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EVGA GeForce 7900GS KO 256 - doesn't work


InsanelyOne
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I did my homework and bought a card that I was sure was going to work. Now it looks like I've just wasted $150.

 

System: Dell Dimension 5150

OS: Jas 10.4.8 w/ latest 8.8.1 kernel

 

I had no prior video card installed. I was using the onboard GMA 950. I had not messed around with any kexts prior to installing the 7900GS.

 

Installed NvidiaEFI.kext and Natit.kext. Deleted Extensions.kextcache and Extensions.mkext. Repaired permissions and rebooted.

 

The card is recognized and the OS boots fine. However, the screen is all "snow". I can see the screen elements. I can see my mouse. The dock moves when I put the mouse down to the bottom of the screen. Of course I can't make out a thing on the screen. Just a bunch of fuzz.

 

Any ideas? Would a different kernel do anything?

 

I'm frustrated because I was certain the 7900GS would work. Damn this is a pain.

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get your display EDID from windows, insert it in NATIT and create a custom display profile using NP_'s display utility, this might help a bit :

 

http://www.macvidia.com/index.php?option=c...&board=31.0

 

BTW, did you try both DVI outputs ?

 

where are you insterting the EDID into NATIT?

 

to my knowledge there isnt a place for it :thumbsup_anim:

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here is the NATIT info.plist I'm using, specificaly customized for my display and card :

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple Computer//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
<dict>
<key>CFBundleDevelopmentRegion</key>
<string>English</string>
<key>CFBundleExecutable</key>
<string>Natit</string>
<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
<string>com.dmweb.Natit</string>
<key>CFBundleInfoDictionaryVersion</key>
<string>6.0</string>
<key>CFBundleName</key>
<string>Natit</string>
<key>CFBundlePackageType</key>
<string>KEXT</string>
<key>CFBundleSignature</key>
<string>????</string>
<key>CFBundleVersion</key>
<string>1.0.0d1</string>
<key>IOKitPersonalities</key>
<dict>
	<key>Natit</key>
	<dict>
		<key>CFBundleIdentifier</key>
		<string>com.dmweb.Natit</string>
		<key>IOClass</key>
		<string>com_dmweb_Natit</string>
		<key>IOMatchCategory</key>
		<string>IOFramebuffer</string>
		<key>IONameMatch</key>
		<string>display</string>
		<key>IOPCIMatch</key>
		<string>0x000010de&0x0000ffff</string>
		<key>IOProbeScore</key>
		<integer>0</integer>
		<key>IOProviderClass</key>
		<string>IOPCIDevice</string>
		<key>Vendors</key>
		<dict>
			<key>0x10DE</key>
			<dict>
				<key>Devices</key>
				<dict>
					<key>0x0391</key>
					<dict>
						<key>name</key>
						<string>GeForce 7600 GT</string>
					</dict>
				</dict>
				<key>entriesToAdd</key>
				<dict>
					<key>default</key>
					<dict>
						<key>@0,EDID</key>
						<data>
						</data>
						<key>@0,NVMT</key>
						<data>
						CgN/IEwtHAJ4BRoESAfQ
						BWAGAABBBB0EIQQAAPDB
						QQcAAAEAAAAA/wAAAAAA
						AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
						AAAAAAAA
						</data>
						<key>@0,compatible</key>
						<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
						<key>@0,device_type</key>
						<string>display</string>
						<key>@0,fboffset</key>
						<integer>131072</integer>
						<key>@0,name</key>
						<string>NVDA,Display-A</string>
						<key>@1,EDID</key>
						<data>
						AP///////wAiZJGJTAIA
						ABYQAQOAKRp4Kpu2pFNL
						nSQUT1S/7wAxRmFGcU+B
						QIGAlQCVDwEBmimg0FGE
						IjBQmDYAmP8QAAAcAAAA
						/QAxSx5QDgAKICAgICAg
						AAAA/ABIVzE5MUQKICAg
						ICAgAAAA/wA2MjJHSDMy
						Q0EwNTg4ANE=
						</data>
						<key>@1,compatible</key>
						<string>NVDA,NVMac</string>
						<key>@1,device_type</key>
						<string>display</string>
						<key>@1,name</key>
						<string>NVDA,Display-B</string>
						<key>NVCAP</key>
						<data>
						BAABAAAAAwAMAAAAAAAA
						CgAAAAA=
						</data>
						<key>device_type</key>
						<string>NVDA,Parent</string>
					</dict>
				</dict>
				<key>name</key>
				<string>nVIDIA</string>
			</dict>
		</dict>
		<key>entriesToAdd</key>
		<dict/>
	</dict>
</dict>
<key>OSBundleLibraries</key>
<dict>
	<key>com.apple.iokit.IOPCIFamily</key>
	<string>1.0.0b1</string>
	<key>com.apple.kernel.iokit</key>
	<string>6.0</string>
</dict>
<key>OSBundleRequired</key>
<string>Safe Boot</string>
</dict>
</plist>

