Trouble with Nvidia Driver update

[LuisSeyfer]

Operating System: Kubuntu 26.04 LTS
KDE Plasma Version: 6.6.6
KDE Frameworks Version: 6.24.0
Qt Version: 6.10.2
Kernel Version: 7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos (64-bit)
Graphics Platform: X11
Processors: 32 × AMD Ryzen 9 9950X3D 16-Core Processor
Memory: 96 GiB of RAM (93,8 GiB usable)
Graphics Processor: llvmpipe
Manufacturer: Micro-Star International Co., Ltd.
Product Name: MS-7E59
System Version: 2.0
Nvidia RTX 4090

I do mainly 2D/3D graphics. Because Lichtfeldstudio doesn't run under Wayland yet, I switched back to X11.
I had Nvidia 595 installed vie GUI driver manager, but wanted to update to 610 because of "Segmentation fault (core dumped)" crashes with Blender.
My first stupid mistake was that I forgot to setup Timeshift since upgrade to 26.04.
Since the Nvidia update attempt, the system is running the Nouveau driver and ignores my 2nd screen.

[I]NVIDIA-SMI has failed because it couldn't communicate with the NVIDIA driver. Make sure that the latest NVIDIA driver is installed and running.[/I]

I tried to purge with aptitude:

[I]sudo aptitude purge '~nnvidia'
sudo aptitude autoremove[/I]

I tried to install manually:

sudo aptitude install nvidia-driver-610-open nvidia-utils-610 nvidia-settings

sudo apt purge 'nvidia-*' 'libnvidia-*'
sudo apt autoremove​

I tried blacklisting Nouveau and
sudo update-initramfs -u

In the meantime, I read 26.04 would use Dracut instead, but it seems not being installed.
Also, I found there are kernel modules left installed, which supposedly are kernelmodules replacing the older dkms method:

sudo aptitude search '~i nvidia'
i A linux-firmware-nvidia-graphics - Firmware for Nvidia graphics
i A linux-image-7.0.0-1016-nvidia - Signed kernel image nvidia
i A linux-image-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos - Signed kernel image nvidia-bos
i A linux-modules-7.0.0-1016-nvidia - Linux kernel modules for version 7.0.0
i A linux-modules-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos - Linux kernel modules for version 7.0.0
i A linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-1016-nvidia - Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-1016 (obj
i A linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-b - Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-2016 (obj
i A linux-signatures-nvidia-7.0.0-1016-nvidia - Linux kernel signatures for nvidia modules for version
i A linux-signatures-nvidia-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bo - Linux kernel signatures for nvidia modules for version

Is there a way out of this mess? How?

[skyfishgoo]

one problem that is easy even for me to spot is that according to the nvidia website you should be using the 595.84 driver with that GPU

[LuisSeyfer]

Thx skyfishgoo

I had some progress.
I reinstalled 595 (recommended) via CLI:

ubuntu-drivers devices
sudo ubuntu-drivers install

I always keep 2 older kernels:

ls -l /boot/vmlinuz-*
-rw------- 1 root root 17303944 Jul 22 00:11 /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.0-1016-nvidia
-rw------- 1 root root 17467784 Jul 22 17:15 /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos
-rw------- 1 root root 17303944 Aug 1 04:01 /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.0-31-generic

With 7.0.0-31-generic the driver is running again.
I guess I remove the other kernels and update again.

However, some clarification would be nice.
What about dracut. I read 26.04 use this by default.
Is it preferable to switch from update-initramfs?
aptitude search '~i dracut'
i A dracut-install - dracut is an event driven initramfs infrastructure (dracut-install)
...whatever dracut-install is.
1st possible source for the trouble: I run update-initramfs on images configured with dracut.
2nd possible source: The new kernel-module system. How to handle that in case I want to remove the driver?

I like to use aptitude. The only downside I know of, it is very bad removing kernels.
Until now, I removed them with synaptic completely including modules.

[skyfishgoo]

-rw------- 1 root root 16992648 Aug 10 01:08 /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.0-31-generic

is the current kernel, i have no idea what those other two are, or what dracut is, and likely that confusing is contributing to your problems.

if you want to keep three kernels you are going to need to manually hold one back because by default i think kubuntu only keeps 2.

most ppl just use apt for command line package work, but synaptic works too.

sudo apt install linux-headers-7.0.0-30-generic

should get you the prior kernel at least.

and you will want to run sudo update-initramfs -uk all to get everything built for the next boot.

