNG
http://albertomilone.com/nvidia_scripts1.html

"failed to initialize for relative axes" error

(EE) HID 04f3:0103: failed to initialize for relative axes
cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log:
cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf
/etc/hal/fdi/
cat /etc/mkinitcpio.conf

setxkbmap us,es -variant ,extended -option grp:alt_shift_toggle -option grp_led:scroll


edit .xinitrc file in the home folder
in the file i put "exec startfluxbox" but somehow that command doesn't work so X went perfectly after changing it to "exec fluxbox"
[xorg.conf]
# nvidia-xconfig: X configuration file generated by nvidia-xconfig
# nvidia-xconfig:  version 1.0  (buildmeister@builder58)  Tue Oct 20 21:25:04 PDT 2009


Section "ServerFlags"
    Option "AutoAddDevices" "False"
    Option "AllowEmptyInput" "False"
EndSection

Section "ServerLayout"
    Identifier     "Layout0"
    Screen      0  "Screen0" 0 0
    InputDevice    "Keyboard0" "CoreKeyboard"
    InputDevice    "Mouse0" "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Files"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Mouse0"
    Driver         "mouse"
    Option         "Protocol" "auto"
    Option         "Device" "/dev/psaux"
    Option         "Emulate3Buttons" "no"
    Option         "ZAxisMapping" "4 5"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"

    # generated from default
    Identifier     "Keyboard0"
    Driver         "evdev"
    #Driver          "kbd"
    #Driver          "keyboard"
    Option         "Device"  "/dev/input/event6"
    #Option         "CoreKeyboard"
    #Option         "XkbdRules" "xorg"
    Option         "XkbLayout" "us,el"
    #Option         "XkbModel" "microsoftccurve2k"
    Option         "XkbOptions" "grp:lwin_toggle,grp_led:scroll,lvl3:ralt_switch,eurosign:e"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
    Identifier     "Monitor0"
    VendorName     "Unknown"
    ModelName      "Unknown"
    HorizSync       28.0 - 33.0
    VertRefresh     43.0 - 72.0
#Enable Power-Saving#
    Option         "DPMS"
EndSection

Section "Device"
    Identifier     "Device0"
    Driver         "nvidia"
    VendorName     "NVIDIA Corporation"
#---------MyConfig---------#
    Option         "RenderAccel" "true"
    Option         "BackingStore" "true"
    Option         "NoLogo" "true"
    Option         "AGPFastWrite" "true"
    Option         "EnablePageFlip" "true"
    Option         "HWCursor" "true"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
    Identifier     "Screen0"
    Device         "Device0"
    Monitor        "Monitor0"
    DefaultDepth    24
    Option         "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
    SubSection     "Display"
        Depth       24
    EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Extensions"
    Option         "Composite" "Enable"
EndSection 

Binary Driver Howto Nvidia

How To Install nVidia 256.35 Display Drivers In Ubuntu (From A PPA Repository)
nvidia.com/Download
gF 8400 GS linux-display-amd64-256.53-driver
Note that many Linux distributions provide their own packages of the NVIDIA Linux Graphics Driver in the distribution's native package management format. This may interact better with the rest of your distribution's framework, and you may want to use this rather than NVIDIA's official package.
Also note that SuSE users should read the SuSE NVIDIA Installer HOWTO before downloading the driver.
Installation instructions: Once you have downloaded the driver, change to the directory containing the driver package and install the driver by running, as root, sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-256.53-pkg2.run
One of the last installation steps will offer to update your X configuration file. Either accept that offer, edit your X configuration file manually so that the NVIDIA X driver will be used, or run nvidia-xconfig
See the README for more detailed instructions.
---------------------------------------------------

Source
This guide is for installing the NVIDIA closed source binary/restricted drivers on a system running an NVIDIA graphics card. For other graphics cards refer to the BinaryDriverHowto.
The NVIDIA provided driver supports hardware-accelerated 3D, TV-Out support, and dual-head functions.
Driver Versions
There are the following restricted driver versions available in the repositories. You may install the nvidia-current package for the driver of the current verson.
  • 96.43.17
  • 173.14.22
  • 185.18.36
  • 195.36.24
Installation recommended step for Ubuntu 10.04 or higher
*Nouveau is installed . this an open source driver .
*you can remove it by command-line by entering this:
sudo apt-get --purge remove xserver-xorg-video-nouveau 

