Nvidia GTS 250 Driver
 

I have a dedicated linux box (Kubuntu 64 bit 14.04) for distributed computing projects with BOINC. I want to use my graphics card (Nvidia GTS 250) so I downloaded the most recent 64 bit linux driver.

I followed the directions found here: http://askubuntu.com/questions/18747...tall-run-files


Input

whoreuser@whorecpu:~/Downloads$ cd /home/whoreuser/Downloads
whoreuser@whorecpu:~/Downloads$ chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.76.run
whoreuser@whorecpu:~/Downloads$ sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.76.run
[sudo] password for whoreuser:
Verifying archive integrity... OK
Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 340.76.............................................................................................. ..........................................................................


Output

NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 (340.76)
ERROR: You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before
installing. For further details, please see the section INSTALLING
THE NVIDIA DRIVER in the README available on the Linux driver
download page at www.nvidia.com.


Follow-up

I went to the nvidia directory as suggested and became completely lost. I don't understand any of it.
Here it is: http://us.download.nvidia.com/XFree8...alldriver.html

The directions state: "Before you begin the installation, exit the X server and terminate all OpenGL applications . . .".


What does that mean and how do I perform it?


Thank you!

NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-340.76.run : Please delete.
You are not supposed to download software for Ubuntu.
Unless it is so unusual, that it isn't included in the 38,000 available packages.
. http://askubuntu.com/questions/47506...tional-drivers
. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware

KDE Application Launcher : Additional Drivers.
... Will automatically find your Nvidia GTS 250.
Then you can push the "Apply Changes" button.


* It is not advisable to build your own Nvidia driver.
By the next kernel update you would log into a black screen.
And have to do some rescue action.
* The Ubuntu delivered Nvidia will be updated automatically.



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Knud's up early today...

As Knud writes, there's an easy way and a hard way to install the Nvidia drivers. Downloading directly from Nvidia is the hard way. It gives you the latest version of the driver but if and when your installed linux kernel is updated, you'll be left with a black screen with a prompt(no X window manager with a valid driver) and have to re-install the driver again.

Getting the driver from a linux distributions repositories is what most users do, with the driver and its required kernel modules being updated automatically if the kernel is changed.

That said, if you have problems, that Nvidia README gives you a lot of basic information on dealing with graphics drivers in linux, terms and functions, that may give you that bit of insight that can get you out of trouble sometime in the future.

Our Wikipedia is a good reference source for those initially confusing definitions; as an example:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/X_Window_System
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runlevel

You should already have found the many Ubuntu help and discussion websites that will guide you in installing the Nvidia driver from the repositories.

Yes, I know but I couldn't find the nvidia driver in the update manager. I even included the restricted / proprietary repository. What am I doing wrong?

Not the update manager. Is for updating already installed packages !

Please read post #2 : The applications is simply named "Additional Drivers".

KDE Application Launcher : Additional Drivers.
... Will automatically find your Nvidia GTS 250.
Then you can push the "Apply Changes" button.


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Sorry, I thought the update manager was the same thing. I haven't used Linux much and the current KDE is very awkward and hard for me to follow. I will look for it when I get home. Thanks!

Well, you should be able to find some information in the "Manual"
. https://help.ubuntu.com/community/InstallingSoftware
* http://askubuntu.com/questions/47506...tional-drivers
. https://help.ubuntu.com/kubuntu/desktopguide/C/

You have four applications for software.
(( Besides the important command line tools :
sudo apt get-install <package>
apt-cache search <package-name> (or part of name)
apt-file <file> (The package 'apt-file' is required) ))

The four applications :
1) Muon Software Center = Ubuntu Software Center (Contains some packages).
2) Software Updater
3) Additional Drivers
4) Synaptic : All 46,780 packages : $ sudo apt-get install synaptic


There is also an on-line package search / package information.
Example http://packages.ubuntu.com/trusty/leafpad


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OK - Sort of solved. I went to the additional driver and selected the recommended nvidia driver. I also was forced to select an AMD driver. It gave me the option of some accelerater or some xorg. The xorg wrap was recommended so I selected it.

I have done this twice and received the same result both times upon reboot: black screen

Why?

CPU: AMD A6-7400k
Motherboard: Gigabyte GA-F2A58M-HD2
GPU: Nvidia GTS 250 with g92 chip set
OS: 64 bit Kubuntu 14.04

I appreciate your insight.

Thanks!

Here is a screenshot of my choices:

https://imageshack.com/i/p85Vfnfhp

I have tried the following and received a blank black screen upon reboot:

1) AMD using xorg and Nvidia 331 - both packages marked "recommended" - installed from KDE additional drivers
2) AMD using xorg (recommended) and Nvidia using xorg - installed from KDE additional drivers
3) Nvidia 331 "recommeneded - only this one package - installed from synaptic

All I want to do is use my GTS 250 for my BOINC projects. This is an old computer. I don't do anything else with it.

What should I next do?

Thank you.

ALSO BE ADVISED

the GTS 2XX are now LEGACY
the new 346 driver DOSE NOT support them !!!

you NEED to use the LEGACY 340.xx driver
http://www.nvidia.com/object/unix.html

this might cause issues with the package manager

Installing the proprietary nvidia drivers in most distributions is comparatively simple. It just requires:

1. that you install the kernel sources
2. download the correct driver version for your card and make the .run file executable.
3. boot to a runlevel that doesnt start X or disable X without rebooting.
4. run the file in step 2. choosing to accept the license, install the driver etc.
5. change to a run level that makes X the default or that restarts X

Unfortunately you are using a distro that makes these things harder than they should be and has its popularity invested in its users ignorance, so you will need to ask a ubuntu user how to actually accomplish the above

John VV, fogpipe -

Ok, thanks for the notices. I will try the Ubuntu forums. Perhaps they could help. In the meantime, I will mark this "solved" even though technically I am just moving it to a different forum.

Oh, I forgot:

I've tried all the "nvidia" drivers shown in the posted screenshot. Upon rebooting, I received the same result with each: a blank black screen.

Does that tell you anything?

Thanks.

Got it installing "nvidia-modprobe".