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Linux by Choice, Debian by Design.

Individual choice and computing freedom through Open Source software implementation.


Debian Systems - System Admin. Part 2.

"When you say 'I wrote a program that crashed Windows', people just stare at you blankly and say 'Hey, I got those with the system, - for free". (L. Torvalds)

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Linuxfx Computing have put together a few pointers in setting up a Debian system on these pages, this page is to assist with installing NVIDIA drivers. Please note, Linuxfx Computing have seen many websites that deal with this subject but have found this method to be the best configuration for our HP Pavilion DV6500 laptop with an NVIDIA GeForce 7150M Graphics Card.

Installing NVIDIA Drivers.

These pages are for assistance with setting up your 3D with an NVIDIA driver.
On this page we shall look at installing the NVIDIA drivers for your Debian system, having trawled round a few sites to get a basic feel of what was on offer, I decided on a manual install 'The Debian Way' if you like. This way worked for me.
Please note, it may be a good idea to print the page as you will lose your gdm (Graphical Display Manager) and be dropped into a shell. Unless you have an exceptional memory, print this page.

First off, go to the official website, navigate to, and download the driver to your /home/username/download directory:
http://www.nvidia.co.uk/Download/index.aspx?lang=en-uk

#In the command line (as root):

apt-get install make gcc gcc-4.1

#Note: The Debian kernel was compiled with gcc-4.1 this is why we need the above installing

ln -s linux-headers-$(uname -r)
apt-get install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r)

#Here's the tricky bit. You will now drop into a shell and lose your gdm:

/etc/init.d/gdm stop

cd /home/username/downloads

export CC=/usr/bin/gcc-4.1

sh NVIDIA-Linux-x86-190.53-pkg1.run

Please note, the above pkg number may be different for your card - make a note of your driver name before dropping into the shell, note all the correct information such as hyphens etc. or it will not compile.

During this installation you will be asked to accept the agreement, it is wise to do so.

The installer will then go on to configure the driver for you. If you have missed something out or inserted a typo, this is the time you will find out.

Upon completion you may now restart your GDM:

gdm

Your NVIDIA driver should now be functioning.

That's it, you should now have a funky NVIDIA splash when you restart your system. If you have followed the instructions on the previous page, the effects should be very noticable.

>>>>>>>Next - Creating your first Shell Script.


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