[Solved] Failed to initialize the NVIDIA kernel module

Question

Hi all,
I've just made the jump to arch and have a fresh install. I'm having trouble getting the nvidia drivers to work. I am currently using the nouveau drivers without issue.
The method I am using - after much trial - is:
- uninstall nouveau and mesa lib
- install nvidia package
- remove nouveau module entry in mkinitcpio.conf
- run `mkinitcpio -p linux`
- edit .conf in xorg.conf.d with minimal required settings. Currently:
Section "Device"
Identifier "device0"
Driver "nvidia"
BusID "PCI:1:0:0"
EndSection
I have installed the linux-headers package and tried reinstalling nvidia again
Card:
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller: NVIDIA Corporation GF106 [GeForce GTS 450] (rev a1)
Kernel:
3.12.6-1-ARCH
My Xorg.0.log looks like:
[ 3.979]
X.Org X Server 1.14.5
Release Date: 2013-12-12
[ 3.979] X Protocol Version 11, Revision 0
[ 3.979] Build Operating System: Linux 3.12.5-1-ARCH x86_64
[ 3.979] Current Operating System: Linux arch.tempera 3.12.6-1-ARCH #1 SMP PREEMPT Fri Dec 20 19:39:00 CET 2013 x86_64
[ 3.979] Kernel command line: initrd=\initramfs-linux.img root=/dev/sda2 rw
[ 3.979] Build Date: 13 December 2013 03:11:42PM
[ 3.979]
[ 3.979] Current version of pixman: 0.32.4
[ 3.979] Before reporting problems, check [url]http://wiki.x.org[/url]
to make sure that you have the latest version.
[ 3.979] Markers: (--) probed, (**) from config file, (==) default setting,
(++) from command line, (!!) notice, (II) informational,
(WW) warning, (EE) error, (NI) not implemented, (??) unknown.
[ 3.979] (==) Log file: "/var/log/Xorg.0.log", Time: Sat Jan 4 21:29:46 2014
[ 3.980] (==) Using config directory: "/etc/X11/xorg.conf.d"
[ 3.980] (==) No Layout section. Using the first Screen section.
[ 3.980] (==) No screen section available. Using defaults.
[ 3.980] (**) |-->Screen "Default Screen Section" (0)
[ 3.980] (**) | |-->Monitor "<default monitor>"
[ 3.981] (==) No device specified for screen "Default Screen Section".
Using the first device section listed.
[ 3.981] (**) | |-->Device "device0"
[ 3.981] (==) No monitor specified for screen "Default Screen Section".
Using a default monitor configuration.
[ 3.981] (==) Automatically adding devices
[ 3.981] (==) Automatically enabling devices
[ 3.981] (==) Automatically adding GPU devices
[ 3.984] (WW) The directory "/usr/share/fonts/OTF/" does not exist.
[ 3.984] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 3.984] (WW) `fonts.dir' not found (or not valid) in "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/".
[ 3.984] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 3.984] (Run 'mkfontdir' on "/usr/share/fonts/100dpi/").
[ 3.984] (WW) `fonts.dir' not found (or not valid) in "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/".
[ 3.984] Entry deleted from font path.
[ 3.984] (Run 'mkfontdir' on "/usr/share/fonts/75dpi/").
[ 3.984] (==) FontPath set to:
/usr/share/fonts/misc/,
/usr/share/fonts/TTF/,
/usr/share/fonts/Type1/
[ 3.984] (==) ModulePath set to "/usr/lib/xorg/modules"
[ 3.984] (II) The server relies on udev to provide the list of input devices.
If no devices become available, reconfigure udev or disable AutoAddDevices.
[ 3.984] (II) Loader magic: 0x7fec20
[ 3.984] (II) Module ABI versions:
[ 3.984] X.Org ANSI C Emulation: 0.4
[ 3.984] X.Org Video Driver: 14.1
[ 3.984] X.Org XInput driver : 19.1
[ 3.984] X.Org Server Extension : 7.0
[ 3.985] (--) PCI:*(0:1:0:0) 10de:0dc4:19da:1184 rev 161, Mem @ 0xf4000000/16777216, 0xe0000000/134217728, 0xe8000000/33554432, I/O @ 0x0000e000/128, BIOS @ 0x????????/524288
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension Generic Event Extension
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension SHAPE
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SHM
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XInputExtension
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XTEST
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension BIG-REQUESTS
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension SYNC
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XKEYBOARD
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XC-MISC
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension SECURITY
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XINERAMA
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XFIXES
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension RENDER
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension RANDR
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension COMPOSITE
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension DAMAGE
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension MIT-SCREEN-SAVER
