Common Driver Issues

Driver Troubleshooting Workflow

Step 1: Identify the Hardware


# Full hardware overview
sudo lshw -short
 
# PCI devices (graphics cards, network cards, sound cards, etc.)
lspci -nn
 
# USB devices
lsusb
 
# Detailed hardware report
sudo lshw -html > hardware-report.html

Step 2: Check Kernel Logs


# Current boot log
sudo dmesg | less
 
# Filter errors and warnings
sudo dmesg --level=err,warn
 
# Real-time monitoring (use when plugging in devices)
sudo dmesg -w

Step 3: View Loaded Modules


# List all loaded kernel modules
lsmod
 
# View information about a specific module
modinfo MODULE_NAME
 
# View module dependencies
modprobe --show-depends MODULE_NAME

Using the ubuntu-drivers Tool


# Detect devices that need additional drivers
sudo ubuntu-drivers devices
 
# Automatically install recommended drivers
sudo ubuntu-drivers autoinstall
 
# Install a specific driver (use the version recommended by `ubuntu-drivers devices`, e.g. 580/590)
sudo ubuntu-drivers install nvidia-driver-580

DKMS Driver Management

DKMS (Dynamic Kernel Module Support) ensures third-party drivers are automatically recompiled after kernel updates.


# View DKMS-managed modules
dkms status
 
# Manually rebuild modules
sudo dkms autoinstall
 
# If a module fails to build
sudo dkms remove MODULE_NAME/VERSION --all
sudo dkms install MODULE_NAME/VERSION

Common Issues and Solutions

Driver stops working after kernel update


# Check DKMS status
dkms status
 
# Ensure build tools are installed
sudo apt install build-essential dkms linux-headers-$(uname -r)
 
# Rebuild all DKMS modules
sudo dkms autoinstall

Driver module is blacklisted


# Check blacklists
grep -r "blacklist" /etc/modprobe.d/
 
# Temporarily load a blacklisted module
sudo modprobe MODULE_NAME
 
# Permanently remove blacklist entry
sudo nano /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist.conf
# Comment out the relevant line, then regenerate the initramfs (Ubuntu 26.04 uses Dracut by default):
sudo dracut -f
# On legacy initramfs-tools systems use instead: sudo update-initramfs -u

Missing firmware files


# Check for firmware missing warnings
sudo dmesg | grep -i firmware
 
# Install the full firmware package (all of Ubuntu's binary firmware lives in linux-firmware)
sudo apt install linux-firmware

Note

Ubuntu does not have Debian’s split packages such as firmware-misc-nonfree; all required firmware is bundled in linux-firmware. Starting with 26.04, linux-firmware is split into finer vendor-specific subpackages, but installing the umbrella package still pulls in all firmware.

Device not recognized

Confirm the device is physically connected properly
Check if the device is enabled in BIOS/UEFI
Try a different USB port or cable
Update the kernel version:


sudo apt install linux-generic-hwe-26.04

Manually Compiling and Installing Drivers

When no pre-built driver package is available:


# Install build dependencies
sudo apt install build-essential linux-headers-$(uname -r) git
 
# Typical workflow
git clone <DRIVER_REPOSITORY_URL>
cd <DRIVER_DIRECTORY>
make
sudo make install
sudo modprobe <MODULE_NAME>
 
# Set up automatic loading at boot
echo "MODULE_NAME" | sudo tee /etc/modules-load.d/MODULE_NAME.conf

Rolling Back to an Older Kernel

If a new kernel causes hardware issues:


# View installed kernels
dpkg --list | grep linux-image
 
# Select an older kernel at the GRUB menu during boot
# Hold Shift (BIOS) or Esc (UEFI) to enter the GRUB menu
# Select "Advanced options for Ubuntu" > older kernel version
 
# Pin a specific kernel version (use with caution)
sudo apt-mark hold linux-image-7.x.x-xx-generic

Generating a Hardware Diagnostic Report

When seeking help from the community, provide the following information:


# Generate a complete hardware report
sudo apt install inxi
inxi -Fxxxz
 
# Or use hw-probe
sudo apt install hw-probe
sudo hw-probe -all -upload

The output link can be shared directly with those helping you.