Revision 13 as of 2007-06-16 07:42:11

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This is not the recommended way to install the NVIDIA drivers - please see ["BinaryDriverHowto/Nvidia"] for the supported method. Any problems that occur after using the following instructions should not be reported to the launchpad bug area. If the drivers were downloaded from the NVIDIA web site then the [http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=14 NVIDIA Linux web forum] is an appropriate place to report issues. Other places for binary driver manual installation support can be found on the [http://www.ubuntu.com/support/communitysupport Community Support page].

Sometimes, using the available nvidia-glx package in Ubuntu is not feasible for the user, either because of bugs that are present in the older version, or because the user will obtain a needed feature using the official drivers. The purpose of this page is to detail the necessary work to install the official NVIDIA drivers from Nvidia.com. Note that this will not fix resolution problems, for that you need to go [:FixVideoResolutionHowto:Here].

Obtaining Needed Software

Before you begin, it is strongly advised that your already have Xorg working acceptably with the 'nv' drivers included. First, make sure that your /etc/X11/xorg.conf is backed up. 

sudo cp /etc/X11/xorg.conf /etc/X11/xorg.conf.backup

Next, download the right drivers for your platform from [http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html here], and save them to your home directory.

Open a terminal, and run the following command: 

sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r`

attachment:IconsPage/IconDialog-Warning1.png This next step is optional. Most people will not need it, and it takes a fair amount of bandwidth and diskspace. It installs the Linux kernel source. If later steps fail, consider this a last resort. 

sudo apt-get install linux-source-`uname -r`
cd /usr/src
sudo tar xvjf linux-source-`uname -r`
sudo ln -s linux-source-`uname -r` /usr/src/linux

Disable Conflicting Software

Using Synaptic or Apt, uninstall nvidia-glx, nvidia-glx-legacy, nvidia-glx-new and nvidia-settings if they are installed.

Open the the /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common file with an editor and find the line: 

DISABLED_MODULES=""

replace it with: 

DISABLED_MODULES="nv nvidia_new"

Note: In Ubuntu 7.04 the nvidia_new is explicitly required in addition to nv on the DISABLED_MODULES line due to [https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/linux-restricted-modules-2.6.20/+bug/105756 lrm-manager failing to disable the nvidia_new module when nv is specified].

attachment:IconsPage/IconDialog-Warning1.png Warning: Be wary of uninstalling nvidia-kernel-common. Doing so will result in all other restricted drivers being uninstalled which may result in other hardware (e.g. certain wireless cards) or other software (e.g. VMware) failing to work after a reboot.

Prepare Configuration Files

The next step is to edit your xorg.conf file. Open it with an editor, 

gksudo gedit /etc/X11/xorg.conf

Find the section Module and comment out DRI using the # symbol, such as in the following example. 

Section "Module"
        Load    "bitmap"
        Load    "dbe"
        Load    "ddc"
#       Load    "dri"   <------ this is 'commented'
        Load    "extmod"
        Load    "freetype"
        Load    "glx"
        Load    "int10"
        Load    "record"
        Load    "type1"
        Load    "vbe"
EndSection

Now find the section Device, and change the Driver from nv (or vesa, fb, etc) to nvidia, as in the following example, and then save it. 

Section "Device"
        Identifier      "Card0"
        Driver          "nvidia" #This is where you change it
EndSection

Now that your Xorg.conf is saved, we need to shutdown the X11 server so that we can install the new drivers. To do this, save your work and press ctrl-alt-f1, and log in. Then run the following command to shutdown X11. Make sure your work is saved, Gnome is going to shutdown too. 

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm stop

Install the Driver

Now we need to run the NVIDIA installer script. First, it needs to be made executable. 

sudo chmod +x NVIDIA*

Useful tip, typing the first few letters and hitting the tab key will autocomplete the name, saving you from using wildcards like *

For Dapper users: now that you can run the script, you do so with the following command; make sure to include the ./: 

sudo ./NVIDIA*

attachment:IconsPage/IconDialog-Warning1.png Warning! If you're using Breezy Badger (5.10), then you will need to use the following commands instead of the one above: 

sudo apt-get install gcc-3.4
CC=gcc-3.4 sudo ./NVIDIA*

The installer will now walk you through the steps required. Assuming success, you can now restart your X11 server using 

sudo /etc/init.d/gdm start

It didn't work!

If the installer fails, go through the following checklist

  • Was Xorg already properly configured for the nv drivers?

  • Did you disable the loading of the Ubuntu provided NVIDIA drivers using DISABLED_MODULES="nv nvidia_new" in /etc/default/linux-restricted-modules-common ?

  • Did you remove the nvidia-glx/nvidia-glx-legacy/nvidia-glx-new and nvidia-settings packages installed via apt or synaptic?

  • Did you read the log found in /var/log/nvidia-installer-log for errors that can guide you?

  • Did you install the kernel headers (and possibly source package)?
  • Did you check the NVIDIA readme found on their site to make sure your card is supported with that version of driver?

  • Did you check the [http://www.nvnews.net/vbulletin/forumdisplay.php?f=14 NVIDIA Linux Forums] for any current 'known issues' with the latest drivers?

  • Did you ask in #ubuntu on irc.freenode.net?

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