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Updating Nvidia Drivers - Mint

Discussion in 'Linux Guides (Generic)' started by booman, Apr 21, 2016.

  • by booman, Apr 21, 2016 at 7:01 PM
  • booman

    booman Grand High Exalted Mystic Emperor of Linux Gaming Staff Member

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    Installing and Updating to the newest Nvidia driver has always been a frustration for me. When I looked up step-by-step tutorials they included a lot of Terminal steps where one missed step can cause your system to be completely unusable.

    Mint 17.3 has a simple way to update drivers with only a few clicks


    Launch Mint Update Manager
    Click Edit
    Click Software sources

    nvidia02.png


    Click PPA's button on the left side
    Click "Add a new PPA..."

    nvidia03.png


    Paste this Graphics Drivers PPA:
    Code:
    ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa
    Click OK

    nvidia04.png

    Read up on this PPA notes
    Click OK

    nvidia05.png


    Click "Update the cache" on the top right

    nvidia06.png


    Updating will include the new Graphics Drivers repository in your updates

    nvidia07.png

    Close Update Manager

    Launch Driver Manager
    Code:
    Menu/Administration/Driver Manager
    nvidia08.png


    Driver Manager will automatically update cache

    nvidia09.png


    Check the newest Nvidia driver available for your GeForce card
    Click "Apply Changes" bottom left

    nvidia10.png

    Wait while it downloads and installs
    Click Restart or just restart Mint from the Menu

    After restarting confirm the driver is installed by opening Nvidia X Server Settings
    Code:
    Menu/Administration/Nvidia X Server Settings
    Daniel~ and mrdeathjr28 like this.
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Comments

Discussion in 'Linux Guides (Generic)' started by booman, Apr 21, 2016.

  1. Daniel~
    Now i can't find our othrer thread on this...so here goes!
    I installed the X server drivers and then the 390 driver off the Xserver install. No go so I tryed to go back the whole Device Manger app froze solid. could not change any thing. Gave up and did another restore. sigh...
  2. cloasters
    Can't remember what video card driver I chose for Mint 17.3, pretty certain that it was one of the nvidia's.

    When I chose one of the nvidia drivers on offer for 19.1 my installation became a disaster. With the next install I let 19.1 choose the driver that Mint 19.1 wanted, which was the x-org one. No problems.

    Except that while VLC is a pre-chosen and easy update, it does not work. Period.
    Thanks Mint 19.1, everything else is almost perfect--but 17.3 actually let you install VLC without a hitch. Why torture us?
  3. Daniel~
    George open driver manager in Admin in the main menu. this will tell you which driver you have installed. My Advice don't change anything.
    But I'd like to know which driver Mint installed for you. I'm guessing the 304 or the 340 drivers,

    After you have done my Little task,
    Go to "sound and video" and see if "Media player or MPV Media player can get the Job done for you.
  4. cloasters
    Thanks for your help with this Daniel.

    Check. Driver Manager informs us that Mint 19.1 automagically installed "xserver-xorg-video-nouveau (open-source)." I get a Terminal box with nothing in it after clicking on "Media Player."

    I'm 99% certain that attempting to use ANY Nvidia driver will cause nothing but major grief. As in "Let's reinstall 19.1. I'm sure that I'll have no trouble booting the installation disk." Wanna bet?
  5. Daniel~
    I think we may have found your problem! You most likely need Nvidia drivers to run your movie player.

    I have only my own experience to draw upon, but as personal reference I have gone thought the list of Nvidia drivers now three or four times.

    The 340's seem perfectly safe. So long as you don't try to uninstall them.

    That's what I am running now.

    What I still don't know is weather the other Nvidia drivers would work if
    Mint hadn't install the 340 at install, but used the Xserver drivers as you did,

    So in brief you don't need to go back to 17, You just need to install Nvidia drivers. "MY experience" tells me that if you choose the 340 Nvidia driver you will be fine.

    But as you still haven't gotten into back ups, this would involve some slight risk. I believe the risk is slight, but the consequences should this fail is not, you could be stuck doing a complete new install.

