Monday, October 05, 2015

Installing Nvidia GTX 950 Drivers in Ubuntu 14.04.3 Linux

STEP 1.

Download the correct nvidia-driver for your Nvidia Graphic Card. You have to pick the right Graphic Card and Operating System (O.S.) (Mine was GTX 950 and LINUX 64-bit).

You can get the drivers at;
http://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-us
If that link fails, just search web for “nvidia download linux".

Once the file is downloaded, you need to Right-click on the file you downloaded and make it Executable.




STEP 2.

Open a TERMINAL Window and type:
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade && sudo apt-get install build-essential && sudo apt-get install linux-source && sudo apt-get install linux-headers-generic
 (Hit Enter)


  • That is all one line (cut and paste it all at once)


STEP 3.

It takes some time for STEP 2 to run. When it finishes, type;
   sudo gedit /etc/default/grub 
   (Hit Enter)


  • This opens the file grub in GEDIT as root.  Use gedit to change the line that has;

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset"

  • Replace it with; 

GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="nouveau.blacklist=1 quiet splash nomodeset"

  • This forces putty to use low-level graphics mode to get rid of the Blank Black Screen.


Once you've made the change to the grub file, you just save it in GEDIT
FILE-->SAVE

  • remember where you save this file too.

After saving the grub file, with the changes, close GEDIT.

Now back in the TERMINAL Window type;
   sudo update-grub2
   (Hit Enter)


STEP 4.

Type;
   sudo apt-get remove nvidia* && sudo apt-get autoremove
   (Hit Enter)

  • This uninstalls any previous version of the Nvidia drivers
Type;
   sudo reboot 
  (Hit Enter)

  • This resets (reboots) your computer


Step 5.

Once the computer reboots open a TERMINAL Window and type;
    sudo gedit /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
   (Hit Enter)

add these lines to the end:
blacklist vga16fb
blacklist nouveau
blacklist rivafb
blacklist nvidiafb
blacklist rivatv
blacklist lbm-nouveua
options nouveau modeset=0
alias nouveau off
alias lbm-nouveau off



Once you've made the change to the blacklist.conf file, you just save it in GEDIT
    FILE-->SAVE
After saving the blacklist.conf file with the changes, close GEDIT.


STEP 6.

Open a PUTTY-TERMINAL by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1
Once TERMINAL opens type;
    sudo service lightdm stop 
    (Hit Enter)

  • This stops graphic the session so we can now install the new drivers.

type;
    cd Downloads
    (Hit Enter)

  • This assumes you downloaded your nvidia-file to the DOWNLOADS directory.  Adjust as needed

type;
     sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-355.11.run
    (Hit Enter)

  • Your NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-355.11.run file may have a different name, just substitute it for mine
  • Follow the onscreen installation instructions (normally YES to all questions)


SPECIAL STEP (Skip this step usually)

  • Type: sudo nvidia-xconfig (Hit Enter) only if you did not chose “yes” to this in the installation 



STEP 7.

Still in the TERMINAL type;
   sudo reboot
   (Hit Enter)

Once your machine restarts, type;
   sudo gedit /etc/default/grub 
   (Hit Enter)

This opens the file grub in GEDIT as root.  Use gedit to change the line that has;
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="nouveau.blacklist=1 quiet splash nomodeset"
Replace it with;
GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT="quiet splash nomodeset"

  • This puts back what we did in STEP 3.

Once you've made the change to the grub file, you just save it in GEDIT
     FILE-->SAVE
After saving the grub file with the changes, close GEDIT.


STEP 8.

Back in TERMINAL type;
   sudo update-grub2 
   (Hit Enter)

Last one type;
   sudo reboot
   (Hit Enter)



You are DONE!!!!  
If all went well you now have Priority Nvidia Drivers installed and working.  The bad news is that every time your Linux Kernel gets updated you have to reinstall your Nvidia Drivers.  To do this reinstall, I just completed the instruction in STEP 6 only.  This worked for me.   I guess you could try doing STEP 4 first then STEP 6. if STEP 6 only didn't work.  I hope this helps and it should work for Nvidia GTX 750ti, 950, 960, 970, 980, Titan X.

On my system when my Kernel Updates I get stuck at the logon screen.  To reinstall your Nvidia Drivers you have to open a PUTTY-TERMINAL by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F1. This will open a TERMINAL Window to get you started.

UPDATE*** On the first Kernel Update I had to reinstall the Nvidia Driver but the second kernel update I did not.

If this method is not working for you or you don't want to try the "Manual" method, try this link to an article on WEB UPD8 which uses a PPA.

Sunday, October 04, 2015

Built a New Linux (Ubuntu 14.04) Box

I wanted to build a new Linux compatible box but couldn't find much information about which parts would work and which wouldn't.  After a lot of research and some plain ass guessing, I pulled the trigger and ordered some parts.  Everything on this list works just fine on Ubuntu 14.04.03 and on 15.04.  All these parts can be purchased at NewEgg.Com or Amazon.Com.


