Linux Friday: How To Install Graphics Drivers Using Envy

Do you have trouble installing the driver for your video card in Ubuntu? Does your XServer often crash or fail to start? Are you afraid to manually edit your xorg.conf because you might mess something up? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you should give Envy a try.

Envy is a program written in Python that will automate the installation of video card drivers in Ubuntu. Envy works with several versions of Ubuntu and Debian and supports both ATI and NVIDIA graphics cards. Envy will detect the model of your video card and select the appropiate driver. It will then contact the appropriate website (ATI or NVIDIA) and package the driver. Next, it will install the driver package. Lastly, it will even configure your xorg.conf for you.

To use Envy, begin by downloading it from Alberto Milone’s website. If you use the new Hardy Heron version, you should download “EnvyNG“, otherwise download “Envy Legacy.” There is a table on the website that displays this information.

Next, install the Envy package you just downloaded. Once installed, Envy should be located in Applications –> System Tools –> Envy. Click on Envy to start the program. Envy can also be run from the terminal by typing ‘envy -g’. Envy will then prompt you for your admin password to continue. Once you type in your password and Envy opens, you should see the following window.

From here you can install and uninstall both ATI and NVIDIA drivers. To do so, simply click the corresponding option that applies to your system and then click ‘Apply’. This will start the installation process. A small terminal window will appear that will show you the status of the install.

Once the installation is complete, Envy will ask if you want your xorg.conf to be automatically configured. Unless you have dual monitors or some advanced monitor setup, I recommend clicking ‘Yes’ to this option.

Lastly, it will ask if you want to restart your computer now. Again, this is recommended.

This completes the installation process. If for some reason, when your computer restarts, your desktop environment (GNOME, KDE, etc) did not start, use the following commands:

envy -t
This will open envy using the textual interface
envy --uninstall-all
This will completely remove what Envy has done
reboot
This will completely restart your computer

For more information on Envy and how to install it, check out the following links.

Albertomilone.com - Envy wiki

Linuxgamingtoday.wordpress.com - Easily Install Nvidia Drivers Using Envy in Ubuntu

Ubuntu-tutorials.com - Restricted Drivers Manager vs Envy

Envy logo credited to http://www.albertomilone.com

If you found this article useful, please share it: These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.