    Personally I would try the 340, in fact I did try them ALL.
    But there seems to be a problem uninstalling the 340 driver that locks up Driver manger and for me necessitated and reinstall from back up.

    Best practice here I would think is getting a backup drive and start using cloneZillia ...Then you can just restore all your missteps along the way..

    I have a 90 gig drive I think I'll install mint 19.1 upon and try using the Xserver drivers as you did . Then having never used thev340 drivers see if any of the other NVIDIA drivers will work for me.

    George I'm pretty sure that it's safe for you to use the 340. But as your no where near as comfortable as I am doing reinstalls...

    Your lack of a capability to restore when you want to WILL for sure slow your learning curve, make you unwilling to take a chance.

    Let me do a 19.1 install today and work my little plan. I should be back to you in a few hours.":O}
  6. Daniel~
    Ok I have determined that All mint drivers will work for me, with a reservation.

    No driver other than the 340 will give me 4096X2160 the rest all max out at 1920X1080

    The only problem I have found with the 340 is that they don't like to be uninstalled even when Mint is doing the uninstall.

    Unless your some kinda nut who enjoys reinstalling (As am I)
    Your going to weigh every new thing against the possibility that something might choke and you will have to start fresh.

    this is a serious determinant to your learning curve.

    I can do a back up of 100 gigs in under 15 mins. I can restore in around 7 minutes. This makes me fearless in computing! LOL

    But it does and can do the same for you. I have something that works well for me.

    I haxe never used the Mint Back up found in update manger. But you might try looking at it
  7. cloasters
    Thank you for the advice that nVidia's 340 drivers should let me use VLC, Dan. Of course I'm assuming that as you haven't said that directly. The beyond gigantic resolution capability holds no interest for me.

    I'm finding that inflation is trying to eat me alive, so I've been reluctant to spend money, even when it's a worthwhile thing. Wish I could say I'll buy a new SSD, DVD-Blu-ray player and Mint 19.1 on a thumb drive tomorrow, but the Scotsman in me says no.

    Have you ever seen a photo of heather from close up? The stuff is definitely a chore to walk through.
  8. Daniel~
    George I have a 320 gig spindle hard drive, a Barracuda 720 which is very slow compared to SSD drives. Which means you start your back up or restore and then go to bed.
    Say the word and send me your shipping address and I can have it to you within a week.

    Your machine will need to be Ribbon cable capable or you will need a Sata to IDE converter *very cheep"
    Just let me know.
  9. cloasters

    You rock, thank you very much for your extremely kind and generous offer! Small capacity SSD's are not expensive nowadays, I'd probably faint or go mad waiting for an old fashioned round and around drive to do its thing.
    I'll see how much Tiger Direct wants for a ~250 Gig SSD.

    Looks like the only 250 Gig SSD's are inside laptops. It's 500 GB's or nothin."

    What do you think about an Intel 660 500 Gber? Hmm, the thing requires 4x slots and needs a heatsink. Nevermind.
  10. Daniel~
  11. cloasters
    The 250 Gb size SSD's don't seem to be that expensive, perhaps you don't like the brands available? Funny that you have chosen a Samsung EVO SSD. I have the same one because a local retailer had nothing else. The last Samsung SSD EVO 500 Gb died after only three years,

    Wanted a different brand 500 Gigger. But I lucked out and bought another Samsung, your not favorite brand, iirc.

    Now I'm concerned that adding another SSD won't fit. If the one I already have takes up four slots, how can an added one fit?
  12. Daniel~
    Takes up 4 slots!!??
    An SSD should only take up one slot the same as the old spindle disk drives. Just different cable connects.
    I can't even picture this in my poor head!!

    But just in case, if you wish you can add an USB external SSD in which case all you need is USB 3.0 drive. I'm assuming your motherboard has USB 3.0.

    If not you can still do this but it will be much slower at 2.0 USB.
  13. cloasters
    I'll have to remove the cover to see how the Samsung SSD fits. Oops, no hurry there.

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