How to Remove and Reinstall NVIDIA Drivers on Ubuntu
This article provides step by step guide to completely remove existing NVIDIA drivers and reinstall specific version of the NVIDIA driver on the Ubuntu system
Prerequisites
- Administrative (sudo) access to the Ubuntu system.
- Internet access to download the necessary packages.
Steps
- Remove Existing NVIDIA Drivers
First, we need to remove any existing NVIDIA drivers from the system.
sudo apt-get remove --purge '^nvidia-.*' - Clean Up Unused PackagesRemove any packages that are no longer needed.sudo apt autoremove
Clean up the local repository of retrieved package files.sudo apt autoclean - Remove NVIDIA-related Files
Next, we need to remove any remaining NVIDIA-related files from various directories.
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/cuda*
sudo rm -rf /usr/local/nvidia*
sudo rm -rf /usr/lib/nvidia*
sudo rm -rf /usr/include/nvidia*
sudo rm -rf /etc/systemd/system/nvidia* - Add the Graphics Drivers PPA
To ensure we have access to the latest drivers, add the graphics drivers PPA (Personal Package Archive).
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa - Update the Package List
Update the package list to include the latest drivers from the added PPA.
sudo apt update - Install the Specific NVIDIA Driver Version
Install the specific version of the NVIDIA driver. In this example, we are installing version 535.161.08-0ubuntu2.22.04.1.
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535-server=535.161.08-0ubuntu2.22.04.1 - Check the APT SourcesVerify the /etc/apt/sources.list file to ensure all repositories are correctly listed .If not edit your sudo nano /etc/apt/sources.list to ensure the updates and security repositories are enabled. It should contain lines similar to these:deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy main restricted
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates main restricted
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates universe
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-updates multiverse
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security main restricted
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security universe
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu jammy-security multiverse - Update and Upgrade the System (Optional)
- Install the NVIDIA Driver Again (Optional)
If needed, reinstall the NVIDIA driver to ensure it's correctly installed.
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535-server=535.161.08-0ubuntu2.22.04.1 - Reboot the System
Finally, reboot the system to apply all changes.
sudo reboot - Verify the Installation
After rebooting, verify that the NVIDIA driver is loaded and nvidia-smi works.
Update and upgrade all packages to ensure the system is up-to-date.
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
Conclusion
Following these steps will completely remove any existing NVIDIA drivers and reinstall the specified version on your Ubuntu system. This can help resolve issues related to driver conflicts or corrupt installations.
If you encounter any issues or need further assistance, please consult the official NVIDIA documentation or reach out to your system administrator.
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