NVIDIA driver causes kernel freeze

[Thomas Olsen]

Moving the thread from https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/kubuntu-users/2010-
August/051997.html to ubuntu-users

On Friday 27 August 2010 11:03:31 Basil Chupin wrote:
> On 26/08/2010 17:47, Thomas Olsen wrote:
> > On Thursday 26 August 2010 08:00:30 Basil Chupin wrote:
> >> On 26/08/2010 14:59, Thomas Olsen wrote:
> >>> BTW: If you install the driver from the NVIDIA website how do you
> >>> remove it again if needed? Ah, after reading back in the thread I can
> >>> see that you use the Ubuntu supplied drivers so you probably wouldn't
> >>> know...
> >> 
> >> To remove the driver:
> >> 
> >> rmmod nvidia
> > 
> > And then blacklist it if it doesn't work for you?
> 
> Well, if you install it yourself from nVidia then there is no need to
> "blacklist" from the viewpoint that you would need to install the next
> latest version yourself anyway.
> 
> However, if you don't want Update Manager to install the next Ubuntu
> version then use the Synaptic Package Manager to "blacklist" it.
> 
> >> but if you are installing a new version from nVidia it will tell you
> >> that a driver is already installed and it will be removed before the new
> >> is compiled.
> > 
> > But there isn't a way to uninstall it except by removing the files
> > manually?
> 
> If you installed using Synaptic Package Manager then uninstall with
> System>Administration>Hardware Drivers>REMOVE the driver.
> 
> If you compiled it yourself then remove using "rmmod nvidia".
> 
> One other point: irrespective of which method you use to install/create
> the nVidia driver, you can disable it by changing the entry in
> /etc/X11/xorg.conf/Section "Device" to "nv" from "nvidia" - "nvidia" is
> the compiled driver and the "nv" is the default/basic driver.

OK. I think I got it now :-)

I decided to give the driver from http://www.nvidia.com/object/linux-display-
ia32-173.14.27-driver.html a go because the Ubuntu provided drivers didn't 
work for me. 
I logged out of X and ran:

sudo sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-173.14.27-pkg1.run

It had some hickups with the kernel sources about missing autoconf.h and 
auto.conf so I reinstalled linux-headers-2.6.32-24-generic and ran "make 
oldconfig && make prepare". Although it complained about "make: *** No rule to 
make target `include/config/auto.conf', needed by 
`include/config/kernel.release'.  Stop." the NVIDIA module compilation seemed 
to work but it complained that it couldn't load the module.
After some looking around I found out that it wasn't installed at all. I then 
manually copied nvidia.ko from the build dir /tmp/selfgz15653/NVIDIA-Linux-
x86-173.14.27-pkg1/usr/src/nv/nvidia.ko to first /lib/modules/2.6.32-24-
generic/kernel/drivers/video/nvidia/nvidia.ko and then /lib/modules/2.6.32-24-
generic/kernel/drivers/gpu/drm/nvidia/nvidia.ko and tried to modprobe it but 
it couldn't be found.

Now I'm - again - kinda stuck and I'd really like to get away from the nouveau 
driver because using X now feels like swimming in jello (I guess; never tried 
it :)

-- 
Best regards / med venlig hilsen

Thomas Olsen