http://www.nvidia.com/

http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86/180.60/NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0.run

Required patch for Linux 2.6.39: nvidia-drivers-180.60-linux-2.6.39.patch

This patch also contains the official security fix for CVE-2012-0946 (ftp://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/patches/security/CVE-2012-0946/)

The drivers beginning from the 185.15.* series till now, were not usable on this hardware so far.

Applying the patch:

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0.run --apply-patch nvidia-drivers-180.60-linux-2.6.39.patch

The original file will not be changed the patched installer's name is: NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0-custom.run

If installing the driver for the first time:

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0-custom.run -s --no-opengl-headers

If installing the driver after a Linux kernel upgrade;

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0-custom.run -s -K --no-opengl-headers

Prerequisites:

• Samsung M50 (http://www.samsung.com/au/products/notebookpcs/notebookpcs/np_m50.asp?page=Specifications)

01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: nVidia Corporation NV43 [GeForce Go 6600] (rev a2)

• I am not using any frame buffer stuff
• xorg.conf

My problem:

By default my system boots up to runlevel 3, I have to login and start X manually. From a running X, I can switch to any virtual terminal but they are black, I can not read anything. Switching back to X is no problem and everything is fine for the X display. If I quit X the virtual terminal stays black. They are all black like when switching to a VT from a running X.

Which seems to be a known problem:

http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=88455
http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=81256

Notes:

• I can not see anything but I can type commands which gets executed if I press 'Return'
• the display backlight is on (I can switch it off and on with FN + F5 but this does not change anything)

Howto create a bug report log file

startx -- -logverbose 6

run

nvidia-bug-report.sh

after the problem has occurred

modprobe nvidia NVreg_UseVBios=0

or better put this in /etc/modprobe.conf

options nvidia NVreg_UseVBios=0

At the moment there are only two possibilities:

• use this workaround
• running the latest Legacy GPU version (1.0-96xx series) because this is the latest available driver which does not show black VTs when switching from X to a VT or after quitting X

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0.run --extract-only &&
wget http://kratz00.org/files/nvidia-drivers-180.60-linux-2.6.39.patch &&
cp -pR NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0/ NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0_patched &&
cd NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0_patched &&
patch -p0 -i ../nvidia-drivers-180.60-linux-2.6.39.patch &&
cd usr/src/nv &&
make module

fix the error

make clean &&
rm -f modules.order Module.symvers &&
cd ../../../../NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0 &&
diff -Naur usr/ ../NVIDIA-Linux-x86-180.60-pkg0_patched/usr/ > ../nvidia-drivers-180.60-linux-2.6.40.patch