[Snowhog]

or what dracut is

See Dracut news for Ubuntu 26.04 LTS and 26.10

[LuisSeyfer]

-rw------- 1 root root 16992648 Aug 10 01:08 /boot/vmlinuz-7.0.0-31-generic

is the current kernel, i have no idea what those other two are, or what dracut is, and likely that confusing is contributing to your problems.

if you want to keep three kernels you are going to need to manually hold one back because by default i think kubuntu only keeps 2.

most ppl just use apt for command line package work, but synaptic works too.

sudo apt install linux-headers-7.0.0-30-generic

should get you the prior kernel at least.

and you will want to run sudo update-initramfs -uk all to get everything built for the next boot.

These other kernels came as updates. This is what Braves search spat out:

The NVIDIA BOS (Board Support) kernel package, specifically linux-nvidia-bos version 7.0.0-2012.12, is a security update released for the Ubuntu Resolute distribution (26.04). This package includes the NVIDIA BOS Linux kernel image and kernel headers required for systems using NVIDIA-optimized hardware configurations.

Key Details:

• Package Name: linux-nvidia-bos
• Version: 7.0.0-2012.12
• Dependencies: Requires linux-headers-nvidia-bos and linux-image-nvidia-bos.
• Context: While "2016" may refer to the era of various NVIDIA kernel driver vulnerabilities (such as CVE-2016-2557), the specific BOS kernel package listed in the search context is a modern Resolute (Ubuntu 26.04) security update from 2025/2026.
• Security Note: Older NVIDIA kernel drivers (pre-2016) had significant vulnerabilities like CVE-2016-2557 (kernel memory leak), but the current BOS packages are part of the ongoing security maintenance for NVIDIA-optimized Linux kernels.

I think there are reasons for those changes and we should adapt. This is the way things are handled now.

sudo apt purge 'nvidia-*' 'libnvidia-*' && sudo apt autoremove​

seems to be outdated.
Same for

sudo update-initramfs -uk all

Unfortunately I couldn't find more information about.
Where to ask, if not in this forum?

[skyfishgoo]

yeah, so WHOOSH...

i'm out of my depth then.

good luck.

glad i moved to AMD

[die.boer]

I think you're right to stop and question the older advice here.

Kubuntu 26.04 is not quite the same beast as the older releases, and I wouldn't be too quick to purge those NVIDIA-related kernel packages just because they look unfamiliar. Your linux-image-...-nvidia, ...-nvidia-bos, linux-objects-nvidia-* and linux-signatures-nvidia-* packages appear to be part of the newer way Ubuntu is handling NVIDIA kernel modules, rather than necessarily being leftovers from a broken installation.

Likewise, Dracut is now part of the picture in 26.04, so I'd be cautious about blindly applying older recipes such as:
sudo update-initramfs -uk all


just because that's what we've traditionally done on Ubuntu/Kubuntu. The important question is first to establish which initramfs generator this particular installation is actually using.

Also, there's an important clue in your recovery: after reinstalling the recommended 595 driver with ubuntu-drivers install, NVIDIA is working again on 7.0.0-31-generic. That makes me think the 610 installation/update is the first thing I'd investigate, rather than assuming the problem was caused by initramfs or those NVIDIA kernels.

I'd therefore resist changing several things at once. You've currently got a working NVIDIA setup again, which is a good place to stop and investigate from.

Before removing anything, please post output of :

cat /etc/os-release

uname -r

dpkg -l | grep -E 'dracut|initramfs'

apt policy nvidia-driver-595 nvidia-driver-610

That should tell us quite a bit about which boot/initramfs mechanism is actually in use and what Ubuntu thinks the installed NVIDIA packages should be.

In other words: I don't think you're wrong to say "things have changed and we should adapt." I'd just avoid assuming exactly how they've changed until we look at what this particular 26.04 installation is doing.

And since 595 is currently working, I'd definitely leave the working system alone for the moment rather than removing the NVIDIA kernels and trying another 610 installation.

[claydoh]

Operating System: Kubuntu 26.04 LTS

Moving to the 26.04 section

And a small note:
595 is the "stable" driver, and 610 is the "new feature" branch. A beta, sort of. (Nvidia have beta versions of the 595, so it is confusing)

[LuisSeyfer]

Thanks for all replys

@die.boer

You've currently got a working NVIDIA setup again, which is a good place to stop and investigate from

.
...exactly what I want to do. I didn't remove anything yet, hoping to learn about the new ways.

cat /etc/os-release
PRETTY_NAME="Ubuntu 26.04.1 LTS"
NAME="Ubuntu"
VERSION_ID="26.04"
VERSION="26.04.1 LTS (Resolute Raccoon)"
VERSION_CODENAME=resolute
ID=ubuntu
ID_LIKE=debian
HOME_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/"
SUPPORT_URL="https://help.ubuntu.com/"
BUG_REPORT_URL="https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/"
PRIVACY_POLICY_URL="https://www.ubuntu.com/legal/terms-and-policies/privacy-policy"
UBUNTU_CODENAME=resolute
LOGO=ubuntu-logo

