4

I've been trying for about a week now to install the Nvidia 304.137 driver for Linux Mint 19, as I'm using an old tower that is utilizing a GeForce 6150SE nForce 430 graphics chip. Here's where I'm at:

  • I tried installing the graphics driver using the GUI software center - nothing happened. Even though I installed the package, it didn't show up in the proprietary drivers program.

  • I found out you have to download a .run file from the nVidia website for the driver, so I did so. After running it with sudo sh ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86-304.137.run I got an error saying the dkms failed to build the package.

  • I checked the log file it told me to look in for more info on the error, and it said this:

    Kernel configuration is invalid; "include/generated/autoconf.h or include/config/auto.conf"
'make oldconfig && make prepare' on kernel src to fix

Where do I run this command? When I try to run it in the same directory that the log file is in, I get No rule to make target 'oldconfig'. Stop. Am I doing something wrong?

I'm also not very proficient with Linux, so any help is appreciated. The text on my screen runs off the monitor since the graphics aren't working right, and I'd like to be able to use this machine with Linux Mint 19.

Bearclaw
  • 41
  • 1
  • 1
  • 3
  • I was in your situation a few years ago. My advice: take a real break to dig into kernel compiling. It's worth it (but takes time...) – Vincent Achard Oct 17 '19 at 06:27

1 Answers1

2

Those instructions assume you built your own kernel; you’d run those commands from the kernel source tree. They aren’t appropriate here; what you need to do is install the kernel headers:

sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r)

To ensure they are installed with future kernel updates, install the meta-package too:

sudo apt install linux-headers-generic

(assuming you’re using the generic kernel).

Stephen Kitt
  • 411,918
  • 54
  • 1,065
  • 1,164
  • 1
    When I try to run the second command, it says "Package linux-headers-amd64 is not available, but is referred to by another package." Am I missing a repo? – Bearclaw Oct 17 '19 at 05:54
  • Sorry, I used the wrong package; it’s `linux-headers-generic` on Mint. – Stephen Kitt Oct 17 '19 at 06:50
  • 1
    Installing these packages on Mint 19.3 did nothing for me. I used UKUU to upgrade my kernel to latest stable (5.7.4). I am thinking next thing to try is rolling back to an older kernel. – CoderGuy123 Jun 22 '20 at 12:53
  • @Deleet there are any number of reasons why it might not work; please ask a new question with details of the issues you’re running into. – Stephen Kitt Jun 22 '20 at 12:56
  • It's the same error as OP just with newer version. Same as this one. https://askubuntu.com/questions/1211167/cant-install-nvidia-drivers-on-ubuntu-19-10-after-kernel-update – CoderGuy123 Jun 22 '20 at 13:00
  • That post shows that the problem is due to clang... Your symptoms may be similar to this question, but that doesn’t mean the answer is the same. – Stephen Kitt Jun 22 '20 at 13:06
  • I ended up rolling the kernel back to the default 5.0.0. This worked with the drivers. – CoderGuy123 Jun 22 '20 at 14:01