how to close X Server, to avoid errors while updating nvidia driver?

Question

I tried to update my nvidia driver but i got an error when i ran the driver installation.

See the error:

  ERROR: You appear to be running an X server; please exit X before            
         installing.  For further details, please see the section INSTALLING   
         THE NVIDIA DRIVER in the README available on the Linux driver         
         download page at www.nvidia.com.

Note: I tried following a guide by typing init 3 but still nothing changed.. How to close the X server?

So i can update the driver

Answer 1

I don't think I've ever gotten that installing/updating nvidia, but here:

# To stop:
sudo init 3
# To resume:
sudo init 5

Though I'm not 100% sure that'll work on Ubuntu, IIRC they moved away from init. On Ubuntu, try this (replace gdm with kdm/slim/whatever display manager you use):

# To stop:
sudo service gdm stop
# To start:
sudo service gdm start

I'm pretty sure that stops the whole X session

Less cleanly, you could just kill them:

sudo killall /usr/bin/X

But they might respawn.

Answer 2

Depending on your version the way of stopping the X server varies. You have to exit the graphic mode (by typing alt+ctrl+F1, for example), login, and then type one of the following commands to stop the X server:

sudo service lightdm stop

sudo service gdm stop

sudo service kdm stop  //this is the one that worked for mi as I use kdm and Linux mint

Now you can install the drivers and then type

sudo reboot

When you write sudo service press tab to see the options you have (gdm, kdm,...)

Answer 3

from my experience i am try this :

• Alt+F1 then login, sudo telinit 3 (if that isn't work try /sbin/telinit 3), and check that it is changed to level 3 with runlevel that should output something like 5 3 which means that the current run level is 3 and before it was 5.

In case that isn't work, do:

• ps ax | grep X, and in the output you would see teh PID number of the process X, so you should kill it with sudo kill -9 number where number is the PID number of the process.