Symptoms
- Black screen or login loop after an update
- Falls back to a low-resolution generic display
- 'nvidia-smi' command shows an error
- Graphics acceleration stopped working in apps
Likely causes
- CommonKernel updated but NVIDIA driver modules didn't rebuildDKMS (the system that rebuilds driver modules) can fail silently during an update.
- CommonSecure Boot blocking the unsigned driver moduleNVIDIA's proprietary driver may need to be signed or Secure Boot disabled.
- PossibleDriver version incompatible with new kernelA very new kernel can outpace the currently installed driver release.
What to do
- Boot into an older kernel from the GRUB Advanced options menu to get back to a working desktop temporarily.
- From there, open a terminal and run 'sudo dkms status' to check if the NVIDIA module built successfully for the new kernel.
- Reinstall the driver: 'sudo apt install --reinstall nvidia-driver-XXX' (use your installed version number) then reboot.
- If Secure Boot is enabled, either disable it in BIOS/UEFI or enroll the DKMS-generated signing key (the installer usually prompts for this).
- If problems continue, purge and reinstall NVIDIA drivers cleanly: 'sudo apt purge nvidia*' then reinstall via your distribution's driver manager.
- As a temporary fallback, boot using the open-source 'nouveau' driver to get a working desktop while troubleshooting.
Tools and parts
- Terminal access with sudo privileges
When to call a pro
If DKMS and manual reinstall attempts fail repeatedly, a Linux specialist familiar with NVIDIA driver management can save time.
Safety
Generally low risk
Generally low risk for a careful person. Stop if anything looks different from what this guide describes.