Help a new Linux/Gimp user install Nvidia Drivers

03FatBoy03FatBoy Registered Users Posts: 70 Big grins
edited December 27, 2006 in Digital Darkroom
So I wanted to dabble with Linux and Gimp. Got my self a build of Ubuntu. Installed it on a second drive. It works! Pretty cool I must say.

However I am having a great deal of difficulty installing my Nvidia GeForce FX drivers that I downloaded from their site. I downloaded the "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-9746-pkg2.run" package and it now sits on the desktop. I can't do anything with it. If I try to run it, it gives me a command and says no go.

If I right click it and say open in termial, it starts to run, but then halts and tells me that it must be run as root. How can I run it as root?

By the way, I've read and read the forums, but I still can't figure this command line stuff out. If I can't figure it out soon, then i'm formatting the disk back to windows.

Thanks.
Jamie Ward - working on my dad's website
 www.charlesawardphotography.com
cward.smugmug.com

Comments

  • David_S85David_S85 Administrators Posts: 13,245 moderator
    edited December 24, 2006
    Someone might come along in here soon to help you, but...

    This problem might be beyond most of our member's expertise. I would suggest posting your question in a Linux specific forum. That's where the geeks with penguin hats hang out.
    My Smugmug
    "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take" - Wayne Gretzky
  • photodougphotodoug Registered Users Posts: 870 Major grins
    edited December 25, 2006
    03FatBoy wrote:
    So I wanted to dabble with Linux and Gimp. Got my self a build of Ubuntu. Installed it on a second drive. It works! Pretty cool I must say.

    However I am having a great deal of difficulty installing my Nvidia GeForce FX drivers that I downloaded from their site. I downloaded the "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-9746-pkg2.run" package and it now sits on the desktop. I can't do anything with it. If I try to run it, it gives me a command and says no go.

    If I right click it and say open in termial, it starts to run, but then halts and tells me that it must be run as root. How can I run it as root?

    By the way, I've read and read the forums, but I still can't figure this command line stuff out. If I can't figure it out soon, then i'm formatting the disk back to windows.

    Thanks.

    man, don't give up. Root's easy: that's your admin accout. Linux geek speek. Once you get past loading a few drivers that make it look and speek to you...linux rules.
  • BendrBendr Registered Users Posts: 665 Major grins
    edited December 25, 2006
    When you log in to the computer log in using root as your login...

    another option is the su command...

    Good luck!
    http://bendr.smugmug.com
  • luke_churchluke_church Registered Users Posts: 507 Major grins
    edited December 27, 2006
    Caveat: I'm not a linux expert, I use it as needed but that's all.
    03FatBoy wrote:
    However I am having a great deal of difficulty installing my Nvidia GeForce FX drivers that I downloaded from their site. I downloaded the "NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-9746-pkg2.run" package and it now sits on the desktop. I can't do anything with it. If I try to run it, it gives me a command and says no go.

    Sorry to dispirit you, but I found installing NVidia's drivers onto a Linux box to be one of the most painful things I've had to do to a computer during software maintence, involving gratuateously recompiling the kernel a couple of times and re-writing the config files...

    I have a twin display on a QuadroFX 500 that Debian/Ubuntu garbled, unless they had the drivers installed.

    If the situation hasn't improved, I would strongly consider running without custom drivers if you can, until you're a lot more familiar with the workings of the operating system. NVidia's drivers don't seem to have a great reputation within the Linux community (but then the same could be said of many things :))

    Linux is not exactly user friendly if you stray outside the Ubuntu GUI bubble. If you're not comfortable with command lines, then I'd strongly suggest running a more user friendly OS as your primary (MacOS or Windows), and use an emulator to get familiar with Linux.

    I wish I had a better answer for you, and if I did, I might be inclined to spend more time using Linux.

    I hope they've fixed this mess and that you find a sensible way of doing this.

    Luke
    Photography: www.lukechurchphotography.com
    SmugSoftware: www.smugtools.com
  • LuckyBobLuckyBob Registered Users Posts: 273 Major grins
    edited December 27, 2006
    Hehe... clap.gif A big part of my job is maintaining Ubuntu and CentOS servers after deployment. Congratulations on entering the wonderfully confusing world of Linux headscratch.gif Ubuntu's a great choice to start with, though.
    luke_church wrote:
    Sorry to dispirit you, but I found installing NVidia's drivers onto a Linux box to be one of the most painful things I've had to do to a computer during software maintence, involving gratuateously recompiling the kernel a couple of times and re-writing the config files...

    Ubuntu's package manager makes fairly easy work of installing custom drivers/kernels. I'll grant that it's not the official nVidia driver, although looking at their site revealed that they don't even provide Linux drivers for any of the Geforce series (save for the newest 8800 series) for x86 architecture.

    If you fire up Ubuntu's Synaptic Package Manager (under System | Administration) and do a search for "nvidia", you'll see all the necessary packages to get an XOrg nVidia-accelerated server in place. As I've only had to deal with ATI-based systems where I've cared about video acceleration, I'd only have to venture a guess that the packages you need to install are "nvidia-glx", "nvidia-kernel-common", and possibly "nvidia-xconfig" and "nvclock".

    Note that by default Ubuntu hides all packages not certified to work properly, but there are MANY more packages available. In the Synaptic Package Manager, go to Settings | Repositories. Check all the Binary channels for your version of Ubuntu, and for each of them click Edit and ensure Universe and Multiverse are checked. http://packages.ubuntu.com has a full list of all available packages through apt-get/aptitude/Synaptic, as well as descriptions and dependencies. Bookmark it :)


    Bendr wrote:
    When you log in to the computer log in using root as your login...

    another option is the su command...

    Good luck!

    Ubuntu boo-hoos logging in as root or obtaining sustained root priviligaes in all shapes and forms (it's disabled out of the box and I agree with them). They "suggest" (more like force mwink.gif) using "sudo" commands to run as root for one command only. For example, if you *did* have to install the aforementioned nVidia-x86_64 package, you'd go to terminal and run "sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-1.0-9746-pkg2.run"


    luke_church wrote:
    Linux is not exactly user friendly if you stray outside the Ubuntu GUI bubble. If you're not comfortable with command lines, then I'd strongly suggest running a more user friendly OS as your primary (MacOS or Windows), and use an emulator to get familiar with Linux.

    I wholeheartedly agree with this. Grab VMWare Player and a Ubuntu Appliance. http://www.vmware.com/vmtn/appliances/directory/484
    LuckyBob • Gallery • "You are correct, sir!"
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