* Ubuntu does work with both installed .
Ubuntu (Gnome)

*Note in Ubuntu 10:10 Hardware Drivers is renamed to Additional Drivers .
Ubuntu 9.10 and Ubuntu 10.04

  • Go to System - Administration - Hardware Drivers and check the box to enable the restricted drivers for your NVIDIA card if the option is provided.
  • If the restricted driver remains unactivated after attempting to activate it in the Hardware Drivers dialog, you may not have the appropriate linux headers installed to compile the driver. Ensure that the linux-headers-XXX and linux-restricted-modules-XXX packages are installed, where XXX matches the version of the kernel you are using (linux-image-XXX).

  • If the activation hangs on download/install dialog, you can install the driver using System - Administration - Synaptic Package Manager, make sure you pick the latest driver version recommended by the "Hardware Drivers" tool and all its dependencies. Go to Hardware Drivers tool and activate the driver you just installed.

  • Once downloaded and installed reboot your computer.
  • The Hardware Drivers tool may not work properly on machines that have previously used third party tools like 'Envy' or manual installation to install previous drivers. You should remove those drivers before attempting to install using the built in tool.
Common Issues
NVIDIA driver activated but not currently in use in ubuntu 10.04
Due to a bug see https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/jockey/+bug/539997 .The NVIDIA driver may not work .

  • From a command-line enter this
    sudo apt-get install nvidia-current (or nvidia-173 or nvidia-96)
  • select the alternative that matches the driver that you have installed
    (e.g. /usr/lib/nvidia-current/ld.so.conf for nvidia-current):
    sudo update-alternatives --config gl_conf
  • update the ld cache:
    sudo ldconfig
  • then configure your xorg.conf with:
    sudo nvidia-xconfig
  • And restart your computer.sudo reboot
Can't Save Settings
Nvidia-settings can't write to Xorg.conf if it hasn't been started with sudo
  • Work round one :
  • Right click on your Desktop
  • choose make new launcher
  • The name is : nvidia-settings
  • The command is : gksudo nvidia-settings


    • Work round two :
    • use the Monitors preferences
Suspend/hibernation
If you have an old legacy NVIDIA card (eg driver 96.43.17) .
Low Screen Resolutions
Often screen resolutions on offer are far lower than those offered with the open source driver. The NVIDIA binary driver seems to be very weak at reliably probing this information from the monitor and relies on additional information in xorg.conf.
To fix this you can Add more resolutions:

  • From a command-line enter this
  • run "xrandr --addmode S-video ...." (with-out the "" where the dots add the resolution you want .)
for further details and potential workarounds see VideoResolutionHowto .
Screen Blanks/Monitor Turns Off
Using a laptop with a GeForce Go card, or connecting the sole display via DVI on a dual-head system sometimes results in the screen not receiving a picture. This is caused by the driver outputting video to the VGA port on the graphics card, instead of DVI.
The usual hint that you have this problem is when you hear the startup sound but nothing appears on the screen. If you do not hear any sound, you are more than likely experiencing unrelated problems.
This is a launchpad bug about displays on digital outputs being blank when using NVIDIA binary driver, and can be resolved by editing your /etc/X11/xorg.conf file:

  • Switch to the console (Try using ctrl+alt+F1, or reboot and select recovery mode from the GRUB menu.)

  • Use your text editor to open /etc/X11/xorg.conf. (try sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf)

  • Find the line that says Section "Screen"

  • Insert a new line that says Option "UseDisplayDevice" "DFP".