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension DOUBLE-BUFFER
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension RECORD
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension DPMS
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension X-Resource
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XVideo
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XVideo-MotionCompensation
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-VidModeExtension
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DGA
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension XFree86-DRI
[ 3.986] Initializing built-in extension DRI2
[ 3.986] (II) LoadModule: "glx"
[ 3.989] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions/libglx.so
[ 4.075] (II) Module glx: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[ 4.075] compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[ 4.075] Module class: X.Org Server Extension
[ 4.075] (II) NVIDIA GLX Module 331.20 Wed Oct 30 17:36:48 PDT 2013
[ 4.076] Loading extension GLX
[ 4.076] (II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
[ 4.076] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
[ 4.082] (II) Module nvidia: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
[ 4.082] compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
[ 4.082] Module class: X.Org Video Driver
[ 4.083] (II) NVIDIA dlloader X Driver 331.20 Wed Oct 30 17:16:53 PDT 2013
[ 4.083] (II) NVIDIA Unified Driver for all Supported NVIDIA GPUs
[ 4.083] (++) using VT number 7
[ 4.090] (II) Loading sub module "fb"
[ 4.090] (II) LoadModule: "fb"
[ 4.090] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libfb.so
[ 4.091] (II) Module fb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 4.091] compiled for 1.14.5, module version = 1.0.0
[ 4.091] ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
[ 4.091] (WW) Unresolved symbol: fbGetGCPrivateKey
[ 4.091] (II) Loading sub module "wfb"
[ 4.091] (II) LoadModule: "wfb"
[ 4.091] (II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/libwfb.so
[ 4.092] (II) Module wfb: vendor="X.Org Foundation"
[ 4.092] compiled for 1.14.5, module version = 1.0.0
[ 4.092] ABI class: X.Org ANSI C Emulation, version 0.4
[ 4.092] (II) Loading sub module "ramdac"
[ 4.092] (II) LoadModule: "ramdac"
[ 4.092] (II) Module "ramdac" already built-in
[ 4.093] (II) NVIDIA(0): Creating default Display subsection in Screen section
"Default Screen Section" for depth/fbbpp 24/32
[ 4.093] (==) NVIDIA(0): Depth 24, (==) framebuffer bpp 32
[ 4.093] (==) NVIDIA(0): RGB weight 888
[ 4.093] (==) NVIDIA(0): Default visual is TrueColor
[ 4.093] (==) NVIDIA(0): Using gamma correction (1.0, 1.0, 1.0)
[ 4.094] (**) NVIDIA(0): Enabling 2D acceleration
[ 4.095] (EE) NVIDIA(0): Failed to initialize the NVIDIA kernel module. Please see the
[ 4.095] (EE) NVIDIA(0): system's kernel log for additional error messages and
[ 4.095] (EE) NVIDIA(0): consult the NVIDIA README for details.
[ 4.095] (EE) NVIDIA(0): *** Aborting ***
[ 4.095] (EE) NVIDIA(0): Failing initialization of X screen 0
[ 4.095] (II) UnloadModule: "nvidia"
[ 4.095] (II) UnloadSubModule: "wfb"
[ 4.095] (II) UnloadSubModule: "fb"
[ 4.095] (EE) Screen(s) found, but none have a usable configuration.
[ 4.095] (EE)
Fatal server error:
[ 4.095] (EE) no screens found(EE)
[ 4.095] (EE)
Please consult the The X.Org Foundation support
at [url]http://wiki.x.org[/url]
for help.
[ 4.095] (EE) Please also check the log file at "/var/log/Xorg.0.log" for additional information.
[ 4.095] (EE)
[ 4.107] (EE) Server terminated with error (1). Closing log file.
The only entry I found in `dmesg | grep nvidia` related to nvidia-drm, and seemed to say it was loaded successfully. I didn't save the exact entry and i've reinstalled nouveau now so that I could post this.
Any help much appriciated. I've been at this for a while. Learning a lot in the process!
Last edited by gnibbler (2014-01-04 22:31:49)

Answer 1

Success! Several days of trying various things and I finally give in and make a post to this forum. One more attempt - which was only really so that I could add modprobe info to this post - and it works.
I had at some stage installed the driver xf86-video-nv, and this may have been causing the clash. I un-installed it, and followed the procedure above to reinstall nvidia.
I think the main hang up I'd had is that I had not been rebuilding my kernel image with mkinitcpio after installing nvidia during my previous attempts.
I hope some info in here helps some other stuck archer.
Edit: Thanks graysky. I had found the right nvidia driver using the arch wiki and followed this advice to remove the nouveau hook. Much appriciated.
Last edited by gnibbler (2014-01-04 22:35:00)