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Nvidia Drivers

Nvidia Driver Installation on Debian from the Official Website

Installing Nvidia Driver directly from the official Nvidia website is another option to support Nvidia graphics cards on Debian - especially for the latest driver version. This article describes the process precisely, uses systemctl set-default for switching between non-graphical and graphical mode, and addresses the use of the Liquorix Kernel.

Prerequisites

  • Compatible Nvidia graphics card
  • Debian installed and updated
  • Optional: Liquorix kernel (if used)
  • Root or sudo rights

Step 1: Update System

Update the system: 

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Dependencies

For the standard Debian kernel, install kernel headers and build tools: 

sudo apt install linux-headers-$(uname -r) build-essential dkms
Note on Liquorix Kernel: If you're using the Liquorix kernel (an optimized kernel variant for performance), the kernel headers are already available through the Liquorix package sources after installing the kernel. Check with uname -r if the Liquorix kernel is active (e.g., 6.6.0-1-liquorix-amd64). In this case, you only need to ensure that DKMS is installed, as the Nvidia driver needs it to dynamically compile the kernel module: 
sudo apt install dkms

Step 3: Download Nvidia Driver

  1. Visit https://www.nvidia.com/Download/index.aspx.
  2. Select your graphics card, "Linux 64-bit" and the driver version.
  3. Download the .run file (e.g., NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.54.14.run) to your home directory (/home/user).

Step 4: Switch to Non-Graphical Mode

Switch to non-graphical mode using systemctl: 1. Change the default boot target: 

sudo systemctl set-default multi-user.target
2. Reboot the system: 
sudo reboot
The system boots into a text console without graphical interface.

Step 5: Perform Driver Installation

  1. Navigate to the .run file: 
    cd /home/user
  2. Make the file executable: 
    chmod +x NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.54.14.run
  3. Start the installation: 
    sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-550.54.14.run
  4. Follow the installation wizard:
  5. Accept the license.
  6. Choose "Yes" for 32-bit compatibility libraries if needed.
  7. Confirm disabling the Nouveau driver when asked. Liquorix Kernel: Thanks to dkms, the Nvidia module is automatically compiled for the Liquorix kernel and updated during kernel updates.

Step 6: Verify Installation

Check the driver: 

nvidia-smi
An output with GPU details confirms successful installation.

Step 7: Switch Back to Graphical Mode

Reset the default boot target: 

sudo systemctl set-default graphical.target
Reboot again: 
sudo reboot

Troubleshooting

  • Black Screen: If graphical mode doesn't start, add nouveau.modeset=0 in /etc/default/grub under GRUB_CMDLINE_LINUX_DEFAULT and run sudo update-grub.
  • Missing Dependencies: For standard kernels, check linux-headers-$(uname -r); for Liquorix kernel, ensure dkms is present.