new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

[fatbloke]

Ok, so I'm used to having to re-install the nvidia driver for my system when I install a new kernel version - fine.

This (K)unbuntu seems a little strange to what I'm familiar with though.

I installed all the updates that the updater said where available - no problem (this included a new kernel version).

So I then try to reboot. This fires up the system but gets as far as the kubuntu image with a stationary progress bar i.e. no X server as such (I presume). Effectively a frozen screen.

After lots of random button pressing (trying to kill the X server and arrive at a console login), nothing.

Eventually, I reboot and hit the esc to get a grub menu, and boot back into the older kernel version (2.6.15-23-386) and tell the login menu to go for a console login and try the reboot thing again.

After some more random button pressing (trying the obvious) I arrived at a console login and check that I've arrived at the new kernel version (uname - r reports that it's in 2.6.15-25-386) Ok, I think I'm getting somewhere now. So I do sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-kernel-common - which tells me that I already have the latest version of the nvidia driver installed.

OK, so I remove it (the nvidia driver that is), and then do the apt-get install nvidia-glx nvidia-kernel-common again. This tells me that it's trying to install the various modules etc for 2.6.15-23-386 i.e. the old kernel version.

I'm obviously missing something here but for the life of me, can't think what that might be.

So how do I install the nvidia driver for the newer kernel version (which is also a "how do I get straight to a console login if the X server hasn't started for some reason and the screen just has the kubuntu logo with the "frozen" progress bar)?

regards

fatbloke

[bmr5770]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?

I've run into the exact same issue - I updated my system when I went home for lunch, rebooted and got hung at the end of the boot screen.

As for going to a consol, hit something like alt-f4 when you hang and you'll get a console login.

Beemer

[fatbloke]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

Well the problem I was experiencing, seems to be that I didn't have the correct sources in my /etc/apt/sources.list

I did have the main ones all setup and working fine, but none of them seemed to have either the linux-restricted-modules for the newer 2.6.15-25-386 or 2.6.15-25-686 kernel versions.

My efforts to sort this meant that I had 4 different kernel versions installed (-23-386, -25-386, -23-686 and -25-686). I figured that as my system is pentium4 based I'd probably be best placed with the -25-686.

The cure ? In the end, someone from my LUG had already managed to work out the correct sources so he emailed them to me and I just copied my sources.list to sources.list.old and then copied the version he sent me to the sources.list

deb [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper main restricted
deb-src [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper main restricted

deb [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper universe multiverse
deb-src [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper universe multiverse

deb [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src [url]http://gb.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/[/url] dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse

deb [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security main restricted
deb-src [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security main restricted

deb [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security universe multiverse
deb-src [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security universe multiverse

## Cipherfunk multimedia packages (GPG key: 33BAC1B3)
## uncomment this one for multimedia packages AFTER having finished the upgrade to Dapper.
deb [url]ftp://cipherfunk.org/pub/packages/ubuntu/[/url] dapper main

## Dapper PLF
## only uncomment it if you need it
## deb [url]http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/[/url] dapper free non-free
## deb-src [url]http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/[/url] dapper free non-free

## Bleeding edge (official) wine repository for Dapper
## only uncomment it if you need it
## deb [url]http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt[/url] dapper main
## deb-src [url]http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/apt[/url] dapper main

## skype 
## only uncomment it if you need it
deb [url]http://download.skype.com/linux/repos/debian/[/url] stable non-free

## dapper-proposed
## only uncomment it if you need it
## This will allow for the proposed updates to see wider testing helping improve the quality of the updates. 
## If you help test Ubuntu, you might want to uncomment this repository.
## look here for more information : [url]https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuWeeklyNewsletter/Issue2[/url]
## deb [url]http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-proposed main restricted universe multiverse

I don't know which of the sources actually had the packages, but as soon as I'd changed to the above for my sources.list, the package installer (adept) showed me that there was upgrades available, so I rebooted the system into the -25-686 kernel. Yes I did have to do alt+F4 and alt+F1 to get to the console login, but then it was just a case of

sudo apt-get update && apt-cache search linux-restricted-modules

which listed all the available packages - including the linux-restricted-modules-2.6.15-25-686 that I needed. So I just had to do run

sudo apt-get install nvidia-glx && nvidia-kernel-common && linux-restricted-modules-2.6.15-25.686

As it turned out, I didn't need to include the nvidia-kernel-common package in the command the system already had the latest version of that.

Then it was just a restart of the session and bingo, here I am with a functioning -25-686 kernel using the nvidia driver.

regards

fatbloke

[Fenyx]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

Sorry I missed this thread (I was sleeping), but the new linux-restricted-modules (2.6.15-25) is found in the dapper-security restricted repository, which is not included by default in the installation. You have to add it yourself.

[Wayne]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

I was in the same boat as everyone else here.  I had upgraded to the AMD 2.6.15-26-k7 kernel and lost X.  I had the restricted security repository enabled:

deb [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security main restricted
deb-src [url]http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu[/url] dapper-security main restricted

The only other thing required was to install the linux-restricted-modules-2.6.15-26-k7 package that exactly matched the new K7 kernel I installed.  A quick startx from the console revealed I had nailed it.

So, to summarize, make sure restricted security is enabled in your sources.list and:

1) Use apt, aptitude, synaptic or adept to upgrade to the kernel of your choice.
2) Reboot into your new kernel.
3) When the bootsplash appears to hang, press <ALT>-<F1> to get to a console and login.
4) sudo apt-get install linux-restricted-modules-$(uname -r)
5) You can optionally run 'startx' to verify KDM/GDM starts.

The next time your computer boots you should be good to go right into KDM/GDM using your shiny new kernel.

[Fenyx]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

Alternatively, you can install the new linux-restricted-modules for the new kernel you just downloaded, without having to reboot first. So it should go something like this:

1. Enable the necessary repositories, taking note of the "restricted" sections.
2. install the new kernel and the corresponding restricted modules. Alternatively, you could just install the metapackage linux-<architecture>, which will install latest the linux-image, linux-headers, and linux-restricted-modules.
3. Reboot.

[Wayne]

Re: new kernel version and nvidia driver ?[SOLVED]

Absolutely, Jucato. I was just trying to show how one would do it if they got stuck in this situation by mistake or lack of knowledge. Thanks for the correction.