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I have already tried multiple versions of nvidia-driver (360, 390, 460) - but with all of them I get following when I run nvidia-smi:

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

Here are my hardware and software details:

~$ dkms status
nvidia, 460.80, 5.8.0-59-lowlatency, x86_64: installed

~$ cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor   : 0
vendor_id   : GenuineIntel
cpu family  : 6
model       : 42
model name  : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU B815 @ 1.60GHz
stepping    : 7
microcode   : 0x2f
cpu MHz     : 1596.389
cache size  : 2048 KB
physical id : 0
siblings    : 2
core id     : 0
cpu cores   : 2
apicid      : 0
initial apicid  : 0
fpu     : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level : 13
wp      : yes
flags       : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer xsave lahf_lm epb pti ssbd ibrs ibpb stibp tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid xsaveopt dtherm arat pln pts md_clear flush_l1d
vmx flags   : vnmi preemption_timer invvpid ept_x_only flexpriority tsc_offset vtpr mtf vapic ept vpid unrestricted_guest
bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit
bogomips    : 3192.76
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:


processor   : 1
vendor_id   : GenuineIntel
cpu family  : 6
model       : 42
model name  : Intel(R) Celeron(R) CPU B815 @ 1.60GHz
stepping    : 7
microcode   : 0x2f
cpu MHz     : 1596.380
cache size  : 2048 KB
physical id : 0
siblings    : 2
core id     : 1
cpu cores   : 2
apicid      : 2
initial apicid  : 2
fpu     : yes
fpu_exception   : yes
cpuid level : 13
wp      : yes
flags       : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush dts acpi mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht tm pbe syscall nx rdtscp lm constant_tsc arch_perfmon pebs bts rep_good nopl xtopology nonstop_tsc cpuid aperfmperf pni pclmulqdq dtes64 monitor ds_cpl vmx est tm2 ssse3 cx16 xtpr pdcm pcid sse4_1 sse4_2 x2apic popcnt tsc_deadline_timer xsave lahf_lm epb pti ssbd ibrs ibpb stibp tpr_shadow vnmi flexpriority ept vpid xsaveopt dtherm arat pln pts md_clear flush_l1d
vmx flags   : vnmi preemption_timer invvpid ept_x_only flexpriority tsc_offset vtpr mtf vapic ept vpid unrestricted_guest
bugs        : cpu_meltdown spectre_v1 spectre_v2 spec_store_bypass l1tf mds swapgs itlb_multihit
bogomips    : 3192.76
clflush size    : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes   : 36 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management:


~$ lspci -nn | grep VGA
00:02.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: Intel Corporation 2nd Generation Core Processor Family Integrated Graphics Controller [8086:0106] (rev 09)
01:00.0 VGA compatible controller [0300]: NVIDIA Corporation GF119M [GeForce GT 520M] [10de:1050] (rev a1)


~$ uname -r
5.8.0-59-lowlatency

My PC is a Acer TravelMate 5360, and I'm running Ubuntu Studio 20.04 LTS. If you need any more details to tell me the right driver version, please just let me know and I'll add them !

TheEagle
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  • Nvidia drivers site recommends 390.143. My GT425 runs it, nvidia-smi shows correct output. So... – N0rbert Jul 15 '21 at 15:08
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    ... Does this answer your question? How do I install the Nvidia drivers? using graphical Software & Updates application. – N0rbert Jul 15 '21 at 15:08
  • If you have installed the incorrect driver, you must purge old drivers before installing correct driver, or else you get conflicts & issues. sudo apt-get remove --purge nvidia-* You should not need ppa, as Ubuntu repository has needed versions. If you installed ppa, purge it also: https://askubuntu.com/questions/307/how-can-ppas-be-removed Then in additional drivers tab of Software Sources, choose recommended driver. – oldfred Jul 15 '21 at 16:34

1 Answers1

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Use the recommended version only -and- don't forget to disable Secure Boot in BIOS, if applicable.

For an old 520M only the long term support branch has support for it currently, i.e., the 390.xx drivers.

You should be able to use it until Nvidia cuts the support. Be aware that it may happen sooner than expected.

ChanganAuto
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  • "don't forget to disable Secure Boot in BIOS" - I would like to, but I can't - I looked through all the pages of the BIOS and didn't find a Secure Boot option, nor something similar. Can you help me with this ? – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 13:13
  • "Use the recommended version only" - well, what is the recommended version ? – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 13:13
  • Please read your user's manual to understand (1) if it's applicable and (2) how to manage it - many firmwares (UEFI "BIOS") don't call SB by its name ("OS selection" is frequently used instead, particularly in early UEFI implementations) or have it buried under menus and submenus. And if you're installing the drivers with "Additional Drivers" as you should then it'll show you the available versions with one being the recommend. Or you can do as I did and check Nvidia's website, not to download but to know the last version supporting a given chip. ALWAYS install from the Ubuntu repos. – ChanganAuto Jul 15 '21 at 13:20
  • Is the user manual available in the web ? Because, I don't have the paper one as I bought the PC second hand, without the manual … – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 13:24
  • Yes, it should be available online. – ChanganAuto Jul 15 '21 at 13:26
  • Okay, I found it here, but they don't expand on all the options there … I've just installed the 390 drivers and will reboot now to test them. – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 13:28
  • Why go to a 3rd-party when you can go directly to the manufacturer? https://www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support-product/3918?b=1 – ChanganAuto Jul 15 '21 at 13:34
  • Okay, I installed nvidia-driver-390 with apt, which caused my PC to stay gray / black after boot (not showing login screen). Luckily, I was able to boot into recovery mode and reinstall the 460 drivers from there. But now, nvidia-smi still outputs nothing … I already tried version 430, which booted normally, but didn't work with nvidia-smi … I am now trying version 418, maybe that works … – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 18:37
  • I've now been through all driver versions available for my system with the graphics drivers ppa added - versions 340 and 390 both made my screen stay black instead of showing the login screen, and all others worked except for making nvidia-smi and nvidia-settings fail. (version 390 is the recommended one for my system, if I believe ubuntu-drivers …) – TheEagle Jul 15 '21 at 19:30