nvidia installer in debian

[silverweave]

i'm trying to kill my x session to so i can install drivers i downloaded from the nvidia website, i have tried ctrl-alt-backspace it works, but my x server automatically restarts - how do i kill my x session without it restarting, or what's the runlevel for command line only and GUI so i can switch it to command line, install my drivers and then switch it back to GUI.

Thx

[Stefann]

i'm trying to kill my x session to so i can install drivers i downloaded from the nvidia website, i have tried ctrl-alt-backspace it works, but my x server automatically restarts - how do i kill my x session without it restarting, or what's the runlevel for command line only and GUI so i can switch it to command line, install my drivers and then switch it back to GUI.

Thx

init 3

[bidi]

init 3

I doubt that'll work since Debian (at least my install) installs GDM in every single run level. The only way I've gotten it to stop is first getting to a CLI (CTRL+ATL+F2) and typing:

/etc/init.d/gdm stop

Or "kdm" if you use KDE.

[lpcustom]

ctrl alt f1 to get to a command line
as root

killall gdm

that's one easy way

[brainiac]

Hi. I had bad luck with the NVIDIA drivers working. If you have trouble, and they do have a good uninstaller included, Google "debian nvidia" and use the instructions by the site tinyplanet. They worked flawlessly for me. I don't know good from another but GLXGears shows 933 fps. I think that's pretty good. Good luck.

[jpkirchner]

For the nVidia drivers I found it easiest to use module assistant. I ctl-alt F2 to a console, sign in as root and killall gdm. Then:

apt-get install module-assistant nvidia-kernel-common
module-assistant prepare
module-assistant auto-install nvidia
module-assistant install nvidia-glx

When it is all done I edit my XF86 config files and restart.

You do need to have the non-free sources turned on I believe.

[DoctorDan]

cd to you runlevel folder (/etc/rcx.d where x is the runlevel you boot to) and 'mv S99gdm _s99gdm'. this will make it not start at boot. just use mv to take away the '_' if you want it back.