NVIDIA Driver Install

[Billie Walsh]

On 07/15/2010 01:58 PM, Ric Moore wrote:
> On Thu, 2010-07-15 at 12:48 -0400, Bruce Marshall wrote:
>    
>> On Thursday, July 15, 2010, Billie Walsh wrote:
>>      
>>> "Installation instructions: Once you have downloaded the driver, change
>>> to the directory containing the driver package and install the driver by
>>> running, as root, sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-256.35-pkg2.run". I have to edit
>>> the instruction to reflect the actual file name,
>>> NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-256.35.run.
>>>
>>> The file is in my "Downloads" directory so I used Dolphin to open the
>>> directory and then open a terminal in that directory. I checked the "Is
>>> Executable" box in the permissions also. When I try to execute the file
>>> I get an error message that says I'm running "x server", whatever that
>>> is, and I should exit before running the file. I'm not sure what it
>>> means [ OK, I'm a dummy ]. Does that mean that somehow I need to boot
>>> into command line and run it somehow from there?
>>>        
>> You really can't update or change a video driver while you are currently
>> running a video driver.   That's what you were trying to do.
>>
>> The "x server" is the video package that runs your desktop video and it will
>> use a video driver that works with whatever video card you have.
>>
>> What you need to do is to run the .run from a stand-alone terminal session.
>> This can be done by using:
>>
>> ctl-alt-<f-key>        as in    ctl-alt-f3
>>
>> and that will get you to a REAL  terminal session.
>>
>> Then:
>>
>> /etc/init.d/kdm  stop   (assuming your running kdm)
>>
>> (or gdm if the above doesn't seem to work)
>>
>> and then run your .run file.  To run the file, you will have to give it
>> execution flags   as in    chmod +x<path to .run file>/<name of .run file>
>>
>> but it might also work if you just issue:   sh<path to .run file>/<name of
>> .run file>
>>
>> Those are the basics.
>>
>> When you've done all that successfully, then:
>>
>> /etc/init.d/kdm  start
>>      
> I did that for years. But, system/hardware_drivers did the trick for me.
> Then you don't have anything floating loose from outside the "standard"
> install. The less I dink with my system, the better off I am. :) Ric
>    

Gee whiz, why would anyone look for an easy way to do something when 
there's a hard way. *<]:oD

That was just almost to easy.

Thanks Bruce and Ric.

-- 
"A good moral character is the first essential in a man." George Washington