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I have compiled the Kernel on my 64-bit Debian XPS Studio 1340 Dell system.

srikanth@debian:~ - 05:40:52 PM - $ uname -a
Linux debian 2.6.32-5-amd64 #1 SMP Thu Mar 22 17:26:33 UTC 2012 x86_64 GNU/Linux

Kernel version that I have used and compiled from kernel.org is 2.6.35.13

I have nvidia installed on old kernel. I got the old config and I used the same config to compile the new kernel.

Everything went well and I got two debian packages ( image and headers ) which I have installed on my system.

When I select the new kernel on the boot menu and I go into it, the X server is not starting up possibly because I have to "rebuild" ( not sure how to do that ) according to this link: http://www.linuxquestions.org/questions/slackware-14/x-server-not-starting-after-kernel-compilation-605265/

  • Can you suggest how to do the rebuild on nvidia module so that I can start x ( without seeing any blank screen or error saying nvidia module is missing ) ?

PS: The link that I have used to compile the kernel is https://help.ubuntu.com/community/Kernel/Compile#Alternate_Build_Method:_The_Old-Fashioned_Debian_Way

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  • Well, how did you build it the first time?
    – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
    Commented Apr 13, 2012 at 23:18
  • @IgnacioVazquez-Abrams First time, I used Debian 64-bit DVD and followed the instructions which were pretty straight-forward and didn't involve compiling the kernel. Now, I feel like the kernel on debian that I am currently using is old and wanted to do an upgrade. I am sorry if I misunderstood your question.
    – user122530
    Commented Apr 13, 2012 at 23:31
  • No, that's okay. If the honest answer is "I didn't", then so be it.
    – Ignacio Vazquez-Abrams
    Commented Apr 13, 2012 at 23:33

1 Answer 1

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There are much more cleaner ways to do this (like using DKMS if you change your kernel frequently), but I simply re-install the whole NVidia driver after every update. It takes no time, and it works.

The kernel howto I use: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=311158
(It's not getting updated anymore, but it is up-to-date, and works really, really great (for any Debian based distro))

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  • 1
    Thanks a lot for the dkms suggestion. I downloaded the packages dkms and nvidia-kernel-dkms. installed them and now the latest kernel is starting X without any problems.
    – user122530
    Commented Apr 14, 2012 at 1:28
  • Oh cool. If the DKMS is set up correctly, it'll always compile the neccessary modules when needed. By the way... why did you choose this specific kernel? Why not the latest one? Or you can also play around with -ck. ( users.on.net/~ckolivas/kernel ).
    – Apache
    Commented Apr 14, 2012 at 10:16
  • after I was successful, I installed the latest kernel 3.3.2 and I am currently using it. I did install that ck-kernel patch when I was using Arch Linux. Next, I will be installing that kernel patch on my Debian too. Thanks for the link!
    – user122530
    Commented Apr 14, 2012 at 14:00

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