Fix NVIDIA Dependency Deadlock Ubuntu | Generated by AI

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Question: How do I fix the NVIDIA package dependency deadlock on Ubuntu where apt --fix-broken install and apt autoremove both fail with unmet dependencies in a loop?

Answer:

Diagnosis

You’re stuck in a circular dependency hell caused by mixed NVIDIA package versions:

The only reliable escape is a full NVIDIA purge and clean reinstall.

Step-by-Step Fix

Step 1: Force-overwrite the two originally failing packages first

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite \
  /var/cache/apt/archives/nvidia-kernel-common-535_535.288.01-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb

If those .deb files are gone from cache, re-download them:

sudo apt-get download nvidia-kernel-common-535 libnvidia-extra-535
sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite nvidia-kernel-common-535_*.deb
sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite libnvidia-extra-535_*.deb

Step 2: Force-remove ALL NVIDIA and CUDA packages

sudo dpkg --remove --force-remove-reinstreq \
  $(dpkg -l | grep -E 'nvidia|cuda|libnvidia' | awk '{print $2}' | tr '\n' ' ')

Or more conservatively, list them first:

dpkg -l | grep -E 'nvidia|cuda|libnvidia' | awk '{print $2}'

Then remove everything listed:

sudo apt purge --allow-remove-essential \
  nvidia-* libnvidia-* cuda-* nvidia-dkms-535 nvidia-kernel-common-535 \
  nvidia-firmware-535-535.288.01 -y

Step 3: Clean up broken state

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt --fix-broken install
sudo apt autoremove --purge
sudo apt clean
sudo apt autoclean

Step 4: Remove any leftover NVIDIA apt sources causing version conflicts

# List all NVIDIA-related sources
grep -r nvidia /etc/apt/sources.list /etc/apt/sources.list.d/ 2>/dev/null

If you see entries from both ppa:graphics-drivers AND developer.download.nvidia.com, remove one to avoid future conflicts:

sudo rm /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cuda*.list
# or
sudo add-apt-repository --remove ppa:graphics-drivers/ppa

Then update:

sudo apt update

Step 5: Reinstall cleanly from ONE source only

sudo apt install nvidia-driver-535 nvidia-dkms-535

Or if you need CUDA:

sudo apt install cuda-12-2

Step 6: Reboot and verify

sudo reboot
# After reboot:
nvidia-smi

Key Principle

Rule Detail
Never mix sources Pick Ubuntu repo OR NVIDIA repo, not both
Version suffix -0ubuntu1 Comes from Ubuntu’s official repo
Version suffix -0ubuntu0.22.04.1 Comes from NVIDIA’s own CUDA repo
These conflict when they share firmware files Always purge before switching sources

References:

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