RH Linux 9.0 video driver update with xfree86

uhm... first of all... i've no idea where went wrong....
so i'll just tell u guys the process of how i did the stuff....
so recently i was tryin to update my nvidia geforce 4 ti4400 on my red hat linux 9.0 system. I downloaded the driver (for linux) off the nvidia website... and i read the manual on how to install it...
it says it requires xfree86... so i went to xfree86 to dl their newest driver.... and set it up... (btw can anyone tell me how to exit the X window sesion? i know that someone on this forum suggested that pressing ctrl + alt + backspace will exit my x session, but it immediately returns to the login screen... which is an x session again isn't it? so is there any way to shut the x session and go into the command shell manually?)
anywayz... i forgot to mention that i updated my kernel to the newest version via rh's auto update.... so after i press ctrl + alt + backspace like 5 times... it'll log me into the command shell... (i need to go into the command shell cuz xfree86 won't install in x windows) so i did my stuff... i installed the thing... and marched onto the nvidia driver...
now the problem occurs.... it says that it cannot determine what my kernel is... and it then says it can compile one for me if there's a kernel header... but after this screen it says it cannot find my kernel header... which is supposed to be somwhere in /usr/bin/ld... i have the ld file... but since i'm a newb in linux... i have no idea how to read it.... is the file corrupted?
i got my linux iso from linuxiso.org
the md5sum was correct for nvidia driver and xfree86 driver and the linux OS
the nvidia driver is universal so i don't think the version makes any difference... (yes i believe i downloaded the right driver)
the version of xfree86 is 4.3.0 binaries

so does anyone know the problem to how come i cannot install the nvidia driver?

thx in advance!