  • Save the file. If you had to restart into recovery mode, type reboot, otherwise restart your display using sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart.
Incorrect Refresh Rate Reported
If you are using nvidia-glx/nvidia-glx-new and the refresh rate appears wrong (or different to that actually reported by your monitor) in gnome-display-properties/xrandr, you are probably seeing the effects of the DynamicTwinView feature. See this launchpad bug about being unable to "set" a proper screen refresh rate for details of this behaviour.
Problems with Video Playback

nouveau screen stays black after resume

 error message
[drm] noveau 0000:01:00.0 couldn't find matching output script tablevbios collected with: sudo ./vbtracetool -w 2>/tmp/vbios.rom

Collected with:
./vbtracetool -lp 2>post.iolog 
 
vbios collected with: 
 sudo ./vbtracetool -w 2>/tmp/vbios.rom 
bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=601002 
hopefully fixed in
koji.fedoraproject.org/koji/buildinfo?buildID=183345  

Also, with nouveau loaded can you mount debugfs (mount -t debugfs debugfs
/sys/kernel/debug) and attach /sys/kernel/debug/dri/vbios.rom to this bug.
# cat /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/name 
nouveau 0000:01:00.0 pci:0000:01:00.0

# cp /sys/kernel/debug/dri/0/vbios.rom vbios.rom.`uname -r` 

bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/lucid/+source/linux/+bug/556856

fiddle with your BIOS options and try and enable only the NVIDIA board.
Using the daily ubuntu desktop image (amd64), during and after install, the screen remains blank. Rebooting the system with kernel option:
nouveau.modeset=0
seems work around the issue.

You need to use the "dmesg" command. The debug level messages don't make it to /var/log/messages.
the problem appears to be that the nouveau kernel module is unable to parse some part of the VBIOS tables, and this causes it to fail to detect the attached LVDS laptop monitor. Relevant pieces of dmesg are: [ 9.962665] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: parsing output script 0
[ 9.962667] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: Init table command not found: 0x3A
[ 9.962826] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: Couldn't find matching output script table
[ 9.962979] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: parsing output script 0
[ 9.962981] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: Init table command not found: 0x3A
[ 9.963119] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5A46: parsing output script 0
[ 9.963121] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: parsing output script 0
[ 9.963123] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5E8D: Init table command not found: 0x3A
[ 9.963254] [drm] nouveau 0000:01:00.0: 0x5A46: parsing output script 0
All these connector-related commits are in the linux-backports-modules-nouveau package in the xorg-edgers PPA: https://edge.launchpad.net/~xorg-edgers/+archive and are also available in the drm-next kernel-team builds http://kernel.ubuntu.com/~kernel-ppa/mainline/drm-next/2010-04-09-lucid/. Testing if the kernel-team package fixes this would be useful

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Black/White screen at Linux start

Desde Hardy a los que tenemos tarjetas nVidia (vale para toda la serie 5X y 6X), Ubuntu no ha hecho mas que traernos dolores de cabeza. Entre NVIDIA y Canonical se tiran la pelota entre sí, aunque para ser honesto les creo mas a los de NVIDIA, porque con otras distros (Mandriva, Fedora, Suse) no he tenido ni el menor problema.
Y despues de buscar miles de soluciones, algunas muy complejas, de esas donde se trabaja "al limite", y donde de hecho el resultado fue el quiebre completo del servidor gráfico, la unica que mas o menos me ha permitido ir tirando para no cambiarme de distro es copiar el xorg.conf de Feisty o Gutsy, y despues hacerle los retoques necesarios.
Lo podes hacer imprimiendo el xorg.conf desde una sesión live o copiandolo tras la instalacion en una maquina virtual.
El problema aparentemente es que hay algunos pequeños modulos del kernel que son incompatibles con los drivers de esta placa, y la solucion mas aconsejable es la modificacion del xorg.conf. (comentario de pablo0469)
Ubuntu 10.04 and Nvidia cards

sudo gedit /var/log/nvidia-installer.log

Following command will purge the new default nouveau 2D video driver from your system so you won't have low resolution problem at the boot time anymore.Better than blacklist it.But be sure before you have current proprietary driver installed too:
sudo apt-get remove --purge xserver-xorg-video-nouveau

