PC Linux Migration problems

The shift from the Geforce 6100 motherboard to the Geforce 7025 motherboard had been hard on FC and PC linux. The other distros atleast managed to bring up the console. In PC Linux's case the failure was especially hard hitting since I had been using it regularly.
The problem was that the system would crash soon after the the boot option was selected. Using the safe boot mode and frame buffer mode did not improve matters. My belief that Linux manages hardware changes much better than Windows was belied after that experience. But what made matters even more annoying was that even the Live CD would not proceed too far. Stopping with an unprecedented "Unable to Mount Live CD" error. Considering that the same Live CD worked fine on the other motherboard, and that other Live Cds worked fine on this motherboard on the same DVD drive, the CD-motherboard interaction was suspect.
A google brought up the explanation and the solution. Apparently, PC Linux has problems in dealing with SATA drives and adding "linux all-generic-ide" to the existing boot parameters solves the problem. Eventhough the DVD drive and Hard disk that I was using were NOT SATA, I edited the boot menu and voila the earlier problems vanished.

X still had issues with the 7025 onboard graphics. For this I used the Xorg -configure command, which promptly left the system unresponsive. I tried editing the original xorg.conf file and reduced the colour depth, but that did not help. Since the driver and monitor were accurately identified, there was nothing else to edit. Then I loaded the live Cd and went through the contents of it's xorg.conf file, since the live Cd managed to load X with diminished resolution. On browsing the contents of the file, I found that the device was not identified as nvidia, rather as vesa. I simple copied this section from the live xorg file and pasted it on the original xorg file. The next reboot brought up the GUI.

I could change the resolution to the max of the monitor from within the OS. Since the nv drivers were not being used, there was a reduction in the visual aspects of the GUI, most notably the lack of Anti alaising which ensures smoother fonts and curves. But, that is a small price.

I had hoped that the change of luck would carry on to the Realtek driver as well, but this was not to be.

Update:

Well, well, well.
I have had a change of heart with regard to the apathy of component manufacturers towards linux. The Realtek LAn driver ordeal fresh in mind, I braced my self for another session of make, make install etc to get the display drivers for the geforce 7025. Without the correct drivers the fonts were all pricky and scrolling was a slideshow.
A google search revealed the presence of a nvidia self extracting, self installing package (http://www.nvidia.in/object/linux_display_amd64_100.14.11_in.html). I'll repeat the nature of the package, because it is probably a first in Linux - SELF EXTRACTING, SELF INSTALLING. The package with a .run extension weighed in at 15 MB. To run it the sh command is all that is needed.

Post download, I tried the sh command, but since I was using X, I was asked to run the package after exiting X. After exiting X, and logging in as root, I ran the command. The experience was too good to be true, except it was. The files were extracted and promptly the installation began. Somewhere midway during the installation, the routine came up with an error that a compatible precompiled kernel module was not found (probably referring to the PC Linux kernel which may not have been on the top of the developer's mind). IT offered an option to download the same from the Net which I permitted. A few seconds later, it returned with empty hands. Now get this : after the message that no compatible modules were found, it says "NO PROBLEM I SHALL CREATE ONE!!!!!!!!!!!". And so it proceeds to compile and create a kernel module. Then it tells me that the Xorg libraries were not found, and its paths are being guessed, and if the guesses were inaccurate another utility needs to be downloaded to rectify it. With that message, it goes ahead and tells me that the installation is complete.
startX and lo and behold.

The nvidia experience is not just an eye opener, it is a techtonic shift, it is a vision of paradise from the midst of pain and suffering, it is beyond words.

I shall not waste any more words riling Realtek and their asinine handling of drivers. In their support, though, compared to the might of Nvidia, they are paupers and probably incapable of allocating adequate funds to match the sheer elegance of nVidia's driver routine.