16.04 LTS: install nVidia video driver

[Xinghao_Chen]

My install of 16.04 LTS on ThinkPad W701DS mobile station with nVidia Quadro FX 3800M has been an uphill battle so far. With the help of kerry_s on this Forum I managed a install on an 80GB SSD which only works in the "recovery mode" with whatever the default video settings. A normal boot would only result in blank screen in some case and slow-motion color-changing fading curtain screen in other cases.

So, I am thinking to solve the video issue. I located a piece of instructions (dated 04/17/2014) on the Internet to install nVidia video drivers using PPA on specific Ubuntu releases 14.04/13.10/13.04/12.10:

https://www.howopensource.com/2012/10/install-nvidia-geforce-driver-in-ubuntu-12-10-12-04-using-ppa/

As a Ubuntu user with elementary Linux skill, I am wondering if the above instructions are still valid for 16.04 LTS.

(The current install on the 80GB SSD is my effort over 2 weeks and I need some assurance before experiment with it .)

Please advise.

[Bashing-om]

Xinghao_Chen; Hello;



As a Ubuntu user with elementary Linux skill, I am wondering if the above instructions are still valid for 16.04 LTS.

short answer is NO, the xorg-edgers ppa has been superseded:
https://launchpad.net/~graphics-drivers/+archive/ubuntu/ppa

Is there a reason that the proprietary driver in the standard software repository is unsuitable ?
Should we not be working to install the driver from our repo ?





a right way, a wrong way



which way ?

[Xinghao_Chen]

Thanks for the reply. My install of 16.04 LTS always boots to a black screen showing nothing. Tapping the Esc key in a right frequency sometimes brings up the advanced boot options and only the recovery mode -> resume would bring me to the Ubuntu desktop with default settings:

https://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2386498

I did not do anything specifically to install a proprietary driver - I just followed the steps as asked by the installer of 16.04 LTS ISO and I don't know what video driver is installed. Whatever is in the install, the video is not working in the normal boot.

[Xinghao_Chen]

I forgot to ask this in my early reply:

How do I install an nVidia video driver for Quadro FX 3800M from Ubuntu repo?

[Bashing-om]

Xinghao_Chen; Uh Huh ///

Installing the proprietary driver in many cases does resolve these types of issues.

At this time can you boot to the login screen ?
At the login screen activate a console interface - key combo ctl+alt+f2 . -> log into the system with user-name and pass word ( no response to the screen when pass word entered, just enter the pass word blindly and hit the enter key )

This interface is the easier to work with to get some system information and to get the driver installed.



ain't no step for a stepper

[oldfred]

it looks like a legacy driver is required and that should just be in the Ubuntu repository.

http://www.nvidia.com/object/IO_32667.html
Shows 340.xx as correct driver for Quadro FX 3800 0x05FF.

The recover mode use nomodeset boot parameter, so that is why it works.
You should only need nomodeset until you install the correct driver from the Ubuntu repository.
Look in System Settings, Software & Updates, Additional drivers tab.
If gui not working you can also install driver from command line/terminal.

[Xinghao_Chen]

Thank you all. It worked. Here is what I did in a terminal:

$sudo apt-get purge nvidia*

$sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers

$sudo apt-get update

$sudo apt-get install nvidia-340

$reboot

Thank you all very much.

[Bashing-om]

Xinghao_Chen; Good deal :)

Pleased you found a solution .



'buntu



many paths to an end