[SOLVED] Adding NVIDIA GPU to system with only onboard previously. Install problems.

[LVH20]

Hello. New user. Thank you for being here.

I am trying to upgrade a work computer running Mint 18.1 Serena (64 bit, MATE). It currently has an onboard card. We purchased an NVIDIA 1650 and after installing the card, the system knows it is there--I get an option at boot alerting me to unsupported hardware and asking if I want to continue. However, I'm having problems installing the driver. A summary of what I've tried so far:

Using the Driver Manager only brings up the motherboard driver.

Downloading the driver file and attempting to install it via the terminal emulator gave me the error message that I needed to exit X.

Going down to run level 3 and attempting the same install from the command interface gave me the error message, "The distribution-provided pre-install script failed! Are you sure you want to continue?"

I have not tried disabling the onboard graphics because my understanding was that it being a different piece of hardware meant that I could install the new card and then switch over to it.

Nor have I been able to google successfully what "distribution-provided pre-install script" the message is referring to.

My terminology may be off here, apologies. I am extremely new to Linux and trying to get an Augmented Reality Sandbox up and running from an existing system my workplace acquired. The official instructions for installing an NVIDIA driver for this setup assume that a discrete card is already installed and running the Nouveau driver. It looks very simple to go into Driver Manager and have the correct driver ready to be selected!

I can provide screenshots or outputs as needed for diagnosis. Any help in figuring this out will be greatly appreciated.

[SMG]

I am trying to upgrade a work computer running Mint 18.1 Serena (64 bit, MATE).

Welcome to the forum, LVH20.

Are you trying to update the computer to a supported operating system? Mint 18.1 Serena went end of life nearly two years ago and is no longer supported.

Linux Mint 19 goes end of life in a little over four months from now.

It currently has an onboard card.

That sounds like it means you can boot the computer and provide information about how Linux Mint sees the hardware.

Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal:

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inxi -Fxxxrz

Click </> from the mini toolbar above the textbox where you type your reply and then place your cursor between the code tags and paste the results of the command between the code tags [code]Results[/code]. This will let us know how Mint sees your hardware.

We purchased an NVIDIA 1650 and after installing the card, the system knows it is there--I get an option at boot alerting me to unsupported hardware and asking if I want to continue.

Are you indicating the BIOS is telling you that you have unsupported hardware?

We need more information to be able to help you, especially since you are asking about an operating system which has not been supported for several years and we know nothing about your computer hardware.

[LVH20]

Hi, SMG. Thank you

Are you trying to update the computer to a supported operating system? Mint 18.1 Serena went end of life nearly two years ago and is no longer supported.

Linux Mint 19 goes end of life in a little over four months from now.

Updating to a newer Mint release wasn't in the plan--the ARSAndbox software is legacy and the developers can't guarantee compatibility beyond Mint 19. The ARSandbox software came installed and is running without errors, but we can't test or use all of the features unless we have a discrete GPU. The previous owners didn't need the full functionality. My goal is this one upgrade so I can make sure the program is running as it should. Once I'm sure the software is running as it should, the system will be disconnected from the network so there is little security risk. I'm sure there're sandboxes running on newer Mint releases but being as I'm so inexperienced I'd like to avoid a whole system update if I can.

Are you indicating the BIOS is telling you that you have unsupported hardware?

When I boot the computer with the display plugged into the onboard card, I get this message:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5fr8BmcYBUkDpBqY7

When I do as requested and reboot plugged into the new card, I get no signal. F1 bypasses the message screen and boots to the desktop with the display using the onboard card.

Please give us information about your install by entering this command in a terminal:

Here we are:

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cdm@admin-Sandbox ~ $ inxi -Fxxxrz
System:    Host: admin-Sandbox Kernel: 4.4.0-53-generic x86_64 (64 bit gcc: 5.4.0)
           Desktop: Xfce 4.12.3 (Gtk 2.24.28) info: xfce4-panel dm: mdm
           Distro: Linux Mint 18.1 Serena
Machine:   System: Dell product: OptiPlex 990 v: 01 Chassis: type: 6
           Mobo: Dell model: 06D7TR v: A00 Bios: Dell v: A03 date: 04/11/2011
CPU:       Quad core Intel Core i7-2600 (-HT-MCP-) cache: 8192 KB
           flags: (lm nx sse sse2 sse3 sse4_1 sse4_2 ssse3 vmx) bmips: 27137
           clock speeds: min/max: 1600/3800 MHz 1: 1698 MHz 2: 1608 MHz
           3: 1968 MHz 4: 1658 MHz 5: 1599 MHz 6: 2479 MHz 7: 1796 MHz
           8: 1986 MHz
Graphics:  Card-1: Intel 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller
           bus-ID: 00:02.0 chip-ID: 8086:0102
           Card-2: NVIDIA Device 1f82 bus-ID: 01:00.0 chip-ID: 10de:1f82
           Display Server: X.Org 1.18.4 drivers: intel (unloaded: fbdev,vesa)
           Resolution: 1024x768@75.08hz
           GLX Renderer: Mesa DRI Intel Sandybridge Desktop
           GLX Version: 3.0 Mesa 12.0.6 Direct Rendering: Yes
Audio:     Card-1 NVIDIA Device 10fa
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 01:00.1 chip-ID: 10de:10fa
           Card-2 Intel 6 Series/C200 Series Family High Definition Audio Controller
           driver: snd_hda_intel bus-ID: 00:1b.0 chip-ID: 8086:1c20
           Card-3 C-Media Audio Adapter
           driver: USB Audio usb-ID: 002-003 chip-ID: 0d8c:000c
           Sound: Advanced Linux Sound Architecture v: k4.4.0-53-generic
Network:   Card: Intel 82579LM Gigabit Network Connection
           driver: e1000e v: 3.2.6-k port: 4080
           bus-ID: 00:19.0 chip-ID: 8086:1502
           IF: eno1 state: up speed: 1000 Mbps duplex: full mac: <filter>
Drives:    HDD Total Size: 250.1GB (5.9% used)
           ID-1: /dev/sda model: TOSHIBA_MK2561GS size: 250.1GB serial: 71BHTP40T
Partition: ID-1: / size: 222G used: 6.2G (3%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda1
           ID-2: swap-1 size: 8.46GB used: 0.00GB (0%) fs: swap dev: /dev/sda5
RAID:      System: supported: N/A
           No RAID devices: /proc/mdstat, md_mod kernel module present
           Unused Devices: none
Sensors:   System Temperatures: cpu: 31.0C mobo: N/A
           Fan Speeds (in rpm): cpu: N/A
Repos:     Active apt sources in file: /etc/apt/sources.list.d/official-package-repositories.list
           deb http://packages.linuxmint.com serena main upstream import backport #id:linuxmint_main
           deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial main restricted universe multiverse
           deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-updates main restricted universe multiverse
           deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu xenial-backports main restricted universe multiverse
           deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ xenial-security main restricted universe multiverse
           deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu/ xenial partner
Info:      Processes: 214 Uptime: 22 min Memory: 340.2/7862.9MB
           Init: systemd v: 229 runlevel: 5 default: 2 Gcc sys: 5.4.0
           Client: Shell (bash 4.3.481 running in xfce4-terminal) inxi: 2.2.35

It sees the card but no drivers come up in driver manager for it. We do require the NVIDIA driver; the ARSaandbox developers specifically say the Nouveau one won't do.

Edit to add: here's what shows up in Driver Manager:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/rwx1h3pHKmke5XJT7

Edit to add:
Here is how I've been trying to install the downloaded driver directly:

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cdm@admin-Sandbox ~ $ cd ~/Downloads
cdm@admin-Sandbox ~/Downloads $ chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-525.60.11.run
cdm@admin-Sandbox ~/Downloads $ sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-525.60.11.run
[sudo] password for cdm: 
Verifying archive integrity... OK
Uncompressing NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 525.60.11...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
cdm@admin-Sandbox ~/Downloads $ 

Here's the error message I get:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/ckpDthwbTP9yv5TD7

Here's the log:

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nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Sun Dec  4 18:40:30 2022
installer version: 525.60.11

PATH: /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/snap/bin

nvidia-installer command line:
    ./nvidia-installer

Unable to load: nvidia-installer ncurses v6 user interface

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
-> Detected 8 CPUs online; setting concurrency level to 8.
-> The file '/tmp/.X0-lock' exists and appears to contain the process ID '1129' of a running X server.
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.
ERROR: Installation has failed.  Please see the file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for details.  You may find suggestions on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

From what I could tell the X server is the GUI (desktop), which can be disabled by changing the level Mint is running at from 5 to 3 with

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sudo telinit 3

which takes you to--I'm not sure of the terminology--the command line interface outside the desktop. Attempting to install using the same commands as above:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NKTu1Jq2Pimb7Wro9

I got the error message mentioned in the OP: "The distribution-provided pre-install script failed! Are you sure you want to continue?"
(photo is unclear, sorry): https://photos.app.goo.gl/ckBTKb1HBwepFhM8A

I aborted installation and returned to the desktop with

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sudo telinit 5

Here is the log from that attempt:

