Setup NVIDIA drivers

[Jackobo]

Hi everybody ,

Here is the english version of my post for the installation of NVIDIA driver :
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 8&p=953702 (available too on my website : http://jg.imbert.free.fr/nvidia.html)

Thanks again to karichen to have moved the french version to the good place on the forum when i post my first topic on the forum.

I met difficulty to use NVIDIA drivers on Linux Mint 17 because of "nouveau" drivers and MESA libraries :
- Regular crash of the office environment
- Update of the MESA library canceling the use of the NVIDIA driver
- Some versions of Ubuntu "nvidia" .deb packages refusing to be installed
And it would still exist other problems after using the .deb packages according to other users of Ubuntu or derivatives such as Lubuntu, Xubuntu, etc ...

But now I find the solution to get the proprietary driver of NVIDIA on our computer without using NVIDIA .deb packages of Ubuntu

Here is the method : hope it will help you. And sorry for my English frog :p
I tested it on Linux Mint 17 - 64 bit version. It works successfully .

Setup NVIDIA driver :

1°) Install the dependencies :

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sudo apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-`uname -r` xserver-xorg-dev dkms

2°) Blacklist "nouveau" module that can go to conflict with the NVIDIA proprietary driver :

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sudo echo "blacklist nouveau" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
sudo echo "options nouveau modeset=0" >> /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf

3°) Execute this command to activate the desactivation of the "nouveau" module on the next reboot:

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sudo update-initramfs -u

4°) Restart computer

5°) Verify that "NVIDIA" packages are uninstalled :

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sudo apt-get remove --purge nvidia*

6°) Download the correct .run file of your graphics from the NVIDIA site : http://www.nvidia.fr/Download/index.aspx

7°) Execute one of the following commands :
- If you have Ubuntu :

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sudo /etc/init.d/lightdm stop

- If you have Kubuntu :

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sudo /etc/init.d/kdm stop

- If you have Lubuntu :

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sudo /etc/init.d/lxdm stop

- If you have Linux Mint :

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sudo /etc/init.d/mdm stop

8°) Execute the NVIDIA .run file :

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cd "Directory where you downloaded the .run file"
chmod +x *.run
sudo ./NVIDIA*.run

9°) The setup has started. Accept the licence and follow these steps :
- Answer Yes if you see : The distribution-provided pre-install script failed ! Continue anyway ?
- Answer Yes if you see : Would you like to run the nvidia-xconfig utility [...] ?
- Answer Yes if you see : Install NVIDIA's 32-bit compatibility OpenGL libraries ?
- Answer Yes if you see the question for DKMS support (it will update NVIDIA driver for the update of the kernel of your distribution)
- Select Ok when the setup is finished.

10°) Re-correct symlinks of libGL.so (conflit with MESA) :
- For 64-bit version of your Linux distribution :
1: Add '#' at the beginning of the lines of these files : /etc/ld.so.conf.d/i386-linux-gnu_GL.conf et /etc/ld.so.conf.d/x86_64-linux-gnu_GL.conf

/etc/ld.so.conf.d/i386-linux-gnu_GL.conf :

#/usr/lib/i386-linux-gnu/mesa

/etc/ld.so.conf.d/x86_64-linux-gnu_GL.conf :

#/usr/lib/x86_64-linux-gnu/mesa

2: Execute this command :

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sudo ldconfig

- For 32-bit version of your Linux distribution :
Verify if the NVIDIA is correctly installed when you restart your computer at the end of the tutorial. I will add modifications if you have issues on 32-bit version of your Linux distribution.

11°) Execute this command to update the startup menu :

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sudo update-initramfs -u

12°) Reboot your computer

If you have issues, don't hesitate to answer here or on the french post for french people
French post : http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 8&p=953702

In a friendly manner,
Jackobo

[ktheking]

Thanks for sharing. I just wonder why you didn't simply used the out of the box gui tool that's in mint to install the proprietary driver ?

[Jackobo]

The box gui that's in mint to install the proprietary driver use the NVIDIA Ubuntu .deb packages.
These packages after they are installed on your computer have issues after the reboot of the computer : freezes, NVIDIA acceleration disabled after the update of MESA library, etc.

When I visited the NVIDIA website, I see that it's highly recommended to use the .run file. That's why I use the .run file instead the box gui or .deb packages.

[Romaine]

Do you know how to install it on laptops? I tried this method and it didn't work for me. I read somewhere that this method doesnt work for laptops that have dual graphics and that we should seek alternatives. xorg-edgers worked perfectly for me at times but every so often, i update my system and it just doesnt work or install properly.

With your method, i get a glx error in Xorg.0.log, cinnamon crashes and nothing else that uses opengl runs. Any idea how to fix it? The repo guys seem to know how. Knowing how t do it manually would make upgrading so much safer for me.

[ktheking]

I followed these instructions for a fresh install of linux mint 17 xfce :

http://www.binarytides.com/install-nvid ... untu-14-04

Worked for me.