How do I install drivers for a GTX 550 TI

Support & Help Requests
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I had to do a fresh of 24.04 and now when I look in the additional drivers section I do not see the drivers for my GPU when they were there on previous version.

I tried to follow this guide, but it doesn't work. When I run the first command to get the driver version installed I get no return. When I run the next commands to tell it to install a driver it tells me I already have all available drivers installed.
I looked up on the nvidia website for my GPU and I am pretty sure I need to install latest 390 version because it's the one that lists my card as supported. So I tried running sudo ubuntu-drivers install nvidia:390.157 and got the return that all available drivers are installed but still get nothing when running the command to check which drivers I have. cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version

So I tried downloading the drivers directly from NVIDIA and just installing them, but when I do this it says I can't install drivers while X server is running, which I am not entirely sure what that is. My loose understanding of it is that it's what produces the UI that I interact with so if I shut it down I don't know if I can install the drivers, so at this point I am assuming I have missed something obvious somewhere and I am hoping someone will help me realize the very simple answer I somehow missed.

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Hi, @John3 and welcome to the Ubuntu MATE Community!

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you should always install from the Control Center | additional drivers.

try, sudo apt install nvidia-driver-390

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Sorry, I wasn't clear. I was looking at the control center | additional drivers to try and install and it doesn't show up there.
I also tried sudo apt install nvidia-driver-390 and got the same return of, "All available drivers have been installed"
It's like 24.04 doesn't even recognize the GPU as needing additional drivers.

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paste the output of: inxi -G and dkms status

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inxi
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GF116 [GeForce GTX 550 Ti] driver: nouveau v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau resolution: 1600x900~60Hz
  API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: nouveau,swrast platforms: x11,surfaceless,device
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 4.3 vendor: mesa v: 24.0.9-0ubuntu0.3
    renderer: NVCF

dkms status
Gives no return, but I had to install dkms so not sure if I have to restart anything for this to work.

7

the driver in your system is nouveau, there is no nvidia driver.

can you paste the full output of inxi -F

Is this a laptop?

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It is not a laptop, old desktop.

inxi -F
System:
  Host: host Kernel: 6.8.0-51-generic arch: x86_64 bits: 64
  Desktop: MATE v: 1.26.2 Distro: Ubuntu MATE 24.04.1 LTS (Noble Numbat)
Machine:
  Type: Desktop System: Gigabyte product: X58-USB3 v: N/A
    serial: <superuser required>
  Mobo: Gigabyte model: X58-USB3 v: x.x serial: <superuser required>
    BIOS: Award v: F2 date: 08/24/2010
CPU:
  Info: quad core model: Intel Core i7 950 bits: 64 type: MT MCP cache:
    L2: 1024 KiB
  Speed (MHz): avg: 1601 min/max: 1596/3060 cores: 1: 1596 2: 1596 3: 1596
    4: 1596 5: 1596 6: 1619 7: 1618 8: 1596
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GF116 [GeForce GTX 550 Ti] driver: nouveau v: kernel
  Display: x11 server: X.Org v: 21.1.11 driver: X: loaded: modesetting
    unloaded: fbdev,vesa dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau resolution: 1600x900~60Hz
  API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: nouveau,swrast platforms: x11,surfaceless,device
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 4.3 vendor: mesa v: 24.0.9-0ubuntu0.3
    renderer: NVCF
Audio:
  Device-1: Intel 82801JI HD Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  Device-2: NVIDIA GF116 High Definition Audio driver: snd_hda_intel
  API: ALSA v: k6.8.0-51-generic status: kernel-api
  Server-1: PipeWire v: 1.0.5 status: active
Network:
  Device-1: Realtek RTL8111/8168/8211/8411 PCI Express Gigabit Ethernet
    driver: r8169
  IF: enp4s0 state: down mac: 1c:6f:65:3f:ed:f3
  Device-2: MEDIATEK MT7922 802.11ax PCI Express Wireless Network Adapter
    driver: mt7921e
  IF: wlp5s0 state: up mac: c0:bf:be:27:e9:ce
Bluetooth:
  Device-1: IMC Networks Wireless_Device driver: btusb type: USB
  Report: hciconfig ID: hci0 rfk-id: 1 state: down
    bt-service: enabled,running rfk-block: hardware: no software: yes
    address: 00:00:00:00:00:00
Drives:
  Local Storage: total: 596.17 GiB used: 26.44 GiB (4.4%)
  ID-1: /dev/sda vendor: Western Digital model: WD6401AALS-00J7B0
    size: 596.17 GiB
Partition:
  ID-1: / size: 585.74 GiB used: 26.44 GiB (4.5%) fs: ext4 dev: /dev/sda2
Swap:
  ID-1: swap-1 type: file size: 4 GiB used: 0 KiB (0.0%) file: /swap.img
Sensors:
  System Temperatures: cpu: 36.0 C mobo: N/A gpu: nouveau temp: 37.0 C
  Fan Speeds (rpm): N/A gpu: nouveau fan: 1170
Info:
  Memory: total: 12 GiB available: 11.68 GiB used: 2.23 GiB (19.1%)
  Processes: 251 Uptime: 9h 25m Shell: Bash inxi: 3.3.34
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I don't have a lot of help for that driver right now; but I will be attempting to install the nvidia 340.1080 on Debian on an older laptop in the next week or so.

In the meantime, if any of this is inspiration, I did make some progress on using the NVIDIA driver installer on 22.04. See "If you want to try the NVIDIA installer" section in this post 22.04 (Jammy) w/- latest kernel 6.1: NVidia RTX 2060 - fail - #2 by Stephen_Wade

However, I reckon there will be some quirks with the much older drivers - in fact, I'll be surprised if they still build out-of-the-box with a newer kernel and compiler.