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nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Sun Dec  4 19:08:39 2022
installer version: 525.60.11

PATH: /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin:/snap/bin

nvidia-installer command line:
    ./nvidia-installer

Unable to load: nvidia-installer ncurses v6 user interface

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
-> Detected 8 CPUs online; setting concurrency level to 8.
-> Installing NVIDIA driver version 525.60.11.
-> Running distribution scripts
   executing: '/usr/lib/nvidia/pre-install'...
-> done.
-> The distribution-provided pre-install script failed!  Are you sure you want to continue? (Answer: Abort installation)
ERROR: Installation has failed.  Please see the file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log' for details.  You may find suggestions on fixing installation problems in the README available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.

This is everything I've tried so far.

[SMG]

When I do as requested and reboot plugged into the new card, I get no signal.

You get a message on the screen which says, "No signal" or you just get a black screen?

F1 bypasses the message screen and boots to the desktop with the display using the onboard card.

What options does F2 give you?

According to Support for OptiPlex 990 the latest BIOS is A24 so it appears the BIOS was probably never updated on this computer. Also, one needs to update to version A05 first, and then to A10, and then to the latest.

Machine:
System: Dell product: OptiPlex 990 v: 01 Chassis: type: 6
Mobo: Dell model: 06D7TR v: A00 Bios: Dell v: A03 date: 04/11/2011

Version A14 lists "1. Addressed PCI/PCIE card detection issue."
Options for updating appear to be for Windows or DOS.

---

It does appear the GPU is recognized by the operating system. The inxi output sees a GTX 1650. Driver Manager is probably empty because LM18.1 and its kernels are no longer supported.

Do you have documentation about the version of ARSandbox software to know what was applicable for the legacy version you have? You are wanting to install an Nvidia driver that came out less than a week ago. I'm not sure how well it will work on an operating system that expired two years ago. However, LM18.1 does seem to meet the Minimum Requirements.

If you think that driver is appropriate and want to give it a try, please go to this post and scroll to the UPDATED INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS: 4-20-14 and make sure you are following the instructions for LM18.1. If you have questions, let us know.

[LVH20]

Hi SMG

You get a message on the screen which says, "No signal" or you just get a black screen?

I get the "No Signal" message.

Do you have documentation about the version of ARSandbox software to know what was applicable for the legacy version you have?

The last recommended minimum GPU for running the program was the NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 in 2018. I was unable to locate an older 1060 card. There is a volunteer forum where I asked before purchasing the card and users said it should work.

So my next steps are update to BIOS A05, then to A10, then to A24. Then follow the updated instructions in the linked post to attempt to install the driver. Correct? Or can I try the install without messing with the BIOS just to see if it works?

If I need to do the BIOS, I haven't updated one before. Dell's page on it says that older systems may not update properly unless the Linux OS was factory-installed. I don't have that information from the previous owners but if it's necessary I'll have to try it anyway.

If I have to try it, a forum search finds posts saying Dell's recommendation of Unetbootin is buggy. Will any program that creates a bootable drive work? I've used Balena Etcher before.

I'm headed into work shortly and will post what options F2 gives in a bit.

Edit to add:

Here is the menu F2 brings up:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/MjTbgfWqupPLFmHm8

The only thing under video is an otion for multi-display:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/yJa1Yncaca2wFM5t5

Under maintenance, there is a option for SERR messages that notes some GPUs require the option to be disabled:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/4UmLiDhvCc9ZpHDVA

Checking the Dell forums suggests it doesn't do anything relevant to my problem, though: https://www.dell.com/community/Desktops ... -p/1499679

[SMG]

So my next steps are update to BIOS A05, then to A10, then to A24. Then follow the updated instructions in the linked post to attempt to install the driver. Correct? Or can I try the install without messing with the BIOS just to see if it works?

At this point, I suggest trying to install the driver without updating with the BIOS. I didn't look that closely at the BIOS update instructions, but they seemed a little different than what I've seen for other Dells. While there was an option to install without having Windows, it seemed the option is for just having DOS? That seemed odd to me, but maybe I missed something when I quickly skimmed it.

A number of Dell desktops have the option to use both onboard graphics and a discrete GPU rather than selecting one or the other. Those desktops would run similarly to an Optimus style laptop (ie. switchable graphics). I do not know how this model works to know if that needs to be something considered when attempting to get this to work. The images you posted seem familiar to me, but I don't recall in which situations I've seen them in the past. We'll just take this a step at a time.

The fact inxi saw both the onboard and the discrete graphics is a positive sign. It's possible all that is needed is to install the Nvidia graphics driver so LM18.1 can use it. Let us know if you run into any issues installing the Nvidia driver.