​uname -r
7.0.0-31-generic

​dpkg -l | grep -E 'dracut|initramfs'
ii  busybox-initramfs                                        1:1.37.0-7ubuntu1                             amd64        Standalone shell setup for initramfs
ii  cryptsetup-initramfs                                     2:2.8.4-1ubuntu4                              all          disk encryption support - initramfs integration
ii  dracut-install                                           110-11                                        amd64        dracut is an event driven initramfs infrastructure (dracut-install)
ii  initramfs-tools                                          0.151ubuntu1                                  all          generic modular initramfs generator (automation)
ii  initramfs-tools-bin                                      0.151ubuntu1                                  amd64        generic modular initramfs generator (binary tools)
ii  initramfs-tools-core                                     0.151ubuntu1                                  all          generic modular initramfs generator (core tools)
ii  libklibc:amd64                                           2.0.14-1ubuntu2                               amd64        minimal libc subset for use with initramfs
​

apt policy nvidia-driver-595 nvidia-driver-610
nvidia-driver-595:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1
Version table:
595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 500
500 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-updates/restricted amd64 Packages
500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-security/restricted amd64 Packages
595.58.03-0ubuntu2 500
500 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute/restricted amd64 Packages
nvidia-driver-610:
Installed: (none)
Candidate: 610.57.04-0ubuntu0.26.04.3
Version table:
610.57.04-0ubuntu0.26.04.3 500
500 http://de.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-updates/multiverse amd64 Packages
500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu resolute-security/multiverse amd64 Packages

[die.boer]

and these 4 please

ls -l /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic

dpkg -S /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic

dpkg -l | grep -i nvidia

ubuntu-drivers devices

[LuisSeyfer]

ls -l /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic
-rw------- 1 root root 92915554 Sep 7 14:02 /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic

dpkg -S /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic
dpkg-query: no path found matching pattern /boot/initrd.img-7.0.0-31-generic

dpkg -l | grep -i nvidia
ii cuda-nsight-compute-13-3 13.3.1-1 amd64 NVIDIA Nsight Compute
ii cuda-nsight-systems-13-3 13.3.1-1 amd64 NVIDIA Nsight Systems
ii cuda-nvtx-13-3 13.3.29-1 amd64 NVIDIA Tools Extension
ii libnvidia-cfg1-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA binary OpenGL/GLX configuration library
ii libnvidia-common-595 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 Shared files used by the NVIDIA libraries
ii libnvidia-compute-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA libcompute package
ii libnvidia-compute-595:i386 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 i386 NVIDIA libcompute package
ii libnvidia-decode-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA Video Decoding runtime libraries
ii libnvidia-decode-595:i386 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 i386 NVIDIA Video Decoding runtime libraries
ii libnvidia-egl-wayland1:amd64 1:1.1.21-1 amd64 Wayland EGL External Platform library -- shared library
ii libnvidia-egl-wayland1:i386 1:1.1.21-1 i386 Wayland EGL External Platform library -- shared library
ii libnvidia-encode-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVENC Video Encoding runtime library
ii libnvidia-encode-595:i386 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 i386 NVENC Video Encoding runtime library
ii libnvidia-extra-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 Extra libraries for the NVIDIA driver
ii libnvidia-fbc1-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA OpenGL-based Framebuffer Capture runtime library
ii libnvidia-fbc1-595:i386 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 i386 NVIDIA OpenGL-based Framebuffer Capture runtime library
ii libnvidia-gl-595:amd64 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA OpenGL/GLX/EGL/GLES GLVND libraries and Vulkan ICD
ii libnvidia-gl-595:i386 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 i386 NVIDIA OpenGL/GLX/EGL/GLES GLVND libraries and Vulkan ICD
ii linux-firmware-nvidia-graphics 20260319.git217ca6e4-0ubuntu1.1 all Firmware for Nvidia graphics
rc linux-image-7.0.0-1016-nvidia 7.0.0-1016.16 amd64 Signed kernel image nvidia
ii linux-image-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos 7.0.0-2016.16 amd64 Signed kernel image nvidia-bos
rc linux-modules-7.0.0-1016-nvidia 7.0.0-1016.16 amd64 Linux kernel modules for version 7.0.0
ii linux-modules-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos 7.0.0-2016.16 amd64 Linux kernel modules for version 7.0.0
rc linux-modules-nvidia-595-7.0.0-29-generic 7.0.0-29.29+1 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-29
rc linux-modules-nvidia-595-7.0.0-30-generic 7.0.0-30.30 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-30
rc linux-modules-nvidia-595-7.0.0-31-generic 7.0.0-31.31 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-31
rc linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-1016-nvidia 7.0.0-1016.16+3 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-1016 (objects)
ii linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos 7.0.0-2016.16+3 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-2016 (objects)
rc linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-29-generic 7.0.0-29.29+1 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-29 (objects)
rc linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-30-generic 7.0.0-30.30 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-30 (objects)
rc linux-objects-nvidia-595-7.0.0-31-generic 7.0.0-31.31 amd64 Linux kernel nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-31 (objects)
ii linux-signatures-nvidia-7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos 7.0.0-2016.16+3 amd64 Linux kernel signatures for nvidia modules for version 7.0.0-2016-nvidia-bos
ii nsight-compute-2026.2.1 2026.2.1.5-1 amd64 NVIDIA Nsight Compute
ii nvidia-compute-utils-595 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA compute utilities
ii nvidia-dkms-595-open 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA DKMS package (open kernel module)
ii nvidia-driver-595-open 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA driver (open kernel) metapackage
ii nvidia-firmware-595-595.91.07 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 Firmware files used by the kernel module
ii nvidia-kernel-common-595 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 Shared files used with the kernel module
ii nvidia-kernel-source-595-open 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA kernel source package
ii nvidia-prime 0.8.17.2build1 all Tools to enable NVIDIA's Prime
ii nvidia-settings 610.43.02-1ubuntu1 amd64 Tool for configuring the NVIDIA graphics driver
ii nvidia-utils-595 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA driver support binaries
ii screen-resolution-extra 0.18.5build1 all Extension for the nvidia-settings control panel
ii xserver-xorg-video-nvidia-595 595.91.07-0ubuntu0.26.04.1 amd64 NVIDIA binary Xorg driver​

