A Complete Guide to Installing Proprietary Drivers on Linux Mint

Linux Mint is known for its user-friendly approach to Linux, but managing proprietary drivers can still be challenging for new users. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of installing and managing proprietary drivers, with a particular focus on graphics and wireless drivers that often require special attention.

Understanding Proprietary Drivers in Linux

Before diving into the installation process, it’s important to understand what proprietary drivers are and why you might need them. While Linux Mint comes with many open-source drivers pre-installed, proprietary drivers are closed-source software provided by hardware manufacturers. These drivers often offer better performance, additional features, or necessary functionality that isn’t available through open-source alternatives.

Common scenarios where you might need proprietary drivers include:

• Graphics cards from NVIDIA
• Certain wireless network cards
• Some printers and scanners
• Specialized hardware like gaming peripherals

Using the Driver Manager

Linux Mint provides a straightforward graphical tool called the Driver Manager for handling proprietary drivers. Here’s how to use it:

1. Open the Driver Manager by:

   • Clicking the Menu button (usually in the bottom-left corner)
   • Typing “Driver Manager” in the search box
   • Or running mintdrivers from the terminal

2. When you first open the Driver Manager, it will scan your system for available drivers. You may need to enter your administrator password to proceed.

3. The Driver Manager will display a list of available drivers for your hardware. Each entry typically shows:

   • The hardware component name
   • Available driver versions
   • Whether the driver is currently in use
   • A brief description of the driver

Installing Graphics Drivers

NVIDIA Graphics Cards

NVIDIA graphics cards often benefit significantly from proprietary drivers. To install them:

1. Open the Driver Manager
2. Look for “NVIDIA binary driver”
3. Select the recommended version (usually marked as such)
4. Click “Apply Changes”
5. Wait for the download and installation to complete
6. Restart your computer when prompted

If you encounter issues, you can also install NVIDIA drivers through the terminal:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nvidia-driver-xxx

Replace “xxx” with the appropriate version number for your card (e.g., 470, 515, etc.).

AMD Graphics Cards

Modern AMD graphics cards typically work well with the open-source drivers included in Linux Mint. However, if you need proprietary drivers:

1. Open the Driver Manager
2. Look for “AMD/ATI proprietary FGLRX graphics driver”
3. Select the recommended version
4. Follow the installation prompts

Installing Wireless Drivers

Wireless drivers can be trickier because some manufacturers don’t provide native Linux support. Here’s how to handle common scenarios:

Using the Driver Manager

1. Open the Driver Manager
2. Look for any available wireless drivers
3. Select and install the recommended version

Installing Broadcom Wireless Drivers

Broadcom wireless cards often require additional steps:

1. Ensure you have an internet connection (use ethernet if necessary)
2. Open Terminal
3. Run these commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install broadcom-sta-dkms

Using Additional Drivers Repository

Sometimes you’ll need to enable additional repositories:

1. Open Software Sources
2. Go to the “Additional Drivers” tab
3. Enable the relevant repository
4. Update your package list:

sudo apt update

Troubleshooting Driver Issues

If you encounter problems with proprietary drivers, here are some steps to troubleshoot:

For Graphics Drivers

1. If the system won’t boot properly:

   • Press Ctrl+Alt+F1 to access a terminal
   • Log in with your username and password
   • Remove the problematic driver:

   sudo apt remove nvidia-*  # for NVIDIA
   

   • Reboot the system:

   sudo reboot
   

2. For performance issues:

   • Check the driver is actually in use:

   nvidia-smi  # for NVIDIA
   lspci -k | grep -EA3 'VGA|3D|Display'  # for any graphics card
   

For Wireless Drivers

1. Verify the wireless card is recognized:

lspci | grep -i wireless

2. Check which driver is currently in use:

sudo lshw -C network

Maintaining Your Drivers

Once you’ve installed proprietary drivers, it’s important to maintain them:

1. Regularly check for updates through:

   • The Update Manager
   • The Driver Manager
   • System Reports

2. Before major system upgrades:

   • Make note of which drivers you’re using
   • Back up any custom driver configurations
   • Be prepared to reinstall drivers if necessary

Best Practices and Tips

• Always back up important data before making driver changes
• Keep note of which drivers work well with your hardware
• Consider using Timeshift to create system snapshots before driver updates
• Don’t mix drivers from different sources (e.g., repository and manufacturer website)
• Watch for system notifications about available driver updates

Conclusion

While installing proprietary drivers on Linux Mint can seem daunting, the process is usually straightforward thanks to the Driver Manager. When you do need to dive deeper, the terminal commands and troubleshooting steps provided above should help you resolve most common issues. Remember that while proprietary drivers can offer better performance, they’re not always necessary – Linux Mint’s default open-source drivers work well for many users and hardware configurations.