Q I've just upgraded my graphics card to an Nvidia MX440 (128MB). It works great in Windows after I installed the Nvidia drivers, but now I need to install the Linux drivers for SUSE 9.3, which I downloaded into my home partition. The problem is that I have to install them on the command line without the X Server running. How do I navigate to my home directory and run the driver setup routine?
A Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to switch to a virtual console and log in as root. Then type the following:
init 3 cd ~carl #or whatever your username is sh NVIDIA-Linux<tab>
The Tab key will complete the name of the Nvidia installer file for you. Answer the questions it asks (the defaults are usually fine) and it will install the drivers for you. Once the drivers are installed, you need to edit /etc/xorg.conf (as root) to tell X to use the new drivers. Full details are in the Readme file you should have downloaded from the same place as the installer. Before you edit the file, save a copy of it so you can reinstate it in case the Nvidia drivers do not work for any reason. If you are not comfortable with using a console-based text editor to edit files (although this is a good thing to learn if you want to go further with Linux), type init 5 to restart the desktop, select System > File Manager > File Manager - Super User Mode from the SUSE menu, navigate to /etc/X11, right-click on xorg.conf and select Kedit from the menu. After you have edited and saved the file, type init 3 to quit the desktop. Whichever method you used to edit xorg.conf, now type init 5 to start the desktop with the new drivers. You should see the Nvidia logo before the desktop loads, confirming that you used the correct drivers. Alternatively, you can install the Nvidia drivers from Yast by following the instructions at (deep breath) www.suse.de/~sndirsch/nvidia-installer-HOWTO.html#5, although you may not get the latest version.