Looks like I may have to do the manual driver installation, as I'm not getting the automated notice about drivers being available.

In addition, Kubuntu's System Settings > Driver Manager doesn't list anything at all (claims to be collecting info but never actually shows anything), and neither the Update Manager nor the Synaptic Package Manager seem to show anything related to NVIDIA.

curious

Can you plug it into the onboard video card and boot up?

Curious to see the result.

This is an older version of Kubuntu.

Are you set on this version?

This is going to be my work computer (making the switch from Windows), so I'd rather it were the LTS version instead of one of those that quickly stops getting updates.

Funny thing is, I used the same Kubuntu Live CD (with the same version of course) to install on an SSD for an old HP laptop, and it worked fine. I also used the same CD to install Kubuntu on another older PC that already had XP and Vista on it (triple-booting). In neither of those cases (both of them earlier this year) was there any problem at all, certainly nothing like what I've been going through with this brand-new machine. So I had no reason to think that things would go any different this time. Grrr!!!

The computer is currently downloading Kubuntu updates. I'll try that first chance I get.

In Windows, my understanding is that if there's a discrete GPU then the onboard graphics are disabled. But we'll try it and see what happens.

No worries.

This current issue is configuration.

Kernel setting up the video driver was the first issue.
The steps to configure the Nvidia driver is pretty common.
I have done it many times with Debian Distributions.

Once you get this driver configured for Nvidia, it will be much better.

You will be able to use any Video Port you like.
I just think the driver for the onboard one is working fine and you can see better resolutions for now.

The goal should still be to get the Nvidia driver working. Then you will have many Video ports to put as many displays as you choose.

I plugged the video cable into each of the onboard DisplayPort ports. The computer seemed to boot up, but there was no video on the monitor, not even during POST. When I plugged the cable back into the GPU, I could see everything again, start to finish.

FWIW, the onboard DP ports have two "+" signs next to them, while the GPU DP doesn't have anything next to the letters "DP".

Something just happened that looks like good news: after rebooting, I got a system notification about proprietary drivers. When I clicked on it, it told me that NVIDIA drivers are available!

Now before I do anything, I want to check with you. The dialog box has three checkable lines, as follows:

Driver management software

[unchecked SQUARE] Using Processor microcode firmware for Intel CPUs from intel-microcode

NVIDIA Corporation

[unchecked CIRCLE] Using NVIDIA binary driver - version 384.90 from nvidia-384 (Recommended driver)
[CHECKED CIRCLE] Using X.Org X server -- Nouveau display driver from xserver-xorg-video-nouveau

I figure I should select the CIRCLE for the NVIDIA binary driver. But, what about the unchecked SQUARE for Intel? Does it mean anything that the first line is a square while the last two lines are circles?

Thinking that I should ignore the Intel line and check off the first NVIDIA line, but wanted to run it by you first.

Check all of them and proceed.
Do not uncheck the nouveau just yet.

Proceed with the steps and then reboot.

If the Nvidia driver kicks in and you get better resolutions, please post your "lsmod" again.

As far as the onboard video card, perhaps it's disabled in the BIOS, or because you have the other card plugged in it disables it automatically. I do not know, but I expect that in the BIOS you can turn to have both of them on. Leave it for now.

Lets see if the Nvidia card works.

I assume you already configured the "nomodeset" in /etc/default/grub

Let me know.

1 members found this post helpful.

Yes, "nomodeset" is now configured in /etc/default/grub.

Hmm... I can check the square for Intel no problem, but if I check the circle for NVIDIA, then it de-selects the circle for Nouveau, and vice versa.

Thinking I should go ahead anyway with the NVIDIA driver, and deal with whatever may happen.

Yes, this sounds like what should happen.
Whenever I have had the nvidia driver installed the nouveau driver gets blacklisted.
Proceed and let me know.

Ahh, that is VERY nice.

Looks like we've accomplished what we set out to do.

Going forward, is there anything to watch out for (such as settings getting reset) that I need to be aware of?

One thing at a time.

The challenge here is this nomodeset issue.

I had a laptop do the same thing to me and I thought it must have been faulty hardware. I was not even able to get any terminals with CTRL-ALT-F1. I never had a machine do that to me.

I left the laptop sitting around for almost a year until I read up on this video config going on directly from the kernel. arg

nvidia does not opensource their drivers, which is why the steps are as they are for now.

Good Job thou in not giving up and getting this working.

Thank you. Although I truly could not have done it without your help:

I just remembered -- this nomodeset issue could become a problem next time I have to load a Live CD again, right? Since I can't go into the "Try Kubuntu" choice for troubleshooting because the screen will go blank.