NVIDIA Driver Manual Installation and DKMS Setup

This guide walks through manually installing official NVIDIA drivers using the .run installer with DKMS module integration and 32-bit multi-arch support.

1. Enable 32-bit Architecture and Install Build Dependencies

The NVIDIA driver requires kernel headers and compilation tools to build its kernel modules. 32-bit architecture support is required for 32-bit OpenGL/Vulkan compatibility (e.g., Wine, Steam).

sudo dpkg --add-architecture i386 && \
sudo apt update && \
sudo apt install dkms build-essential linux-headers-amd64 pkg-config libc6:i386

2. Blacklist the Nouveau Driver

The open-source Nouveau driver conflicts with the proprietary NVIDIA kernel modules and must be disabled before running the installer.

1. Write the modprobe configuration to blacklist Nouveau and disable modesetting:

   echo -e "blacklist nouveau\noptions nouveau modeset=0" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
   

2. Regenerate the initial RAM file system so the change persists on boot:

   sudo update-initramfs -u
   

3. Prepare the Installer Executable

1. Download the target driver .run file directly from NVIDIA's official website into your working directory (e.g., ~/Downloads).
2. Mark the downloaded file as executable:

   chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-*.run
   

4. Reboot into Multi-User Mode

Reboot the machine to ensure the Nouveau driver is completely unloaded from memory.

sudo reboot

Note: If your system automatically launches a graphical display manager upon rebooting, switch to a TTY (Ctrl + Alt + F3) and stop your display manager (e.g., sudo systemctl stop gdm3 or sudo systemctl stop sddm) before running the installer.

5. Execute the NVIDIA Installer

Run the installer with root privileges:

sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-*.run

During the text-based installation prompts, select the following options:

• Kernel Module Type: Select MIT/GPL (Open Kernel) for supported Turing and newer architectures, or Proprietary if prompted/using older cards.
• DKMS Registration: Select YES. This registers the kernel module with Dynamic Kernel Module Support to automatically rebuild modules upon future kernel upgrades.
• 32-bit Compatibility Libraries: Select YES to install 32-bit libraries for compatibility with Wine, Steam, and legacy software.
• Update X Configuration (nvidia-xconfig): Select NO. Automatic modifications can break modern Wayland and dynamic display server configurations.

6. Reboot the System

Restart the system to initialize the newly compiled NVIDIA kernel modules and display server hooks:

sudo reboot

7. Verify the Installation

Confirm that the driver is loaded and that DKMS is actively managing the modules:

1. Check GPU state, driver version, and CUDA version:

   nvidia-smi
   

2. Check DKMS status (must be run as root to inspect all module directories properly):

   sudo dkms status
   

   Expected output format:

   nvidia/<version>, <kernel-version>, x86_64: installed
   

Remediation: Manual DKMS Re-registration

If sudo dkms status does not list the NVIDIA module or reports an uninstalled state, reinstall DKMS and invoke the NVIDIA installer utility flags to rebuild and re-register the module:

sudo apt install dkms -y && \
sudo /usr/bin/nvidia-uninstall --dkms-uninstall || true && \
sudo /usr/bin/nvidia-installer --dkms