 

displayEDID is inserted...

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I said it was editied, since I said I added my display EDID (BTW, it needs to be done via Property List Editor, because it is encoded...)

I just removed the other Nvidia and ATI cards deviceID since I need only the one for my card. That's the 2 things I edited.

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gotoh, thanks for the help...however, I have no windows computers so I don't know how to get my EDID for my display.

 

My display is a 17" Dell analog... definitely not something unusual. I'm still trying to understand why the card won't work right out of the box.

 

I have a 24" Dell display as well. I've tried every combination of monitor and connector's to no avail.

 

I guess I'm just stupid cuz I can't figure out where to download this display utility. Will it result in creating a file or files that need to be installed somewhere?

 

You'll have to bear with me as your instructions presume a level of understanding that I just don't seem to have.

 

(That said, I've been in the IT business for years and have been working with Unix since 1985.) I just don't have much knowledge with the kext stuff and the info.plist files.

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I believe at this point, I've just made more of a mess of things.

 

So far these are the files I've messed around with:

 

Natit.kext

GeForce.kext

NVDANV20Hal.kext

NVDANV40Hal.kext

(How the hell am I supposed to know which one? My device id is 0292 so does that mean I'm supposed to edit NVDANV20Hal.kext?)

NVDAResman.kext

 

At this point I think I've made things worse than better.

 

Can I delete the NVDANVXXHal.kext files I don't need... assuming I know which one I do need (of which I'm not sure).

 

Anyone want to send some files my way? I'm getting desperate at this point.

 

As it stands now I'm getting Kernel Panics when I try booting.

 

Oh.. .and by the way... how come sometimes I see "0x123410de&0x0000fff" and other times just "0x123410de" in the IOPCIMatch key in the Info.plist file?

 

If I had any hair... I'd pull it out!!

 

Please people... throw me a bone!

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Thank you gotoh for your help. I will try to be more specific as to what I've already tried:

 

 

1. Natit.kext (the one from the natit_dual_v0.2)

2. GeForce.kext (changed the IOPCIMatch string to 0x029210de)

3. NVDAResman.kext (changed the IOPCIMatch string to 0x029210de)

4. NVDANV40Hal.kext (changed the IOPCIMatch string to 0x029210de)

 

(I had originally modified the NVDANVHal20.kext but reverted that to it's original state)

 

With the above changed, I get a kernel panic. When I boot with a -v option, I see that it is failing to start display. (Or a similar message to the effect.

 

I then tried taking your Natit Info.plist that you posted above and stripped out the EDID part. With that I get past the kernel panic but then I'm back to the original problem... the screen looks like snow.

 

It sounds like my solution may be the EDID thing in the Natit Info.plist but I have no way of figuring out what it should be. So I guess I'm f---ed.

 

What's troubling me the most is that I've read several posts in these forums where people with the 7900GS card say the installed the Natit.kext and everything worked like magic.

 

I have no way of returning this card... so it looks like I just have to dump it in the trash... what a waste.

