How can I install an NVidia driver for Kubuntu?

[kubuntun00b]

Did a clean install (with drive format) of Kubuntu 10.04 x64. Installed updates and rebooted a few times.
Need to install NVidia driver for my GPU (200series). Have downloaded the latest driver to my documents folder, and set properties, but I do not know how to go any further.

How do I install the driver?
Direct any help to a total N00b to Kubuntu with little knowledge of other versions.

(Q6600 system, 200GB drive, 4GB RAM).

Many thanks,

[elija]

In Ubuntu, you simply go to System -> Administration -> Hardware Drivers and select the driver you want. It will be downloaded and installed for you. I assume that Kubuntu has something similar.

[kubuntun00b]

Thanks, I will have a look for system, admin, hardware drivers.

[Rubberman]

For nvidia you are best served with the proprietary drivers that you can download from the nvidia web site. They require that you install them while in text mode, so you will have to boot into runlevel 3 or switch to runlevel 3 with the command: sudo telinit 3
Note that it will turn off the GUI until you either switch back to runlevel 5 or reboot. After installing the driver, you can test the driver with the command: startx
Finally, reboot the system just to have a clean image running.

Note that you will need the kernel header package installed in order to install/build the nvidia driver.

[kubuntun00b]

Could not find System, Admin, hardware drivers. Guess its not there as it uses KDE rather than GNOME, which is why I am trying to use it.

For nvidia you are best served with the proprietary drivers that you can download from the nvidia web site. They require that you install them while in text mode, so you will have to boot into runlevel 3 or switch to runlevel 3 with the command: sudo telinit 3
Note that it will turn off the GUI until you either switch back to runlevel 5 or reboot. After installing the driver, you can test the driver with the command: startx
Finally, reboot the system just to have a clean image running.

Note that you will need the kernel header package installed in order to install/build the nvidia driver.

I downloaded the latest driver from NVidia. I did have a go at installing the driver in text mode, but the Kubuntu step through instructions I used were too dated (2009). So I really need an up to date How To Install NVidia drivers for Kubuntu (full details for N00bs).

"boot into runlevel 3" - don't know how to do this, and looking at a black screen without detailed instructions won't get me far.

"kernel header package installer" - no idea what this is or how to use it (the core of my problem; lack of Unix/Linux knowledge).

Thanks for your suggestions, and if you can provide more help or direct me to a useful location I would appreciate it.

[elija]

Could not find System, Admin, hardware drivers. Guess its not there as it uses KDE rather than GNOME, which is why I am trying to use it.

It might be Applications -> System -> Hardware Drivers in Kubuntu

[kubuntun00b]

elija, thats it sorted - Thanks,

It was located as you just said,

Applications -> System -> Hardware Drivers

It just looked for updates, found the latest (tested) driver (260), and I just let the system download and install it.
After that all I had to do was Activate it (click the Activate button in the app) and restart the system. Really easy to do.

It's Crunching away now