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To give you a quick explanation: X server is one of the building blocks for the desktop you see.

You can actually switch (right now) to a non-X interface to your computer by hitting Ctrl+Alt+F2; you'll see a terminal and you can switch back to the pretty desktop with Ctrl+Alt+F7.

If you get stuck with the NVIDIA drivers, don't be shy to put up (exactly) what you tried here and I'm sure someone (or I'll) be able to come up with ideas or point to other resources to help.

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Reading what you said above, " I reckon there will be some quirks with the much older drivers - in fact, I'll be surprised if they still build out-of-the-box with a newer kernel and compiler." It sounds like this newer version of Ubuntu MATE may not work at all with older GPUs? Or am I understanding this wrong?

As far as what I've tried, I outlined that in my OP. I just looked at the Ubuntu guide and followed it exactly and then with the Nvidia drivers I just downloaded the one that said it supported my card and when I ran it it said I need to shut down x server, so I stopped there since I didn't know how to do that and I figured if it's not something simple then I am doing something wrong so I made an account to ask on here.

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John

I have an old desktop somewhere with a GT 640 card.

I will install um24 and let you know if I can install the nvidia driver.

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Thanks, I appreciate it. I'll not play with it anymore for now and wait to see how it works for you.

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Found an optiplex 9020, 4 cores with 16 GB ram and GT 640. Started install, first option would not work (no display), so reboot, second option install ubuntu mate (safe graphics). It installed the system, reboot, no display. It seems that it cannot find a suitable display driver.

Booted into recovery mode, enabled networking, dropped to root shell. Installed openssh-server. Hostname john3 . Access it via ssh from another pc.

user@john3:~$ inxi -G
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GK107 [GeForce GT 640] driver: nouveau v: kernel
  Display: server: X.org v: 1.21.1.11 driver: X: loaded: modesetting unloaded: fbdev,vesa
    dri: nouveau gpu: nouveau tty: 143x35
  API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: nouveau,swrast platforms: surfaceless,device
  API: OpenGL v: 4.5 compat-v: 4.3 vendor: mesa v: 24.0.9-0ubuntu0.3 note: console (EGL sourced)
    renderer: NVE7, llvmpipe (LLVM 17.0.6 256 bits)

By default, driver is nouveau.

sudo apt install nvidia-driver-470
(built module for kernel 6.8.0-51)

user@john3:~$ dkms status
nvidia/470.256.02, 6.8.0-51-generic, x86_64: installed

reboot ... I have display

user@john3:~$ inxi -G
Graphics:
  Device-1: NVIDIA GK107 [GeForce GT 640] driver: nvidia v: 470.256.02
  Display: x11 server: X.org v: 1.21.1.11 driver: X: loaded: nouveau
    unloaded: fbdev,modesetting,vesa failed: nvidia gpu: nvidia tty: 143x35
  API: EGL v: 1.5 drivers: kms_swrast,nvidia,swrast platforms: gbm,surfaceless,device
  API: OpenGL v: 4.6.0 compat-v: 4.5 vendor: mesa v: 24.0.9-0ubuntu0.3
    note: console (EGL sourced) renderer: llvmpipe (LLVM 17.0.6 256 bits), NVIDIA GeForce GT
    640/PCIe/SSE2

driver is nvidia 470.256.02 as seen in the dkms status.

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output of inxi -F in https://termbin.com/ayjy

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It's not that you're doing anything wrong if you have to stop an X-server; it's simply part of the process of using the NVIDIA-supplied script for installing the driver, see:

https://download.nvidia.com/XFree86/Linux-x86_64/390.157/README/installdriver.html

The problem is that the README is not a complete guide for every Linux system. It contains instructions like:

Before you begin the installation, exit the X server and terminate all OpenGL applications (note that it is possible that some OpenGL applications persist even after the X server has stopped)

But it won't tell you how to do that for your system. In my post - I disabled the lightdm system service via the terminal; which is the (simplest) way I could find of exiting the X server on UM22.04 (same on 24.04).

The packaged drivers are much easier to use. For example, the nouveau driver that @pavlos_kairis used. The nouveau driver, however, will lack many features (and the performance) of the NVIDIA-supplied driver.

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To make it very clear that the nouveau drivers are not an ideal long-term solution, from the developers of NVK (which is a new effort to improve features and performance of open source drivers for NVIDIA):

The nouveau drivers exist but they're often missing features, buggy, or just don't support certain cards ... (NVIDIA) occasionally provide little bits of support ... focused on enabling nouveau just enough that you can install your Linux distro, get to a web browser, and download their proprietary driver stack.

TL;DR: nouveau drivers exist to get you a display so you can download (and later install) the NVIDIA-supplied drivers.

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UM needs some tweak so that the install (safe graphics) installs nouveau AND provides display no matter what. Even a 1024x768 would suffice. I don't know if this can be done.

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I'll be surprised if they still build out-of-the-box with a newer kernel and compiler.

I wasn't wrong: 390.157 driver no longer works with kernel 6.5+ - Linux - NVIDIA Developer Forums

Amazingly, for this exact driver, someone has patched it to keep it working, and its available on a PPA which might make things easy for you: nvidiaexp : Daniel Letzeisen - although I suspect results may vary.

In any case, I'm adding this to my list of reasons why I'm on my last NVIDIA card (my other main reason being this 15 month-old, widely-experienced problem: External monitor freezes when using dedicated GPU - Linux - NVIDIA Developer Forums).

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So if I understand this correctly, what I can try with my situation is running sudo apt install nvidia-driver-390 and installing it that way?