Problems with V7.0

[Richard-1]

HI Rick
Thanks for the info,
I'll put my comments art the end of the mail, Mandriva's back port of 
claws-mail doesn't put the original mail in quotes.

Rick said :-
Hi, I have an 8500GT and it works great in FreeBSD Release 7.0 at
1680x1050, ...

The best refernce to help with configuring FreeBSD (if you're used to
Linux like I was/am) is still the FreeBSD Handbook.
http://www.freebsd.org/doc/en_US.ISO8859-1/books/handbook/

I've had many nvidia cards, its best to update your FreeBSD ports, and
then install and load the nvidia-driver. #portsnap fetch extract update
#cd /usr/ports/x11/nvidia-driver/ ; make install clean
optionally,
#cd /usr/ports/x11/nvidia-settings/ ; make install clean
#cd /usr/ports/x11/nvidia-xconfig/ ; make install clean
(a nice GUI version of xorgconfig -but you'll have to be root/sudo)

-if you already have xorg, and gnome then run
#xorgconfig
-even though its a CLI, I like to use "xorgconfig".
-re-edit /etc/X11/xorg.conf and under the Section "Device" make sure
you "nvidia" after Driver, NOT the xorg "nv" .
ie:
Driver "nvidia"

http://www.nvidia.com/object/freebsd_169.12.html
-has some good tips on fine-tuning your xorg.conf settings, as well as
(http://us.download.nvidia.com/freebsd/169.12/README/chapter-04-section-02.html)
although the basic ones (via the FreeBSD ports and Handbook are more
than sufficient.

also, you shouldn't have to edit /etc/rc.conf at all, other than
optionally having the linux emulator of your cho ice loaded ie:
in /etc/rc.conf -> linux_enable="YES"

edit ~/.xinitrc and add "exec startkde" (if your using kde)
or exec startgnome, although I'm not sure-I dont use gnome.

and make sure you have the line:
nvidia_load="YES" in /boot/loader.conf

anyway, sorry if I'm long-winded here , but its all in the FreeBSD
Handbook :)

-For the conexant/Huappage stuff check out the "pvrxxx" FreeBSD port
and/or serch the subject threads here. I have a Hauppage PVR-350 thats
workin great on FreeBSD 6.2-STABLE, although I havent checked in a year
or so :)

Good luck.

I've got X running with the nv driver at the moment, but I'll move over
to the nvidia driver once I've got the desktop sorted.
The last fresh install went in cleanly, only one packaged borked,
whereas before it was many..
I agree about the handbook, I would have been really stuck without it,

There must have been something still left on the HD from the first
install which I screwed up..

I'll have a look a the pvr port.

thanks for the infor 

Richard