Before you install and run Compiz Fusion, you need to add a few settings to /etc/X11/xorg.conf:
Add the following section to enable composite effects:
Section "Extensions" Option "Composite" "Enable" EndSection
Locate the “Screen” section which should look similar to the one below:
Section "Screen" Identifier "Screen0" Device "Card0" Monitor "Monitor0" ...
and add the following two lines (after “Monitor” will do):
DefaultDepth 24 Option "AddARGBGLXVisuals" "True"
Locate the “Subsection” that refers to the screen resolution that you wish to use. For example, if you wish to use 1280x1024, locate the section that follows. If the desired resolution does not appear in any subsection, you may add the relevant entry by hand:
SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Modes "1280x1024" EndSubSection
A color depth of 24 bits is needed for desktop composition, change the above subsection to:
SubSection "Display" Viewport 0 0 Depth 24 Modes "1280x1024" EndSubSection
Finally, confirm that the “glx” and “extmod” modules are loaded in the “Module” section:
Section "Module" Load "extmod" Load "glx" ...
Note: If you installed the x11/nvidia-xconfig port, you should be able to perform most of the above settings by entering the following commands (as root):
# nvidia-xconfig --add-argb-glx-visuals # nvidia-xconfig --composite # nvidia-xconfig --depth=24You may wish to run nvidia-xconfig -A | more to see a list of all the options offered by the above program.