Xorg wil not start, nv module fails to load

[Yousif Hassan]

Gary Dunn wrote:

> Yousif Hassan <yousif at alumni.jmu.edu> wrote:
>>Anyway look in /usr/ports/x11-drivers/xorg-drivers - check the config
>>there (make config) - some default drivers need to be built.  At minimum
>>- for your needs anyway - you need "mouse" "kbd" and a video driver.
>>You should build "vga" and "vesa" at least, and if you know your NVIDIA
>>card is supported by the open source driver, build "nv" too.
>
> ..
>
> Thanks for getting me pointed in the right direction. I re-installed Xorg
> from the port and all is fine using the nv driver.

Glad you got it going.

> In the past I have always installed Gnome from the ports (it used to
> require a special install script), but this time I decided to try the
> package method, just for kicks.
>
> Building Gnome from pkg_add the process failed several times with a 
> network
> timeout. I just re-entered the command and the process seemed to pick up
> where it had left off. Maybe that caused this glitch?

pkg_add -r gnome2 always has worked for me.  I just ran through this 
yesterday
on a new laptop and it installed without a hitch.  NOTE: this method only 
installs
Xorg *dependencies* that gnome references directly - not some of the other
aspects of modular Xorg -- see below.

> 1. The installation instructions at
>
> http://www.freebsd.org/gnome/docs/faq2.html#q1
>
> need some tweaking. The page says Gnome can be installed from packages, 
> but
> that method did not produce a functional Xorg for me. Can the meta-package
> be tested?

GNOME and Xorg are not the same thing - but I'm sure you know this.  There 
is
no expectation that installing GNOME from packages result in a 
fully-functional
Xorg installation.  For that, you have to install Xorg, too.

As stated above, pkg_add -r gnome2 is the proper method to install *GNOME*
from packages.  You will not get a fully functional Xorg this way.  This may 
have
worked before the switch to the modular Xorg used in FreeBSD now (I'm not 
sure)
but installing "gnome2" from packages is the proper way to install GNOME
(and GNOME only).

To install Xorg from packages, try:
pkg_add -r xorg

This method will install a fully-functional Xorg with all of the drivers you 
had
previously had missing, including "kybd" "mouse" "fbdev" "vesa" "nv" and 
"vga"
(plus others you may not need).

This is covered in the X chapter of the FreeBSD Handbook.

BTW, I know you thought this was a GNOME installation issue, but for 
specific
problems with Xorg and such, like your initial email where drivers weren't 
loading,
use the freebsd-x11@ list instead - it's more pertinent.

--YH