[LVH20]

Hi SMG

The install went as expected according to the directions, except that I received a message midway through stating that, "Vulkan ICD Loader not detected. Most packages include this loader. Try installing "vulkan-loader", "vulkan-icd-loader", or "libvulkan1."

I continued with the install and after it finished attempted to use

Code: Select all

sudo apt install

to get the suggested the packages. "vulkan-loader" and "vulkan-icd-loader" were not found. Attempting to install "libvulkan1" got the following message:

Failed to fetch archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/v/vulkan/libvulkan1_1.0.61.1+dfsg1-1ubuntu~16.04.1_amd64.deb
Temporary failure resolving archive.ubuntu.com
Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with –fix missing?

I wasn't sure what to try so I used

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sudo service mdm start

as in the instructions. This led me to a black screen while plugged into the onboard card and still the No Signal message when plugged into the Nvidia card. I used CTL-ALT-F1 to get back to the command screen and that's where I am now.

[deepakdeshp]

From terminal does startx command get you to the desktop?

[LVH20]

From terminal does startx command get you to the desktop?

It does not. I can CTL-ALT-F7 to a black screen and CTL-ALT-F1 back again.

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startx

gives a bunch of output but no desktop.

[SMG]

The install went as expected according to the directions, except that I received a message midway through stating that, "Vulkan ICD Loader not detected. Most packages include this loader. Try installing "vulkan-loader", "vulkan-icd-loader", or "libvulkan1."

I continued with the install and after it finished attempted to use

Code: Select all

sudo apt install

to get the suggested the packages. "vulkan-loader" and "vulkan-icd-loader" were not found. Attempting to install "libvulkan1" got the following message:

Failed to fetch archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/pool/universe/v/vulkan/libvulkan1_1.0.61.1+dfsg1-1ubuntu~16.04.1_amd64.deb
Temporary failure resolving archive.ubuntu.com
Unable to fetch some archives, maybe run apt-get update or try with –fix missing?

I have already mentioned that Linux Mint 18.1 is no longer supported. When support stops, databases and archives are taken off-line. That means only if you get very, very lucky and something was not removed can you download packages.

I do not know how the Nvidia driver has changed over the past 7 years to know what the installer was expecting to find and did not find. I know there have been recent changes to vulkan aspects in the driver, but have not looked closely at how they impact the driver's installation requirements. If the software you want to use does not use vulkan then it may not matter.

This led me to a black screen while plugged into the onboard card and still the No Signal message when plugged into the Nvidia card. I used CTL-ALT-F1 to get back to the command screen and that's where I am now.

Please post the contents of the nvidia-installer log. Check for it in /var/log. (I think it will just be named nvidia-installer.log, but I do not recall for sure.)

Please also post the output of ls /etc/X11 and if you have internet access, please provide the url returned from

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cat /var/log/Xorg.0.log | nc termbin.com 9999

Are you able to get into and see BIOS screens using the monitor attached to the GPU?

[SMG]

Please post the contents of the nvidia-installer log. Check for it in /var/log. (I think it will just be named nvidia-installer.log, but I do not recall for sure.)

It might be easier to switch to using the onboard graphics to get this information. However, please get the url requested from the last command before switching.

[LVH20]

Please also post the output of ls /etc/X11 and if you have internet access, please provide the url returned from

(output text was in color)

defaults default-display-manager fonts rgb.txt xinit xkb xorg.conf xorg.conf.nvidia-xconfig-original Xreset Xreset.d Xresources Xsession Xsession.d Xsession.options xsm

Requested URL: https://termbin.com/9nzn3

It might be easier to switch to using the onboard graphics to get this information.

I don't have GUI from the onboard anymore, I have a black screen. The Nvidia card still gives a "No Signal." I had to leave the display plugged into the onboard to use the terminal for the install attempt. Not sure how to get the log from the terminal.

[LVH20]

Are you able to get into and see BIOS screens using the monitor attached to the GPU?/

Yes, it reboots from the terminal with reboot and F12 takes me to boot/BIOS options (after again going through the display warning screen with F1). What do you want me to look for?

[SMG]

Are you able to get into and see BIOS screens using the monitor attached to the GPU?/

Yes, it reboots from the terminal with reboot and F12 takes me to boot/BIOS options (after again going through the display warning screen with F1). What do you want me to look for?

I wanted to get an idea if the computer is actually seeing (hardware-wise) the GPU in order to use it.