ubuntu-white-screen-of-death

Step # 1: Reset blank X screenFirst, get out of Blank screen by pressing combination of keys Ctrl+Alt+Backspace. If this fails, reboot system.
Step # 2: Reconfigure X server display
At shell, prompt type the following command to reconfigure X display.
If you are using Red Hat /Fedora / CentOS Linux type command:
# redhat-config-xfree86If you are using Debian Linux type command:
# dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xfree86OR login as the root user and type command:
# XFree86 -configure
Step # 3: Test new setup
Type startx to test your new settings:
# startxOR if you used XFree86 –configure command to reconfigure X, then test it with following command:
# XFree86 -xf86config /etc/X11/XF86Config.new
---------------------------------------------
Correcting screen resolutions (leer)
Ver modos de resolución y frecuencia vertical




xrandr





Code:



gtf 1024 768 60

changes xorg.conf at the following lines
 
Modeline       "1024x768_60.00" muchos números
Option "PreferredMode" "1024x768_60.00"
---------------------------------------------
xorg.conf  for 







max Vertical Freq is not set @74 Hz
sudo nvidia-settings
---------------------------------------------
sudo apt-get install build-essential
sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorg
 and set the following options:
- Kernel framebuffer device NO (in your xorg.conf this option should appear as "false")
- 16 bit (instead of the default 24-bit selection)
Restart X and see if you have any improvement.
----------------------
install the new Nvidia drivers using these steps:
0. sudo apt-get remove nvidia*
1. Ctrl-Alt-F1
2. sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop
3. sudo su
4. sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-173.14.05-pkg1.run
5. go through all the prompts
6. restart
nVidia thread about the new drivers:
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=113919
----------------------------------------------------------
Read:
Nvidia Geforce 8400gs - Page 3‎
Xorg FHD2400 & 8400 GS Nvidia‎ 

nvidia-settings manager writing bad xorg.conf file
distrowatch.com/weekly.php?is...070903


nVidia GForce 8400GS xorg.conf settings
Identifier "Generic Monitor"
VendorName "Plug 'n' Play"
ModelName "Plug 'n' Play"
Gamma 1
ModeLine "1920x1200@60" 193.2 1920 2048 2256 2592 1200 1201 1204 1242 -hsync +vsync
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Gateway FHD2400"
HorizSync 31.0 - 83.0
VertRefresh 56.0 - 76.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "nVidia Corporation G80 [GeForce 8400 GS]"
Driver "nvidia"
BoardName "nv"
BusID "PCI:4:0:0"
Screen 0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 8400 GS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "nVidia Corporation G80 [GeForce 8400 GS]"
Monitor "Generic Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
SubSection "Display"
Virtual 1920 1200
Depth 24
Modes "1920x1200@60"
EndSubSection
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "1920x1200_60 +0+0"
EndSection

-------------------------------
another for 7900GS 
# nvidia-settings: X configuration file generated by nvidia-settings
# nvidia-settings: version 1.0 (buildd@vernadsky) Tue Mar 4 20:24:34 UTC 2008

# xorg.conf (X.Org X Window System server configuration file)
#
# This file was generated by dexconf, the Debian X Configuration tool, using
# values from the debconf database.
#
# Edit this file with caution, and see the xorg.conf manual page.
# (Type "man xorg.conf" at the shell prompt.)
#
# This file is automatically updated on xserver-xorg package upgrades *only*
# if it has not been modified since the last upgrade of the xserver-xorg
# package.
#
# If you have edited this file but would like it to be automatically updated
# again, run the following command:
# sudo dpkg-reconfigure -phigh xserver-xorg

Section "ServerLayout"
Identifier "Default Layout"
Screen 0 "Screen0" 0 0
EndSection

Section "Module"
Load "glx"
EndSection

Section "ServerFlags"
Option "Xinerama" "0"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Generic Keyboard"
Driver "kbd"
Option "XkbRules" "xorg"
Option "XkbModel" "pc105"
Option "XkbLayout" "gb"
EndSection

Section "InputDevice"
Identifier "Configured Mouse"
Driver "mouse"
Option "CorePointer"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Configured Monitor"
EndSection

Section "Monitor"
Identifier "Monitor0"
VendorName "Unknown"
ModelName "Philips PHL 20PF5320"
HorizSync 31.0 - 60.0
VertRefresh 47.0 - 75.0
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Configured Video Device"
Driver "nvidia"
Option "NoLogo" "True"
EndSection

