I just did a fresh install of Debian 13 (Trixie) and I've got an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090. I updated my sources.list to include the appropriate repositories, but when I tried to install the `nvidia-driver` package, I ran into some dependency issues. Specifically, it mentions that `nvidia-driver` depends on `nvidia-kernel-dkms` and a couple of other packages that aren't installable. I've also attempted to get the drivers directly from NVIDIA's official site, but I was prompted about updating the kernel MOK (Machine Owner Key), which I'm unsure how to handle. I found a GitHub script that seems to outline driver installation, but it's for a different kernel version (6.13 vs my current 6.12). Should I consider another way to get the drivers or is there something I might be missing? Thanks for your help!
4 Answers
It looks like you've got the wrong sources listed for your new Trixie install. Debian 13 has moved away from using `/etc/apt/sources.list`, and now you should be using the files in `/etc/apt/sources.list.d/`. You need to create a file there for Trixie and add the proper lines for your repositories. Here’s what you’ll want to include:
```
# Modernized from /etc/apt/sources.list
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: https://deb.debian.org/debian/
Suites: trixie
Components: main contrib non-free-firmware
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg
# Security updates
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: https://security.debian.org/debian-security/
Suites: trixie-security
Components: main contrib non-free
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg
# Updates
Types: deb deb-src
URIs: https://deb.debian.org/debian/
Suites: trixie-updates
Components: main contrib non-free
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/debian-archive-keyring.gpg
```
Once that's set up, run `sudo apt update` and then try installing the drivers again!
You might want to take a look at the Debian Wiki on NVIDIA drivers—it has some good installation guidance: https://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers. Just ensure your sources are set correctly to avoid those dependency errors you mentioned.
Hey! We have some [ installation tips ](http://www.reddit.com/r/linux4noobs/wiki/installation) you could check out in our wiki. Remember, it’s always better to install over an ethernet connection, and make sure to remove any boot media afterward! 😊
Definitely avoid mixing 'bookworm' and 'trixie' in your repository lists. Just switching all 'bookworm' entries to 'trixie' in your sources should help. Make sure to include 'contrib' and 'non-free' sections as well to get the required packages. Also, after making changes to the sources, always run `sudo apt update` to refresh your package list!
That’s helpful, but I noticed my `/etc/apt/sources.list` was still configured on my fresh install and the new file is empty. Should I remove that old list?