Help with Linux Mint - this is why I do not like Linux!

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1

So, I decided to see if I could get Cuda plotting working in Linux, again.

I’m using Linux Mint 20.3, which I have installed on an SSD from plotting last year. The system tells me there is an update available to Mint 21, so I click the upgrade button.

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Except its not an upgrade button!!! It takes me to a webpage with some instructions, which don’t work, so I abandon that idea.

Driver Manager tells me I need to update my display drivers, I click to open, enter the password, and nothing, it never opens - gave up Googling that one.

Found this for updating the drivers Easy Linux Tips Project: NVIDIA: how to install the latest video card drivers which sounds like what I need.

So I follow the guide, and get to this point.

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Which kind off implies that I need Nvidia-Settings, so off to Google I go yet again.

Find this page Linux Mint - Community

Click the install button, and I get this.

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Round and round in circles I go, could have done this in a few minutes on Windows, spent over an hour getting nowhere!

So how do I update the Nvidia driver without going round in circles please?

2

purge it and reinstall

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Now if I hadn’t actually done that last night, as its part of the instructions on this page I’d have absolutely no idea what you mean.

sudo apt-get purge nvidia*

Press Enter. Type your password when prompted. In Ubuntu this remains entirely invisible, not even dots will show when you type it, that’s normal. In Mint this has changed: you’ll see asterisks when you type. Press Enter again.

D. If the purge command in step C did actually remove an older Nvidia driver: reboot your computer.

Do I really need to purge it again?

4

@eichof any advice? Come on you were saying how easy this is.

5

I think I may just try a fresh installation of Mint 21 on a different SSD, probably quicker, and hopefully I can easily set-up what I have now.

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6

I had the same problem on ubuntu:
Used this command:

sudo apt-get remove --purge '^nvidia-.*'

However I found that this did not remove enough still, so I repeated the command a few times with different keywords.

Check the installed packages with dpkg -l | grep -i nvidia
and keep purging everything nvidia/cuda you can find.

Not sure if Mint commands are the same as Ubuntu?

this is where I found it.

But a fresh install is not a bad idea either :sweat_smile:

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7

Thanks, Mint is based on Ubuntu IIRC, I’ll give it another try, failing that I’ll install Mint 21 on another SSD, got a a few spare ones

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If you happen to install the cuda tool kit at any point, these are the steps listed from nvidia to remove the tool kit as well as driver:

Ubuntu and Debian

To remove CUDA Toolkit (forum software removed asterisks from commands, copy commands from link):

sudo apt-get --purge remove “cuda” “cublas” “cufft” “cufile” “curand” \ “cusolver” “cusparse” “gds-tools” “npp” “nvjpeg” “nsight*” “nvvm”

To remove NVIDIA Drivers:

sudo apt-get --purge remove “nvidia” “libxnvctrl*”

To clean up the uninstall:

sudo apt-get autoremove

After removing, you’ll also need to reboot and let the system install its default driver before trying to reinstall.

9

If you are going Mint, back up your data, then delete the partition and reinstall Mint?

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There is no doubting Linux’s power and capability but it isn’t designed to insulate the user from having a moderate to deep understanding of how it works in order to do the majority of tasks that are one button click in Windows.

I came across to Linux to run plotters a few years back and now use Mint 17.2 for another project involving hard drives. We are stuck on that version due to having to rewrite all of the software for the project if we move on. So I cannot even do “sudo apt-get upgrade” without messing everything up.

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Thanks, getting less now, but I seem to be left with this now.

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Does any of that need removing?

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Those do look like remnants from version 470 drivers.

The forum software removed the asterisks from the commands in my last post but if you go to the link I supplied and scroll to the Ubuntu section, you will find the correct command that should remove those libraries as well.

Edit: You should only need to run what’s in ‘To remove NVIDIA Drivers:’ section. It’s odd the forum software removed the asterisks from the front of words but missed a couple of trialing ones.

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I did try a lot of things off that link, but hadn’t got to the bottom of the page, now I’m just left with this.

I used sudo apt-get remove libnvidia* so not sure why this is left.

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I finally got rid of that one as well.

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The asterisks nvidia asterisks command should’ve handled that one as well which makes it seem as if something is holding it… did you get any errors?

You could try issue the command for it specifically:
sudo apt remove libnvidia-compute-470

Here’s an Ubuntu link with the install and remove commands for that package:
sudo apt remove libnvidia-compute-470

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Did this, and it got rid of it.

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I’ll reboot, but whats the best way to install the appropriate driver for a 3080 and a P4 Tesla, and enable Cuda on both please?

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Good deal… hopefully the current 535 goes on smoothly after a reboot.

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Should I follow this Easy Linux Tips Project: NVIDIA: how to install the latest video card drivers

Or is there a better way?

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You will want 535 which is the version your link is referencing. In short, I’d give it a try.

It’s been April since I last installed… a whole day of install/uninstall trying to get the correct version of the tool kit to test Gigahorse plotting. I seem to remember having to add the PPA repository (mentioned in that link) during that process but ultimately found and followed the steps on the cuda page I linked above which included the driver with the toolkit. I don’t think Bladebit requires the cuda toolkit but I can’t say for sure since it’s been installed on my plotter since before I started with BB. I plan to remove it tonight to update the driver from 530 to 535 due to the same problem this user ran into with the RC1 build:

Once I remove the toolkit, I will try the commands in steps F & G from your link above and try plotting and farming with just the driver.

On the other hand, if anyone is looking to install the latest full cuda toolkit (these are the development tools as well as drivers and probably overkill for Bladebit, but required for Gigahorse plotter), I have this bookmarked from my last foray in April:

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Thanks, I’ll give it a go tomorrow night.

I fine it incredible that it is this complicated on Linux, but so easy on Windows, its just so much more straightforward. I installed Windows 11 on not compatible hardware, installed the Nvidia driver and was plotting in less time than this has taken, and it seems I’m not the only one that has issues.