Section "Device"
Identifier "Videocard0"
Driver "nvidia"
VendorName "NVIDIA Corporation"
BoardName "GeForce 7900 GS"
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Default Screen"
Device "Configured Video Device"
Monitor "Configured Monitor"
DefaultDepth 24
EndSection

Section "Screen"
Identifier "Screen0"
Device "Videocard0"
Monitor "Monitor0"
DefaultDepth 24
Option "TwinView" "0"
Option "metamodes" "DFP: 1024x768_70 +0+0; DFP: 1024x768 +0+0"
EndSection




Lucid Lynx and NVIDIA video cards


Here is my xorg.conf, maybe it will help u
Fuente




Code:
gksudo nvidia-settings
Code:
sudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf
y en el metamode agregar la frecuencia ( anchoxalto_frecuencia) ej: 1280x1024_85
www.ubuntu-es.org/node/117128
vaio-f11-linux EDID configuration
announcement from nVidia:
nvnews.net/vbulletin/announcement.php?a=39

X windows system (X.org server)

List of Graphics adapters supported by X server
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/X/Config
dpkg -reconfigure xserver-xorg
dpkg -reconfigure xserver-xorg
Today's X rarely requires manual configuration. X now automatically configures itself with reasonable defaults. Both GNOME and KDE provide GUI utilities for customizing settings beyond these defaults if you like.
However, sometimes you need to muck with the configuration manually, beyond what these tools allow.
To create an initial /etc/xorg.conf file, you can have Xorg's autoconfiguration output a full blown static one for you:
sudo Xorg -configure

or create an /etc/xorg.conf containing only those sections and options that you need to override Xorg's autoconfigurated settings.
Input device configuration 
Display resolution configuration
Multihead configuration
SVideo configuration
HDMI configuration
Ctrl-Alt-Backspace Zapping
Radeon Xpress
Projectors Tips and Tricks
Configuring using xorg.conf.d (Ubuntu 10.04 and newer)
Files ending in *.conf in the
 /usr/lib/X11/xorg.conf.d/ directory 
(NOTE:  changed to /usr/share/X11/xorg.conf.d for ubuntu 10.10) are automatically loaded by X at start prior to reading the xorg.conf. These files can each contain one or more Sections in the same format used by xorg.conf.
Users can continue making custom configuration in /etc/xorg.conf as usual; the .conf snippets are mainly there for the distro or hw vendor to ship default InputClass rules and custom overrides.

Overriding xorg
/etc/X11/xorg.conf
Chances are there is a backup copy in /etc/X11. Look in there and check out the date/time.

Code:
ls -la /etc/X11
Then, just copy the previous one back with

Code:
sudo cp /etc/X11/backup_copy_of_xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Reboot in recovery mode (or type Ctrl + Alt + F1) and then log in using CLI and edit  xorg.conf to remove or comment out the offending entry.

After log in, edit xorg.conf with nano


Code:
sudo nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf
After editing the file, use Ctrl + X to save and exit. Now restart GDM to see if it worked.


Code:
sudo /etc/init.d/gdm restart

Source
Use dpkg-reconfigure command which reconfigures packages after they have already been installed. Pass it the names of a package or packages to reconfigure. It will ask configuration questions, much like when the package was first installed.
Ubuntu reconfigure xorg
Ctrl + Alt + F1 does not function
Somewhat of a workaround when is not possible to activate a terminal:
Hold down
left-shift key on boot to enter GRUB
hit "e" to edit the kernel
remove "quiet splash" and replace with "nomodeset single"
control-x to boot

Then type any one of the following command to reconfigure X.org windows system:
As the root user:
# dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorgOr as a normal user:
$ sudo dpkg-reconfigure xserver-xorgJust follow on screen questions and you should able to restore or reconfigure to previous state.
Correcting screen resolutions

One of the biggest annoyances is their failure to detect and set up the correct screen resolution. This usually results in unsightly fonts and reduced screen real estate, both of which contribute to the negative first impressions. Since many computer users are discovering the wonderful world of open source software for the first time, I thought I'd run through the necessary steps to correct the screen resolution in case your distribution fails to do so.





