The first steps for the Installation of the graphics card under Ubuntu
No matter whether you have a graphics card from AMD or NVIDIA, the first steps are the same. The Installation is controlled by the console, where you, as Root, need to log in. If you don't want this, prefix the below commands with "sudo". If possible, you should also have the Linux drivers for your graphics card already on Hand.
- Restart your Computer and press when booting with the shift key (Shift). Select from the following menu of the Recovery or restore mode.
- In the following recovery menu, you can choose how you want to the console. Here, select the Option "netroot". Ubuntu now starts as a console with network access. You should be logged in as "root@their system".
- Now first make a copy of the xorg.conf, the settings are for the graphics card are stored. You type (without the quotation marks) "mv /etc/X11/xorg.conf /ect/X11/xorg.conf.backup". Your current xorg configuration file is now called xorg.conf.backup.
- If you still don't know what kind of graphics card you have installed, you can find out with lspci: "lspci-nnk | grep "VGA\|'Kern'\|3D\|Display" -A2". Lspci reads your PCI devices and grep searches them for the above-mentioned keywords.
- If you do not have the proper driver, you should download it now on another Computer from the manufacturer's website - for example on a USB-Stick.
- Now you need to change the runlevel, otherwise you get problems during the Installation: - type "telinit 2".
- Now go to the folder with the driver file - for example with the command "cd". It looks something like this: cd username/Downloads/driver name.run. With the command "cd .." to go back a folder.
You can find out your Hardware
From here, it's more different. Read the appropriate section for your graphics card.
First, xorg.conf backup
NVIDIA drivers for the graphics card under Ubuntu install
As a NVIDIA user, you are already almost there:
- Now run your driver file. This is done with "sh driver-name.run".
- Confirm all the Demands and then start new with the "reboot". The next normal boot your graphics card should work.
AMD driver for the graphics card under Ubuntu install
For the AMD driver, you need first of all a couple of new packages, install them with apt-get:
- You can install "apt-get install dh-make dh-modaliases execstack dkms linux-headers-generic". If you are not logged in as Root, prepend a "sudo".
- In a 64bit environment, you will also need a package: "apt-get install lib32gcc1".
- Now you have to build from the previously downloaded AMD driver file to a new package: "sh amd-driver-name.run -buildpkg". Replace "amd-driver-name" in the command with the exact name of the driver you down loaded. Out of three packages with the name "fglrx should come".
- You install two of these packages: "dpkg-i fglrx_*.deb fglrx-amdcccle_*.deb". Replace the stars by their version numbers. With the Tab key you can complete the file name automatically, if it is for Ubuntu, clearly.
- Now to reboot with "reboot" is missing and the Installation is complete.
Graphic cards from Intel normally work straight away on Ubuntu and are not therefore listed here. If you still something more you want to know, are you in the Ubuntu Wiki is in good hands. In a further practical tip read, as the German keyboard in the Ubuntu console to set up.
