How to Install the proprietary NVIDIA driver

You need to close all running applications during the installation of the driver. Therefore if you want to be able to view these instructions while working through them you should open them on another computer or create a printout.

Prerequisites

• Download the proprietary NVIDIA driver and save it to a known location. Throughout this guide we assume you used your home directory.
• Blacklist nouveau driver
• Install the kernel sources

Blacklisting nouveau

Run the following as root:

slapt-get --update
slapt-get -i xf86-video-nouveau-blacklist

When finished you need to reboot your computer. Afterwards you need to continue with the installation of kernel sources or if you have already installed the kernel-source package, you can go directly to the installation of the driver.

Installation of kernel sources

As root run the following:

slapt-get --update
slapt-get -i kernel-source

This first updates your local package cache and then installs the kernel-source package, which is quite big and thus can take a while.

Make sure the kernel-source package you are installing matches your current kernel. You can check the currently installed kernel packages with:

ls /var/log/packages/kernel-*

If the kernel-source package version does not match your current kernel, you need to upgrade your kernel packages first.

When you're finished install the actual driver.

Installation

1. Close all your applications and save all data. Also log out if possible.
2. Now press Ctrl + Alt + F1 to go to the first terminal in text-mode and login as root.
3. Now terminate X by dropping to runlevel 3 (text-mode only).
   

   init 3

4. Now change to the folder where you saved the NVIDIA driver. Replace <youruser> with your user name.
   

   cd ~<youruser>

5. Now start the installer.
   

   sh NVIDIA-Linux-*.run

6. Follow the instructions of the installer. Select to update your xorg.conf. Otherwise you need to do so manually.
7. When finished return to X by going to runlevel 4.
   

   init 4

You can tweak some settings with the nvidia-settings tools now, if you need/want to. To be able to save changes to your xorg.conf you need to run the nvidia-settings tool as root.