The bad news is that if a distribution or live CD does not set up your monitor's screen resolution correctly, there is usually no other way to fix it than to manually edit the xorg.conf file - from the command line. The good news is that the fix does not require a degree in Information Technology and after completing this task a few times, you'll be able to do it in any Linux or BSD distribution - with your eyes closed. So let's get going.

The task of correcting the screen resolution consists of three steps: launching the terminal, logging in as root, and modifying a pair of values in xorg.conf.

  1. Launching the terminal. There are many ways to do this - the most logical way is to hunt down the application from the desktop menu; KDE's Konsole and GNOME's GNOME Terminal are usually easy to find, while a terminal application may also be available from a right-click context menu on certain desktops. Personally, I find that the fastest way to access a terminal session is to press Ctrl+Alt+F2, which will take you to one of the available virtual terminals. To get back to your graphical desktop, you normally press Ctrl+Alt+F7 (although some distributions place the graphical desktop into other virtual terminals; if Ctrl+Alt+F7 doesn't work, you might have to go through several of the F-keys on your keyboard to find the right one).

  2. Logging in as root. After launching a terminal window, you might be already logged in as a user, logged in as root (use the "whoami" command to find out) or not logged in at all. In the first case, you log in as root by typing "su -". In the third case, you will have to type "root" at the command prompt. The next step is to guess the root password; some live CDs provide passwordless root accounts, which log you in straight after typing "root", but if this is not your case and you are prompted to enter the root password, try one of the common password variations, such as "root", "toor", "linux" or the name of the distribution you are running. Some live CDs (e.g. Knoppix, Ubuntu and their derivatives) allow you to change the root password via a sudo command - simply type "sudo passwd", then type and retype a new root password. If all fails, you can, of course, visit the distribution's web site and search its documentation for hints about the root password.

  3. Modifying xorg.conf. After you've logged in as root, the final step is to open the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and replace a pair of incorrect values. To open the above-mentioned file you can use one of the beginner-friendly console editors, such as nano; simply type "nano /etc/X11/xorg.conf". When the file opens, look for the line containing the words "DefaultDepth". This is often set to a conservative 16 (65,536 colours), but if you have a reasonably recent monitor, it's safe to change this to a more eye-pleasing 24 (16 million colours). Edit the line so it reads as follows:

          DefaultDepth 24

    Next, you'll need to edit another line which is often just a few lines below the one you've just edited. Look for a line that says "Depth 24". Directly below it (within the same subsection delimited by the words "Subsection "Display"", you will find a line containing the word "Modes" (see the screenshot below). Edit this line so that it corresponds to the correct screen resolution for your monitor, e.g.:

          Modes "1280x1024"

    When done, save and close the xorg.conf file (in nano, simply press Ctrl+O to save the file and Ctrl+X to close it). Later, once you are familiar with this procedure, you might also check that the xorg.conf file contains the correct driver for your video card (e.g. driver "ati" for ATI cards, driver "nv" for NVIDIA cards, etc.; here is a full list), rather than the general purpose "vesa" driver. These days, however, it seems that only a few Slackware-based distributions still prefer to set up your xorg.conf file with the "vesa" driver, instead of trying to detect the video card present in the system and set it up with a corresponding X.Org driver.