The Xorg log data shows the Nvidia driver is loaded. However, the data seems to suggest the computer is using Optimus-style graphics (both Intel and Nvidia) and the Intel graphics are the primary graphics. However, by installing the Nvidia driver from the Nvidia website, it is likely the xorg.conf file was changed to indicate only Nvidia graphics is being used. That can cause a mismatch between what the hardware and software are expecting and likely that is what is causing the black screen.

Normally on a desktop this would not be an issue because one could set up the BIOS to say to use onboard or discrete, but it does not appear your computer's BIOS has that ability. I realized last night the reason some of those BIOS screenshots looked familiar was because of issues someone else had in getting their Nvidia GPU to work on their computer. They had to go through what I shall term a "weird sequence of steps" in order for the computer to boot using the Nvidia GPU. And they had to do that on a recent, supported version of Linux Mint software which should not have required it. So there could be a hardware component to your issue that we may need to figure out. I will need some time to hunt for that topic.

It might be easier to switch to using the onboard graphics to get this information.

I don't have GUI from the onboard anymore, I have a black screen. The Nvidia card still gives a "No Signal." I had to leave the display plugged into the onboard to use the terminal for the install attempt. Not sure how to get the log from the terminal.

Considering the Xorg log shows the Nvidia driver is installed, that log is probably not needed (at least not at this point).

The way dual graphics is handled has changed quite significantly in the seven years since LM18.1 was released. That and the fact there might be a hardware component make this a less than straight-forward issue.

What is the output of

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sudo prime-select query

[LVH20]

It's telling me prime-select: command not found

[LVH20]

a "weird sequence of steps"

I'm new enough that I probably couldn't tell the difference between weird and not-weird!

Thank you for explaining as you go along, it's a great help.

[SMG]

It's telling me prime-select: command not found

Okay. I will have to do some searching to see what to try next.

What is the url for

Code: Select all

cat /etc/X11/xorg.conf | nc termbin.com 9999 

(I would normally have you just post the file contents, but since you only have terminal available it is probably easier to send it to termbin.)

[LVH20]

Here we are: https://termbin.com/801xw

I did find these two things related to prime-select. Not sure if they're relevant at all.

https://forums.developer.nvidia.com/t/p ... more/41946

https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Binar ... IA_Optimus

Edit: Since it seems this system was set up to conserve power by switching between the onboard and the discrete (if I'm understanding Optimus correctly), I should add that this system will only be used for the ARSandbox program and once this is worked out, we should set it up to use the NVIDIA all the time.

[SMG]

If I need to do the BIOS, I haven't updated one before.

While searching for information on the Optiplex 990, I came across [SOLVED] BIOS update where the OP, who has an Optiplex 990, indicates in this post:

I was able to solve it by using Rufus. The tarball for the other Unetbootin seemed above my abilities. I installed Rufus on a formatted USB drive. I then put the Dell BIOS update .exe on the USB. I had to go back and install previous versions. But did that and installation went like a dream. Also, a block when I misread a file name. A zero instead of the alphabet O. But once I realized all went well. The computer starts up much quicker and runs better.

I did find the topic I referenced earlier with the "weird sequence of steps" in order for the computer to boot using the Nvidia GPU, but it was for a Dell Precision Tower 3620 and the solution was to remove the Nvidia GPU, so it's not relevant to this situation, but you can see in the initial post what the steps were Black Screen with blinking cursor when I power on <SOLVED>.

The xorg.conf file you posted is only showing Nvidia (which is likely why there is no GUI for Intel), but I'm still checking to see what is normal for an Optiplex 990 running Serena to see if I can determine what we need to do.

[SMG]

Edit: Since it seems this system was set up to conserve power by switching between the onboard and the discrete (if I'm understanding Optimus correctly), I should add that this system will only be used for the ARSandbox program and once this is worked out, we should set it up to use the NVIDIA all the time.

Optimus is not the issue. The issue seems to be how your hardware decides what graphics to use. Usually, a setting in BIOS/UEFI determines how many GPUs the operating system can see.

In the BIOS upgrade topic I linked in my prior post, only a discrete AMD GPU is showing. That computer was on BIOS version A07 at the time inxi was generated. I pulled up a couple of other topics with Optiplex 990 inxi output and those are also only showing one GPU (AMD or Intel). Here is an Optiplex 990 with an Nvidia GT 1030 and it is only showing one graphics device.

I went through all the different user posts that mentioned an Optiplex 990 and all of them only showed one graphics device, except for this one running LM18.1 Serena that had two Nvidia GPUs (and the A20 BIOS version).

So either there is a hardware anomaly with your computer or a BIOS update would help with this issue.

I will continue checking to see if there might be something which can be done from an operating system standpoint.