[HOW TO] Install Nvidia Drivers in Ubuntu (.run and Ubuntu Provided)

[Dlambert]

Due to the large number of Install guides, all with different methods I decided to make one central guide with the methods that worked for me. This guide will Cover installing the Ubuntu provided drivers and also the binary drivers from Nvidia itself.

FOR UBUNTU PROVIDED DRIVERS

To install Ubuntu provided Nvidia drivers ( If the sources "additional drivers" didn't work for you either):

1) Ctrl-Alt-F1 and login as your username

2)

sudo apt-get install linux-source

and headers

sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic

3) Uninstall nvidia driver - this depends on which version you tried to install from additional drivers :

sudo apt-get remove nvidia-current

sudo apt-get remove nvidia-current-updates

  
sudo apt-get remove nvidia-experimental-304 

4) NOTE: You can install "nvidia-current" "nvidia-current-updates" or "nvidia-experimental-304"

sudo apt-get install nvidia-current-updates

5)

sudo shutdown -r now

That should get the nvidia drivers of your choice working.

FOR BINARY DRIVERS

I recommend that rather than installing the experimental branch of drivers, that you just go ahead and install the binary drivers from Nvidia.



At your own Risk!



To Install Binary Drivers from Nvidia (This is what worked for me):





This guide assumes you have the above Nvidia drivers working, if not skip step 1.


But I believe you will still need to install the headers outlined in the above guide. ^^^ Step 2



0) Download the drivers from Nvidia depending on your card, and place the .run on your desktop. Right click and go into properties and find "Allow executing as a program" and click it.

http://www.geforce.com

1) NOTE: Depends on which version you currently had above (nvidia-current-updates" or example)

THIS STEP IS ONLY FOR USERS WITH NVIDIA DRIVERS ALREADY INSTALLED.

If not, please skip step 1.

  
sudo apt-get purge nvidia-current nvidia-settings

2)

sudo service lightdm stop

3) ctrl-alt-f1

4) Login

5) Then switch to the directory where your drivers are (I put mine on my Desktop)

cd Desktop

6) Then install the driver:

sudo ./N

Then hit tab and Ubuntu will automatically fill in the exact driver name so you don't have to type out the long name. (Granted you don't have another N-titled launcher)

7) Follow the prompts and install the driver.

If you get an issue with Nouveau (like I did at first)

sudo apt-get --purge remove xserver-xorg-video-nouveau

9) Then reinstall the driver (If you can) and if even if you cannot, run:

sudo update-initramfs -u

and reboot.

You should now have a working Nvidia driver without messing with black lists and Nouveau drama.

Closing thoughts: Please take note that with every kernel you will have to reinstall the Nvidia drivers of your choice if and only if you installed the .run file.

Thank you for your time, and please let me know if this guide can be improved, or it didn't work for you. Both of which I will try to correct, thank you. -Dlambert

Sources:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/20257...nvidia-drivers

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Bi...erHowto/Nvidia

http://linuxers.org/howto/how-remove...drivers-ubuntu

http://askubuntu.com/questions/20342...n-ubuntu-12-10

[drmrgd]

Very nice! Thank you for this. I agree there's a ton of different guides out there, and I think this is an issue that is going to come up even more often than it already does given the buzz with the new Nvidia drivers out now.

[Dlambert]

Very nice! Thank you for this. I agree there's a ton of different guides out there, and I think this is an issue that is going to come up even more often than it already does given the buzz with the new Nvidia drivers out now.

You're welcome! That's exactly why I made this. I wanted to install the new drivers. And every guide involved blacklisting nouveau with mixed success.So i compiled the steps it took me to get it working without blacklisting. I am now enjoying better performance brought from the new drivers.

[Dlambert]

Updated to fix typos, the font issue, and overall flow of the guide. Enjoy!

[holastickboy]

Excellent guide, and thanks for posting! I have no idea what Canonical was doing with Ubuntu 12.10, so many issues with video cards (not just Nvidia too, but the Catalyst drivers were horrible to install as well). After my install, I still had problems (have a dual screen setup), but all was fixed after downgrading to 12.04. I hate regression!

[Dlambert]

No problem! But I'm glad jockey is gone.

[billatub]

Thank you for this. The large number of (often wrong, outdated or incomplete) guides spattered all over hyperspace lead to much frustration.

Might I ask an awkward question?

(How) can one get a change of driver to work when using a live dvd?
That re-boot step rather messes things up for a live user.
Would restart X be enough?

Plus I tend to find that if I apply too much update in a live setting, swap does not comply; the live fs just fills up until it won't work any more. I confess I haven't tried your method yet, my own attempts having failed so often before.

Alternatively, is there a way to install an nVidia driver permanently on a machine, and direct the boot from live dvd to pick up that version?

[Dlambert]

I honestly don't know about the live dvd thing. I would say no. Because the nvidia driver is built into the kernel. Your best bet would to run a os that builds in the proprietary drivers like sabayon. Manjaro linux or pc linux os. To name a few

[MadMadness]

Thank you very much for these instructions. I was able to follow them to successfully install the latest nvidia linux drivers. I do have a question, however; Should the Nvidia X Control Settings still work with the native drivers? The Nvidia control panel no longer worked for me after the native drivers were installed.

[Dlambert]

Thank you very much for these instructions. I was able to follow them to successfully install the latest nvidia linux drivers. I do have a question, however; Should the Nvidia X Control Settings still work with the native drivers? The Nvidia control panel no longer worked for me after the native drivers were installed.

Just reinstall the nvidia-settings:

sudo apt-get install nvidia-settings

But otherwise the settings should work, as you don't need to reinstall the cp with every new driver.