Modifying the xorg.conf configuration file from the command line
That's it in terms of X.Org configuration, so all that remains to be done is to restart the X window system. This can be done by pressing Ctrl+Alt+Backspace (note: this doesn't work with Knoppix and some Knoppix-based live CDs, where logging out of an X window session will automatically shut down the system). If you have set up your screen resolution correctly, you should now be able to see the login screen or the distribution's desktop in a more eye-pleasing fashion. If you don't, chances are that you've made a typo editing the xorg.conf file, in which case you should re-open it and make sure that everything is correct. For hints about possible errors you could also open the /var/log/Xorg.0.log file and look for error messages. But generally speaking, I find that in 95% of cases, the above steps are all that's needed to fix the incorrect screen resolution on today's Linux/BSD distributions and live CDs.
While on the subject of screen resolution, here is one more note: some distributions and live CDs (e.g. Knoppix and most Knoppix-based ones) provide an easy way to set a resolution at the boot prompt, usually by typing something like "knoppix screen=1280x1024" at the boot prompt (these distributions usually provide a help screen, accessible by pressing one of the F-keys, with hints on what exactly to type).
If some of our readers have their own tips and tricks on how to set up the screen resolution or other related topics, feel free to share them in the forum.
Header files in 260.x releases 
Get gl.h as the nvidia supplied ones varied dramatically from the distro's gl.h and is not readily downloadable from http://www.opengl.org/registry
In case of vdpau everyone knows that both most recent headers (vdpau.h and vdpau_x11.h) sits inside libvdpau-0.4.tar.bz2 downloadable from here:
http://cgit.freedesktop.org/~aplattner/libvdpau/
I (and I'm sure other packagers/developers) would like to gain similar detailed information from Nvidia about the rest of missing header files:
OpenGL header files (gl.h, glext.h glx.h, glxext.h):
gl.h ???? No link on page ???
http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/glext.h
glx.h ???? No link on page ???
http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/glxext.h
http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/wglext.h ??? Is this useful for Nvidia cards???
http://www.opengl.org/registry/api/gl3.h ??? Is this useful for Nvidia cards???
* CUDA and OpenCL header files (cuda.h, cudaGL.h, cudaVDPAU.h, cl.h, cl_gl.h, cl_platform.h)
??? Have no idea where to look for header files. Any hint? Package name? Link?
There is nothing wrong in moving headers to separate packages, especially when they are compiled from sources. libvdpau is perfect example of well done integration of library sources and headers in one package. We can be sure that both match each other because they are in the same package.
However having library in Nvidia binary driver package and header in any other package somewhere is bad idea - we will never be sure if header matches perfect current driver release - this renders such header useless.
The CUDA headers should be available in the CUDA toolkit. See:
http://developer.nvidia.com/object/gpucomputing.html
(click the link "CUDA Toolkit 3.1 now available")
I believe the header files for the OpenGL portion can be obtained from Mesa3D ( at least for Linux, anyways )
I had to use them, anyways, to compile the xorg-server because the ones that were in Nvidia's driver
package were incomplete or different from the "standard"; The headers from the binary package were at least missing quite a few definitions.
You don't need "matching" headers for OpenCL/OpenGL. Just get the official headers from Khronos, a compliant implementation will always work correctly with these headers.
Fedora 9 ships with a prerelease version of xorg-server 1.5. This server has improved autoconfiguration that allows it to function without a configuration file
. Because /etc/X11/xorg.conf does not exist, nvidia-xconfig will create an /etc/X11/XF86Config file instead. While this will work, some people may find it confusing.
Source
Unfortunately, xorg-server 1.4.99.901 removed support for the RgbPath option, so X configuration files generated by nvidia-xconfig will not work. For these servers, I recommended that you delete everything but the "Device" section and leave the rest up to the X server's
autoconfiguration:


Code:
Section "Device"
    Identifier     "NVIDIA Device"
    Driver         "nvidia"
EndSection
Future releases of nvidia-xconfig will be better equipped to handle these minimalist configuration files.
Fedora 12 (and possibly other Linux distributions) ships with the "nouveau" driver enabled by default. Having this driver loaded prevents the NVIDIA driver from loading, producing an error like the following:
Quote:
NVRM: The NVIDIA probe routine was not called for 1 device(s).
NVRM: This can occur when a driver such as rivafb, nvidiafb or
NVRM: rivatv was loaded and obtained ownership of the NVIDIA
NVRM: device(s).
NVRM: Try unloading the rivafb, nvidiafb or rivatv kernel module
NVRM: (and/or reconfigure your kernel without rivafb/nvidiafb
NVRM: support), then try loading the NVIDIA kernel module again.
NVRM: No NVIDIA graphics
adapter probed!
Please consult your distribution's documentation on how to disable the nouveau driver before installing the NVIDIA driver.