[RESOLVED] Help with graphics

[gortek]

Kubuntu told me there were updates available and showed me a list. Each item had a box next to it with a check mark. I unchecked the 2 Nvidia items because I didn't want to update that. Then I clicked the update selected button. The screen then displayed "installing" next to each item in the list, including the Nvidia. When I rebooted, the graphics was all messed up, everything was big and fuzzy and low res. I restored the system with Timeshift and everything was back to normal. Can anyone explain what happened? I think I had the proprietary driver and the "update" looked like open. I would like to be able to update the other things that need updating without messing up the graphics.

[skyfishgoo]

ah, they were likely related changes so they kind of an all or nothing deal

when you reboot can you see the grub screen?

go into Advanced and try the different options (need to reboot each time)

you should be able get back to the state prior to the update and then just update everything or nothing at all

welcome to having a nvidia GPU under linux.

[gortek]

Doesn't Nvidia have most of the market share? That must mean there are a lot of Linux users with Nvidia. With that being the case, I would have thought that people had figured it out.

[TinyTim]

What version of Kubuntu? What is your kernel version? Are you using Nvidia proprietary or open source? What version of Nvidia graphics driver are you using?

[gortek]

I have Kubuntu 25.10, kernel 6.17.0-6-generic. Per kubuntu driver manager: "Using NVIDIA driver (open kernel) metapackage from nvidia-driver-580-open (proprietary, tested)". I have an RTX 3050 8GB. Since it has the words "open" and "proprietary" in it, it's hard for me to tell if it's open or proprietary. Output from a cat command says "NVRM version: NVIDIA UNIX Open Kernel Module for x86_64 580.95.05 Release Build (dvs-builder@U22-I3-B17-02-5) Tue Sep 23 09:55:41 UTC 2025

I've been reading that Nvidia cards/drivers can be problematic, so when I have an arrangement that works, I want to try and keep it. The system and graphics work right now but there are various updates available which I would like to install, but it's doing something to the graphics even though I deselect them from the updates list. Is there a technique or strategy I could use?

[gortek]

Also, the updates I'm deselecting are "linux-modules-nvidia-580-open-6.17.0-7-generic" and "linux-modules-nvidia-580-open-generic". Under it, it says: 6.17.0-6.6+1 (right arrow) 6.17.0-7.7

[TinyTim]

Doesn't Nvidia have most of the market share? That must mean there are a lot of Linux users with Nvidia. With that being the case, I would have thought that people had figured it out.

Many have felt this way. Nvidia compiles proprietary drivers for Linux in their own sweet time, IF at all; their source code is closed and can not be easily used with Open Source Linux type operating systems. With tinkering and learning the ups and downs Nvidia can be managed, but it also keeps you in a box. I have a old Nvidia card that Nvidia no longer makes graphic drivers for, so I can not exceed Linux Kernel version 6.10 with some distros, some distros make AHS (advanced hardware support) .iso so things continue to work, which I use and which Linux is famous for. I could go on for days on this subject, and hopefully, if you are lucky, a senior moderator will add to our discourse.

As skyfishgoo said earlier, "when you update Nvidia and it is in the "SAME" kernel series, apply all of that update". It seems you are using a open source driver. If you are able to use the graphical desktop let's make sure you get that Proprietary Driver working. Find something called .. Software & Updates .. then find.. Additional Drivers. You will find and allow it to install that recommended Proprietary driver. *Now DKMS is supposed to already be up and running with Kubuntu, 2 years ago I had to enable DKMS for some reason it was not up and running. DKMS is important for building those graphics modules and keeping them shim. In a terminal you can type .. dkms status .. it will tell you if you are good to go. If not https://commandmasters.com/commands/dkms-linux/ before you install the driver.

[gortek]

It looks like you and skyfishgoo were right, I went back to the update and updated everything and it looks like it's working now, so thank you for the suggestions.