Dennis HilkLinux diagnosticsDE

Linux Gaming Repair Center

NVIDIA kernel module and libraries disagree

Compare the loaded driver with installed components and distinguish a stale module from a module that never loaded.

Editorial source review: Open the diagnostic assistants
On this page
  1. Loaded and installed are different states
  2. Find out why the module is unavailable
  3. Repair coherence before comparing Proton
  4. Gather evidence
  5. A controlled test
  6. Related diagnostics
  7. Sources & limitations

Loaded and installed are different states

A userspace update can leave an older NVIDIA module running until reboot. Conversely, an updated kernel can boot without its matching module if the build or installation failed. An explicit driver/library version mismatch is stronger evidence than a generic Vulkan startup failure. Compare /proc/driver/nvidia/version for the loaded driver with the on-disk module and package transaction. For NVIDIA’s open kernel modules, userspace components and GSP firmware still have to correspond to the driver release. “Open” does not mean that arbitrary versions can be mixed.

Find out why the module is unavailable

If the driver file is absent, look for signature rejection, build failures, vermagic errors or another driver owning the GPU. Secure Boot rejecting a module is distinct from a library mismatch; disabling platform security is not a prerequisite for reading the evidence. The presence of a candidate module in lspci does not prove it loaded. Use the distribution’s packaged driver workflow rather than mixing a vendor installer with managed packages. Containerized Steam and 32-bit game components may reveal a second userspace mismatch even after the native management tool works.

Repair coherence before comparing Proton

If the package transaction completed and the only discrepancy is an older loaded module, save work and perform a normal reboot. Recheck the loaded version afterward. If the mismatch persists, inspect the exact kernel and driver package set; repeated reboots cannot repair missing files or a failed module build. A coherent nvidia-smi result is useful management evidence but does not test Vulkan presentation, the game’s required features or its separate library architecture. Continue with Vulkan diagnostics once the mismatch itself is gone.

Gather evidence before changing the system

Run one command at a time in the relevant host or game environment. Read its requirements and interpretation first. The website displays commands and never runs them.

Read-only observation

cat /proc/driver/nvidia/version

Requirements: Host shell with NVIDIA procfs information, if the module loaded.

Read the running NVIDIA driver version. A missing file can mean that the NVIDIA module is not loaded; it is not a version value.

Read-only observation

modinfo -F version nvidia

Requirements: kmod/modinfo and a module installed for the running kernel.

Read the installed module selected for the running kernel. It can differ from the loaded module and does not validate userspace libraries.

Read-only observation

nvidia-smi

Requirements: NVIDIA’s userspace management tool from the intended driver package.

An explicit NVML driver/library mismatch supports this branch. Successful output does not establish successful Vulkan rendering.

Read-only observation

journalctl -k -b --no-pager

Requirements: Kernel journal read permission; systemd-based installation.

Find the module-load result and exact mismatch or signature text. Keep nearby kernel messages rather than searching only for the game crash.

A controlled test with a way back

When a completed driver update left an old module loaded, save work and reboot normally, then repeat the version comparison before starting the game.

Rollback: A reboot changes no package selection. If a later package repair regresses the desktop, use the distribution’s documented previous driver/kernel set or a known-working NixOS generation.

What this test cannot establish: Do not unload the active graphics module from a running desktop as a shortcut. A matching host stack can still coexist with a sandbox or 32-bit library problem.

Sources and scope

This editorial review uses primary project and distribution references. It does not establish that a fix has been reproduced on your hardware. Installed versions, the game runtime and the selected graphics API can change the result.