ubuntu-drivers devices
== /sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:01.1/0000:01:00.0 ==
modalias : pci:v000010DEd00002684sv00001569sd0000F296bc03sc00 i00
vendor : NVIDIA Corporation
model : AD102 [GeForce RTX 4090]
driver : nvidia-driver-610 - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-595 - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-580-server-open - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-595-server-open - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-595-server - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-580 - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-610-open - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-580-server - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-580-open - distro non-free
driver : nvidia-driver-595-open - distro non-free recommended
driver : xserver-xorg-video-nouveau - distro free builtin​

[die.boer]

ok.the package list shows:
initramfs-tools
initramfs-tools-bin
initramfs-tools-core
but only:dracut-install from dracut
That is not the same thing as having the full Dracut system installed/configured.
So I would not say this machine is using Dracut based on that output. In fact, the evidence points more toward the traditional initramfs-tools machinery still being present for the generic kernel.
First, I wouldn't assume that this installation is using Dracut simply because dracut-install is installed. You also have the full initramfs-tools packages installed, and dracut-install by itself doesn't establish which mechanism is actually being used for the generic kernel.
The more interesting part is the NVIDIA package state.

You're currently running:
7.0.0-31-generic
and the installed driver is:
nvidia-driver-595-open
nvidia-dkms-595-open
with ubuntu-drivers explicitly reporting:
nvidia-driver-595-open - distro non-free recommended
So at the moment the 4090 + 595 Open combination appears to be in a healthy state.
I also wouldn't remove the *-nvidia / *-nvidia-bos kernel packages just because they look unusual. They are actually installed packages (ii), whereas the older 1016-nvidia packages are mostly rc (removed, but with configuration files left behind). That suggests you're looking at a mixture of current and previous kernel/module packages rather than necessarily a broken installation.

The rc entries for the old linux-modules-nvidia-595-7.0.0-29/30/31-generic packages aren't something I'd worry about either. They are no longer installed; they're just remnants in dpkg's package database.

Given that the system is currently working with 595 Open, I'd leave the working setup alone for the moment.

The thing I'd investigate is what actually happened during the 610 installation/update. In particular, I'd want to see the relevant package transaction and DKMS/kernel-module status rather than trying to fix the system by rebuilding initramfs or deleting kernels.

please post output of these :

dkms status

lsmod | grep nvidia

nvidia-smi

At this point I think your instinct that "things have changed in 26.04 and we shouldn't blindly apply older recipes" is a good one. I'd just avoid concluding that Dracut is responsible until we've established exactly how this particular installation is generating its initramfs.

And since 595 Open is currently working and is the driver Ubuntu recommends for this 4090, I'd be inclined to call that a win for now and investigate 610 separately rather than disturb the working configuration. 🙂

[die.boer]

oh and PS : please do not do a big apt purge or autoremove at this stage...
you've got a working 4090, CUDA/Nsight stuff, the NVIDIA open DKMS module, and those NVIDIA-specific kernels.
That's exactly the sort of machine where "cleaning things up" can turn a working system into an interesting evening.