After installing CUDA driver from NVIDIA website, Ubuntu 13.04/14.04 window manager decorations (Unity, via Compiz) may stop working properly on Optimus machines (primary low-end Intel GPU + secondary high-end NVIDIA GPU).

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This tutorial explains how to bring back window manager decorations.

(Also available as PDF)

Purpose of CUDA driver install:

  • We want to install CUDA driver to enable the use of NVIDIA GPU in compute applications
  • We want to have the newest CUDA development driver from NVIDIA website
  • We do NOT want to do desktop acceleration with NVIDIA GPU – desktop shall still be managed by Intel GPU
  • If you want to do NVIDIA desktop acceleration, this tutorial is NOT for you. Look into bumblebee instead.

Breaking by installing vanilla CUDA driver:

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  1. Switch to console-mode tty: Ctrl+Alt+F2

  2. Disable Nouveau:

    $ cd Downloads
$ sudo service lightdm stop
$ chmod +x cuda_6.0.37_linux_64.run
$ sudo ./cuda_6.0.37_linux_64.run
$ sudo reboot

  3. Install driver, CUDA toolkit and samples:

    $ cd Downloads
$ sudo service lightdm stop
$ sudo ./cuda_6.0.37_linux_64.run
$ sudo reboot

After reboot and login, decorations and main main menu may disappear:

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The following steps describe how to bring back the normal desktop:

  1. Press Ctrl+Alt+T to open terminal

  2. Install mc: $ sudo apt-get install mc

  3. Execute mc under admin: $ sudo mc

  4. Delete files in /usr/lib/xorg/modules/extensions as shown below: alt text

  5. Delete libGL* files in /usr/lib, and libGL* and libGLES* files in /usr/lib32 alt text alt text

  6. Reinstall GLX module: $ sudo apt-get install --reinstall libgl1-mesa-glx alt text

  7. Reinstall xserver: $ sudo apt-get install --reinstall xserver-org-core alt text

  8. Reinstall xorg: $ sudo apt-get install --reinstall xorg alt text

  9. Reset and restart compiz:

    $ dconf reset -f /org/compiz/
$ compiz –replace

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  10. You should now see decorator and main menu running normally: alt text

How to avoid this problem in future: do not install OpenGL files:

  • Install graphics driver separately w/o OpenGL (–no-opengl-files):
Ctrl+Alt+F2
$ cd Downloads
$ ./cuda_6.0.37_linux_64.run --extract=$HOME/Downloads/cuda
$ cd cuda
$ sudo service lightdm stop
$ sudo ./NVIDIA-Linux-x86_64-331.62.run --no-opengl-files
  • Then install CUDA and CUDA samples:
$ cd ..
$ sudo ./cuda_6.0.37_linux_64.run
Do you accept the previously read EULA? (accept/decline/quit): accept
Install NVIDIA Accelerated Graphics Driver for Linux-x86_64 331.62? ((y)es/(n)o/(q)uit): n
Install the CUDA 6.0 Toolkit? ((y)es/(n)o/(q)uit): y
Enter Toolkit Location [ default is /usr/local/cuda-6.0 ]: /opt/cuda
Do you want to install a symbolic link at /usr/local/cuda? ((y)es/(n)o/(q)uit): y
Install the CUDA 6.0 Samples? ((y)es/(n)o/(q)uit): y
$ sudo reboot