  • NZXT Phantom 410 Series CA-PH410-W1 Black/White Steel / Plastic ATX Mid Tower Computer Case . (NewEgg.com Part Number 11-146-087) $99.99


  • ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 HDMI SATA 6Gb/s USB 3.1 ATX Intel Motherboard.  (NewEgg.com Part Number 13-132-510) $139.99   ***


  • CORSAIR CX series CX500M 500W ATX12V v2.3 SLI Ready CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS BRONZE Certified Modular Active PFC CP-9020059-NA Power Supply. (NewEgg.com Part Number17-139-050) $54.99


  • Intel Core i5-4590 Haswell Quad-Core 3.3GHz LGA 1150 84W BX80646I54590 Desktop Processor Intel HD Graphics 4600. (NewEgg.com Part Number 19-116-991) $189.99


  • SAMSUNG 850 EVO MZ-75E500B/AM 2.5" 500GB SATA III 3-D Vertical Internal Solid State Drive (SSD).  (NewEgg.com Part Number 20-147-373) $183.99


  • G.SKILL Ares Series 16GB (2 x 8GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1866 (PC3 14900) Desktop Memory Model F3-1866C10D-16GAB. (NewEgg.com Part Number 20-231-560) $75.99


  • LITE-ON DVD Burner 24X DVD+R 8X DVD+RW 8X DVD+R DL 24X DVD-R 6X DVD-RW 16X DVD-ROM 48X CD-R 24X CD-RW 48X CD-ROM SATA Model iHAS124-14. (NewEgg.com Part Number 27-106-393) $9.99


If you do not need additional Hard Drive storage or don't want better Video performance, you can stop buying here as the motherboard above has on-board intel 4600 video.  However I wanted more storage room and faster video so I placed a 2nd order at amazon.com.  But I have to tell you that the next three items require you to do some Terminal Commands and install a couple of helper apps to get them working (Hard Drives bigger than 2TB require special attention if you want them to be one big drive and the GTX 950 is new and needs to have its drivers installed from the Terminal Command Line).


  • Seagate 5TB Enterprise Capacity HDD SATA 6Gb/s 128MB Cache 3.5-Inch Internal Bare Drive (amazon.com Part Number ST5000NM0024) $169

  • WD Red 2TB NAS Hard Drive: 1 to 8-bay RAID Hard Drive: 3.5-inch SATA 6 Gb/s, IntelliPower, 64MB Cache (amazon.com Part Number WD20EFRX) $89


  • EVGA GeForce GTX 950 SSC Graphics Card (amazon.com Part Number 02G-P4-2957-KR) $169

You may be asking "why did you get a 2TB hard drive and a 5TB hard drive"?  Well I was not sure if I could get the 5TB drive to work with Linux so the 2TB was a "just in case" buy.  I thought of just sending it back and getting another 5TB but I still have 2 open hard drive ports on the motherboard so I kept it (plus I was just too lazy to return it).

In the next couple of Posts, I'll tell you how to get your Geforce GTX 950 running at full speed and how to partition and format your larger than 2TB hard drives to work as a single large unit.

NOTES:

*** Everything is working in UBUNTU 14.04.3 on the ASUS Z97-A/USB 3.1 LGA 1150 Intel Z97 motherboard but I'm not sure on USB 3.1 at full 10GB speed.  The ports are working and are running at least at USB 3.0 (5GB) speed.  I don't have any USB devices that run at the full 3.1 speed. The only change to the BIOS I made was a check block that asked what O.S. I was going to use, I checked OTHER (Microsoft Windows was the other option).  There is an "AutoTune" button that I hit once everything was installed and it kick my RAM up to full speed and did a small overclock to my CPU (I undid the CPU overclock as I will be leaving this computer on 24/7). ASUS makes about 4 motherboards in this line, I assume they would all work with Linux (one had Wifi built-in if needed)

*** The case is really nice with a great paint job but is kinda big for a "mid" and the top is not flat.  However wire management, fan placement and inclusion, water cooling options, toolless drive bays, and a 3 speed fan controller make up for the large size.  (4.5 stars out of 5)


*** The 16GB of memory is a faster speed (1866) than required (1600 is standard) but it was on sale at the same price so what the hell.


*** The CPU is LOCKED.  For $30 more you can get a K model that allows big overclocking which this motherboard makes very easy to do.  This CPU was on sale for $189.


*** DVD vs. Blueray.  I debated this when I setup this system but the DVD burner was on sale $9 and the Blueray Burner was $50 and I think Blueray is dying.


*** SSD vs. Standard hard drive.  I made the SSD my Boot Drive, installed all my Apps on it and put my HOME files on it.  Once I notice that I'm not accessing files in my HOME drive much, I'll move those files to either the 2TB drive or archive them on the 5TB drive (music and docs on the 2TB and old photos on the 5TB).  I bought a second SSD hard drive for a 3 year old laptop and it made the laptop scream!  If you have a laptop and it has a standard mechanical hard drive you have to BUY An SSD for it.  It's like getting a new laptop for $150 bucks!!!  


*** Power supply.  You get what you pay for.  If you are going to run a single graphics card with a couple of hard drives and fans (like I am) then 500 Watts work.  More graphic cards and peripherals means more power, suck it up, spend the money and get a good P.S.


*** Graphic card.  The motherboard supports the built-in graphic of the intel CPU so you do NOT need to spend money on a graphic card BUT...If you want to do any gaming (Steam) or Dual Boot Windows then get a graphics card.  I wanted an Nvidia card and there are many choices.  Get at least a GTX 750ti ($120) or better yet the new GTX 950 ($160) it uses the latest Nvidia parts.  If you really want to kick up your graphics GTX 960 ($200), GTX 970 ($310), GTX 980 ($500) or if you don't care about money GTX Titan ($1000).  The higher the "GTX Number" the faster, more memory, better the card is.  But the sweet spot looks to be the GTX 960 or 970.  Because the GTX 9xx series is newer you have to install their drivers from the Terminal and every time the linux kernel updates you have to reinstall the drivers.  I'll post the howto on that next.  I tried to get the RESTRICTED DRIVERS built-in option to work but it didn't recognize that I had an Nvidia Card installed.


*** Last Note.  When shopping at NewEgg.Com always, always, always google for special codes to get big savings.  NewEgg has hourly, daily, weekly, holiday and other "flash" deals.  I saved about $50 and got free shipping from deals I found but lost a 10% off my SDD because it was a "Flash" deal with limited quantities.