(Guide) Installing Nvidia + Bumblebee + CUDA for Optimus enabled Laptops

[Cricco95]

Hi staticn0de, I followed your guide to install the NVIDIA driver but when I try to run the NVIDIA*.run file i receive the following error and the installation abort:

Uninstall Debian packages first

I installed the latest non beta version of VirtualGL, and I downloaded the latest NVIDIA card driver from the official website

.log file

nvidia-installer log file '/var/log/nvidia-installer.log'
creation time: Sat Jul 18 19:38:52 2015
installer version: 352.21

PATH: /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin

nvidia-installer command line:
./nvidia-installer

Using: nvidia-installer ncurses user interface
-> Detected 8 CPUs online; setting concurrency level to 8.
WARNING: You do not appear to have an NVIDIA GPU supported by the 352.21 NVIDIA Linux graphics driver installed in this system. For further details, please see the appendix SUPPORTED NVIDIA GRAPHICS CHIPS in the README available on the Linux driver download page at www.nvidia.com.
-> License accepted.
-> Installing NVIDIA driver version 352.21.
-> The NVIDIA driver appears to have been installed previously using a different installer. To prevent potential conflicts, it is recommended either to update the existing installation using the same mechanism by which it was originally installed, or to uninstall the existing installation before installing this driver.

Please review the message provided by the maintainer of this alternate installation method and decide how to proceed:

Please use the Debian packages instead of the .run file.


(Answer: Abort installation)
ERROR: The installation was canceled due to the availability or presence of an alternate driver installation. Please see /var/log/nvidia-installer.log for more details.

[[email protected]]

Hi staticn0de, I followed your guide to install the NVIDIA driver but when I try to run the NVIDIA*.run file i receive the following error and the installation abort:[...]
Please use the Debian packages instead of the .run file.

In contrast to all the guides on installing the nVidia driver on Kali Linux, you must not install anything nVidia related before running the official nVidia installer.

Here is how I got the driver working.

1. Make sure your Kali Linux system is up to date:

apt-get clean && apt-get update && apt-get upgrade && apt-get dist-upgrade

2. Install the kernel headers:

apt-get install -y linux-headers-$(uname -r)

3. Download the nVidia driver for your graphics card and save it in a location convenient to you (e.g. your home directory).
4. Blacklist the nouveau driver:

make sure you have a file called "nvidia-installer-disable-nouveau.conf" inside of [/etc/modprobe.d/]. If it's not there, create it and paste inside...
blacklist nouveau
options nouveau modeset=0

Enter the following commands in a terminal as root:

sed 's/quiet/quiet nouveau.modeset=0/g' -i /etc/default/grub
update-grub
update-initramfs
reboot

5. If you face the login screen after reboot, do not log in but change to a terminal with ALT+F1.
6. Log in to the terminal as root.
7. Kill GDM:

service gdm3 stop

8. Remove all nVidia related stuff:

apt-get purge nvidia-*

9. Navigate to the directory you downloaded the nVidia driver to.
10. Make sure the driver installer (*.run) is executable:

chmod +x NVidia...run

11. Start the nVidia driver installer and follow the instructions on the screen. Let it configure your X server.
12. Reboot again. You should now be fine

Hope that helps. At least that's how I got my system working. The nvidia-kernel-dkms package from the Kali repository, unfortunately, does not support my graphics card (GeForce 8400 GS) any more so I had to install the official nVidia driver (340.93) instead.