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did you try with nvidiaEFI without NATIT ?

 

Yes.... interestingly enough, I get the exact same result.

 

I'm now trying it with both of my monitors connected (17" Dell Analog connected with DVI adapter and 24" Dell).

 

With the 17" plugged into either connector, I get "snow" however as I stated before I can see all of the screen elements. Based on the size of the dock and menubar, it appears as though it's rendering at the correct resolution (1280x1024). That said, the monitor itself pops up a message saying "Cannot Display This Video Mode - Optimum resolution 1280x1024 60Hz". So maybe it's the frequency that's messing up.

 

With the 17" plugged into the connector closest to the MB and the 24" plugged into the second connector, I get the same result with the 17" and the 24" is black. I can see the mouse on the 24" and it's evident that the monitor is not showing the correct resolution because the mouse is at least twice the normal size.

 

With the 24" connected into the connector closest to the MB and the 17" disconnected, the 24" displays "snow" just like the 17" did. And just like the 17", the 24" appears to be displaying the correct resolution because the screen elements and mouse look to be the correct size.

 

I truly hope someone can come up with a solution for me.. cuz I'm about read to throw this card out the window...literally.

 

If anyone wants to try sending me kext files they think might work... feel free: InsanelyOne at mac.com

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InsanelyOne, if you don't need dual screens, don't use Natit.

 

You should try with only Titian and 4.8 kexts, if that goes ok, swap Titian for NVidiaEFI. There's plenty of instruction around the site. You only need to edit your Dev Id into the correct plists. If you decide to go with anything else, try and delete all other Ids that aren't yours.

 

http://www.mediafire.com/?amtmwqztiqz

 

http://forum.insanelymac.com/index.php?s=&...st&p=251326

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you can always send it my way, i can get it working with just one kext :star_smile:

 

-DiaboliK

 

I live in a third word country and shipping things is very expensive. It was hard getting the card in the first place.

 

If you would be so kind, could you send me the following files:

 

Natit.kext

NvidiaEFI.kext

GeForce.kext

NVDAResman.kext

NVDANV40Hal.kext

 

It highly plausible I've messed my up beyond repair.

 

My email is InsanelyOne at mac.com

 

By the way... what kernel are you running? I've got the latest Semthex (just got it yesterday)

 

InsanelyOne, if you don't need dual screens, don't use Natit.

 

You should try with only Titian and 4.8 kexts, if that goes ok, swap Titian for NVidiaEFI. There's plenty of instruction around the site. You only need to edit your Dev Id into the correct plists. If you decide to go with anything else, try and delete all other Ids that aren't yours.

 

The whole point of getting the 7900GS card was to have Dual DVI capability. My onboard GMA 950 works perfect for a single monitor setup.

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Use the file I linked and add all the kexts, agreeing to replace them. sudo chown/chmod and repairPermissions /.

 

The whole point of getting the 7900GS card was to have Dual DVI capability. My onboard GMA 950 works perfect for a single monitor setup.

 

It can be done because bofors had 7600 dual DVI and thats how Natit came to be :)

 

You'll have to go through testing all versions of Natit and follow all instructions correctly. I know it can be frustrating but everyones hardware responds differently.

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Use the file I linked and add all the kexts, agreeing to replace them. sudo chown/chmod and repairPermissions /.

 

Unfortunately I can't seem to download the file. I get to the MediaFile page but when I click the download link I just get an error telling me it can't connect to the server "download9.mediafile.com". The stars are definitely not lining up for me :):( :(

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Update: I was able to finally download the NVIDIA_WORKING_KEXTS.rar file.

 

Prior to that, I had deleted any and all files related to NVIDIA. This resulted in me being able to connect either monitor to the card and boot. I updated the com.apple.Boot.plist file and added:

 

<key>Graphics Mode</key>

<string>1280x1024x32</string>

 

The 17" monitor showed in 1280x1024 (although the image was shifted several pixels to the left). The 24" monitor was plugged into the second connector and was a mirror of the 17".

