antiX-forum

Rebel · Joined: 22 Mar 2008 Posts: 19 Location: Irvine, California

Although I am not new to Linux I have never installed a video card. I have acquired a ATI Radeon X600 SE and a NVIDIA FX5200 each are 128 MB. Which would be best for Mepis/AntiX?? What is the correct installation procedure? (I tried the old plug n' play to no avail)
The card will go into a Dell GX280 Pentium 4 , 1024 MB ram.
Thank you for any help in advance. Very Happy

h2 · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 54

I recommend using sgfxi to install nvidia. Radeon fglrx support is still weak, although the free xorg radeonhd is getting better, but still barely does 3d.

If antix can get straight debian testing/sid kernels to install, fglrx support will be available. It may also work on the current mepis kernel, though that is totally untested by me.

To get the default install, just do: sgfxi -c
Must be done OUT of X/desktop.

-c is for composite, which most people want for things like compiz etc.

lucky9 · Joined: 13 Jul 2008 Posts: 19

I have antiX 7.5test1 dist-upgraded running the 2.25.10xxxx kernel at the moment with no perceived problems booting or running the OS. Installed with smxi.
I'm using an NVIDIA 7600GT.

h2 · Joined: 13 Jun 2008 Posts: 54

the last step of smxi is installing the graphics driver. In fact, if you install the new kernel with smxi, and don't exit smxi, you can install the graphics driver to the new kernel before you reboot, which means you can install kernel, dist-upgrade, instlal graphics driver, then reboot into the new kernel/graphics driver.

sgfxi is the graphics installer engine for smxi, and can be run either via the graphics install final step of smxi, or alone.

For anyone not aware, non free drivers like nvidia or fglrx, but NOT xorg drivers, require a reinstall every new kernel, and every time core xorg components update. smxi checks xorg for updates pre and post dist-upgrade, and let's you know at the final gfx install question if xorg updated.

Now and then you can also install latest testing sidux kernel if you start smxi with -K option, smxi -K

This adds testing kernel, if any available, to advanced kernel install list of kernels. These are testing kernels, of course, and may be missing some modules. Currently nvidia does work with 2.6.26 testing.