Install Nvidia and ATI Drivers on Mandriva 2007.0

You've installed Mandriva Linux distribution on your PC and you want to have 3D support? This guide will teach you how to install Nvidia and ATI video drivers on Mandriva systems.

Nvidia installation:

First thing you need to do is to install the Kernel Source package, so open up the Mandriva Control Center and go to "Software Management" and click on "Look at installable software and install software packages". Then type in the search field "kernel-source" (without quotation marks) and install it. Before it will be installed, it will ask you for a dependency, so accept it.

Note: You need the Mandriva 2007.0 DVD in order to accomplish the task above.

Next, we need to download the corresponding Nvidia video driver from Softpedia, as follows:

For x86 machines

For AMD64 machines

Save the file in your home directory. Next step is to leave the X server and enter in text mode. Open a console and type the following command:

su
(enter your root password)
init 3 (hit Enter)

After this, you will enter console mode and you must login as root.

Now go into your home folder and run the Nvidia installer:

cd /home/(your user name here)
sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-1.0-9746-pkg1.run

(Example above is for a 32 bit machine. For AMD64, use the corresponding file)

Follow the steps in the installer and when it's finished, you will return to console mode. Reboot your system with CTRL+ALT+DEL and when you'll be back, you will have Nvidia video drivers installed.

ATI installation:

For ATI, it's pretty much the same as above.

You can get the ATI video driver installer from Softpedia, here. The good part is that ATI made a single installer for both x86 and x86_64 machines.

Enter in text mode as above, run the installer and when it's finished, you need to do some little tweaking for it to work properly. Type the following commands:

aticonfig --initial

then you must edit the /etc/X11/xorg.conf file and disable the Composite extension. Type:

mcedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

go to the bottom of the file and modify the Composite extension section, so it will look like this:

Section "Extensions"
Option "Composite" "Disable"
EndSection

Save (F2) and exit (F10). Reboot your system with CTRL+ALT+DEL and when you will be back, you'll have ATI video driver installed and 3D support.