 

So without any NVIDIA kext files, I can at least see the display properly ... well just okay that is.

 

Next I extracted the files from the RAR file and installed them into the Extensions folder as per suggested in the link you posted. I deleted the Extensions.kextcache and Extensions.mkext files and repaired permissions.

 

Rebooted.. .and I'm back where I started. The screen is "snow" although it appears to be the correct resolution. Only this time some processes keeps crashes because it appears that the session keeps logging out and back in again. Maybe it's loginwindow.app that's crashing. Not sure.

 

Guess I'll try deleting all the NVIDIA files again and this time reintroduce the files one at a time? Maybe start with Natit.kext... then maybe GeForce.kext.

 

Wish me luck. I hope I don't break this computer with all this rebooting over and over... plus I have to keep removing the video card so I can revert to the onboard adapter.

 

ugh...

 

As always... thanks everyone for your help... and additional suggestions are welcome.

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Yet Another Update:

 

If anyone gives a {censored}... here's where I stand now. Still no success. This is what I've tried:

 

1. Deleted all NVDA kexts (but left the .bundle files)

 

2. Added Natit.kext from the RAR file mentioned in my earlier post.

Note: there was no entry for my card (id 0292) in that file so I added one.

Status: Boots okay, system profiler says unknown nvidia adapter

 

3. Added NVidiaEFI.kext

Status: Boots okay, system profile shows GeForce 7900 GS but only recognized the first display

 

4. Added GeForce.kext

Status: same as before. I'm getting 1280x1024 resolution. I can't change resolution. Can't play DVD's. Still doesn't see second display.

 

I try switching which ports the 2 monitors are connected to... doesn't make a difference.

 

Note: while booting with "-v" option, I see that it seems to be recognizing my 24" display cuz it says something about max resolution 1920x1200.

 

5. Added NVDAResman.kext

Status: kernel panic

 

This is where I'm stuck. I've spent hours on this and am about to give up. I haven't tried the NVDANV40Hal.kext. Is that somehow directly tied into the NVDAResman.kext? Maybe I'll add that file just to see if that does anything. I'm assuming what will happen is I'll get the "snow".

 

Edit:

I added NVDANV40Hal.kext and now it boots to a black screen that appears to be upside-down... mouse is in the bottom right corner and inverted (with the 24" monitor). With the 17" monitor it just boots to a black screen... no mouse.

 

 

I've packed up the card and dumped it in the closet... too bad it will go to waste.

 

If anyone has any ideas (please something more than a one-liner "You need 'XXXXX' file.") That would be great. I'd love to hear from someone that has a GeForce 7900 GS card. It seems there are many of you out there with the 7600.

 

Thanks again to all that helped. I suppose this is one of the joys of running OS X illegally.

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check at macvidia, you'll find many 7900GS users.

Maybe someone there can give you his precise kext configuration.

 

I'd suggest deleting nvidiaEFI and use NATIT only, with all the kext from the rar file (10.4.8 nvidia files)

 

here are the files required for GeForce 7xxx :

 

GeForce.kext

GeForceGA.plugin

GeForceFXGLDriver.bundle

GeForceVADriver.bundle

NVDANV40Hal.kext

NVDAResman.kext

 

you may only need to set your deviceID in nvdaresman.kext

 

try with this NATIT version and clean 10.4.8 listed nvidia extensions (drop in your extensions folder then run the script included in archive to set correct permissions)

natit.zip

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Still no luck. I tried the Natit.kext file you provided and loaded only the files you listed. I first edited just the NVDAResman.kext. Then I booted and got the same results as before... "snow". I then tried editing NVDANV40Hal.kext and rebooting and then finally GeForce.kext and rebooting. Each time the same result. There must be something specific to my installation (It was a JaS 10.4.8 SSE3 Semthex 8.8.1 installation. If I remember correctly I think I had to choose the GMA 950 during the install.)

 

In case anyone is curious, here's a pic of what I'm getting:

snowgk4.th.jpg

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