Hello,

I have a question about following guide explaining how to install NVIDIA driver on Ubuntu 12.04: http://www.beginninglinux.com/home/g...n-ubuntu-12-04

I learned that while installing a new graphic driver the x server isn't allowed to work, so by the commands
$ sudo service lightgm stop
$ sudo init 3

one stops the x server and therefore the gui application and are working from there only in text mode.

My question is following: In the first command the old graphic driver is removed by


$ sudo apt-get auroremove --purge nvidia-*

after done this, temporary the os hasn't any working graphics driver, so why the display manager and the X serven can run?

Only later, before installing the new graphics driver, the display manager get killed by

$ sudo service lightgm stop
$ sudo init 3

I want to know why removing the old graphic driver by


$ sudo apt-get auroremove --purge nvidia-*

make sense while os running in runlevel 5, so while the X server works.

Welcome to the forums HansWolf!

Ubuntu 12.04 was the April 2012 version. It is "end of life" and totally unsupported. I recommend you try either the current Ubuntu 17.10 or the long-term support 16.04 release.

Once you have replaced Ubuntu 12.04 with a supported release, you can follow these instructions if you want to install the Nvidia drivers (but you might not need to; it might just magically work fine for your needs with the open source Nouveau drivers): https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Bi...erHowto/Nvidia

Probably with the default free Nvidia driver(s) : nouveau_dri.so, nouveau.ko

Hi snowpine,
thank you for the answer. But my problem is of more banal, general nature. I wanted to know how it generally possible to run the display manager and the X server (and other GUI applications) when one hasn't any working graphics driver? Here the old one is purged.

Hello knudfl,

so after purging the old one it's switches automatically to the default os driver, right?

But in this case I ask myself why it's necessary to stop the x server resp. change runlevel before install the the new driver? Or what whould not work if one would don't do it?

Re #5.

X cannot be running when manually installing the Nvidia drivers nvidia-**.ko, nvidia_drv.so etc.

Are you referring to the official 2018 instructions from help.ubuntu.com or to some unofficial 2012 instructions from a random dude's blog? The official 2018 instructions from help.ubuntu.com do not recommend or require you to "purge" anything. Follow unofficial/outdated instructions at your own risk!

To answer your broader question, the way that 'apt-get' works is that when you remove a package, it doesn't kill the currently-running instance of that software. For example if I were to remove Firefox right now, I could still finish typing this message to you. (But once I quit Firefox, I won't be able to re-launch it.)

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Not reboot, it will be gone when you terminate it. Deleted files will be deleted permanently when nothing is using them.

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But if I restart after purging the old driver without installing to new one, how the x-server will run?
Does then the os start automatically in lower runlevel (so without graphic manager) or does it automatically switching to the given default drivers like nouveau_dri.so, nouveau.ko which are given with the distribution if I understood knudfl's explanation correctly?

There are fallback drivers, VESA and fbdev, these will work virtually with any VGA compatible video card. Hardware acceleration won't be available and resolution may be limited.

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I'm not sure I understand your question. Installing the new driver is the very first step of the tutorial, and purging the old driver is not recommended.

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I refering to following part of the refered guide above : Before installing to new driver there is ordered to purge to old one by the command:

$ sudo apt-get auroremove --purge nvidia-*

The point is that I'm curious how the x server will run after making this command and restarting again. As you explained in your previous post the driver will not be killed instantly after "be purged" but for example after beeing closed or restarting. So my question is what will happen with x server after restart. Will the os switching automatically to lower runlevel or will it run the x server with an defalult driver as knudfl has explained?

You decided to ignore my answer. What's the point asking the same question again?

Excuse me. If I understand you explanation correctly then after purging the old driver and restarting the os uses these "fallback drivers" like VESA and fbdev to run the x server by default?

You are following the wrong how-to. Please refer to the guide I linked to in my post #2. If you want to follow the obsolete 2012 tutorial to "see what happens" then do so at your own risk. My educated guess is that you might experience lower resolution and lack of 3D acceleration due to generic/fallback drivers, or perhaps worst-case, Linux will boot to text mode.

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