The following instructions explain how to install the latest ATI Catalyst video driver of Ubuntu 12.04 LTS (Precise Pangolin).
Note
AMD has released the Catalyst 12.8 driver for Linux systems in
August bringing some improvements and bug fixes. This driver is based on the fglrx 8.982 release, and it improves support for Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.
To keep up to date with the latest driver information always refer to AMDs official website as updates are published fairly regularly.
Installing the AMD/ATI Catalyst drivers for 12.04 LTS
Tested: v12.4, v12.6, v12.8
Important Information and Preparation
Only use these instructions if you have opted NOT to use the official Ubuntu binaries.
- If you wish to use the official Ubuntu binaries or want to install
the latest ATI Catalyst video driver for previous versions of Ubuntu,
navigate to the answer of this question and follow the
instructions.
Before deciding, check if Ubuntu supports your video card here.
- If you are currently using the official Ubuntu binaries and want to
install the latest ATI Catalyst video driver there is a prerequisite
to purge some files. Before proceeding with these instructions. You can Skip
the step to purge if you have a fresh install of Ubuntu 12.04.
Removing (purging) existing drivers
sudo sh /usr/share/ati/fglrx-uninstall.sh
sudo apt-get remove --purge fglrx fglrx_* fglrx-amdcccle* fglrx-dev*
Install these dependencies
You need to install some dependencies to your system, do this by running these in Terminal:
sudo apt-get install build-essential cdbs fakeroot dh-make debhelper debconf libstdc++6 dkms libqtgui4 wget execstack libelfg0 dh-modaliases
For 64-bit Only
sudo apt-get install ia32-libs-multiarch i386 lib32gcc1 libc6-i386
Installing the lastest ATI/AMD driver
Download the appropriate driver for your machine here from the AMD/ATI Website and then enter the following into the terminal (remember to navigate to where you extracted the driver to beforehand and make sure no other .run files exist in that folder):
sudo sh *.run --buildpkg Ubuntu/precise
If it is required, a package manager window will open and install some dependencies and after a while create the following four .deb packages:
fglrx_8.961-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
fglrx-amdcccle_8.961-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
fglrx-dev_8.961-0ubuntu1_amd64.deb
Note: It will also create a file called fglrx-installer_8.961-0ubuntu1_amd64.changes. If you wish you can read this file to know the changes that have been affected through AMD/ATI Catalyst and related information.
To install the created .deb files, type:
sudo dpkg -i *.deb
Note: In case any of the packages are broken, open Synaptic Package Manager and go to Edit -> Fix Broken Packages. In case you are new to Ubuntu, broken here means that some dependent packages are not yet installed. Once you sort out the issue as indicated above through the Synaptic Package Manager, the problem of broken packages should be resolved.
Continuing with the installation, type:
sudo aticonfig --initial
Before rebooting your computer: If you are using a beta version, you may want to remove the AMD "Testing" watermark. Otherwise skip the next block of instructions.
Beta versions: Removing the AMD "Testing" watermark
Edit the ATI signature file via "nano" or "gedit":
sudo nano /etc/ati/signature
OR
sudo gedit /etc/ati/signature
By replacing the "UNSIGNED" line with the following code:
9777c589791007f4aeef06c922ad54a2:ae59f5b9572136d99fdd36f0109d358fa643f2bd4a2644d9efbb4fe91a9f6590a145:f612f0b01f2565cd9bd834f8119b309bae11a1ed4a2661c49fdf3fad11986cc4f641f1ba1f2265909a8e34ff1699309bf211a7eb4d7662cd9f8e3faf14986d92f646f1bc
Make sure to save before/on closing the file.
That will remove the AMD "Testing" watermark (which you will now never
see) from the bottom right of your screen when you reboot
(source).
Now go ahead and reboot your computer.
If all is right, the fglrx driver that corresponds to AMD/ATI Catalyst will be installed and working on your system. To confirm the drivers are working open a terminal and type:
fglrxinfo
You should get an output similar to the following:
display: :0 screen: 0
OpenGL vendor string: Advanced Micro Devices, Inc.
OpenGL renderer string: ATI Radeon HD 4300/4500 Series
OpenGL version string: 3.3.11631 Compatibility Profile Context
Note: If you see any mention of MESA in the output, the fglrx drivers have not been installed correctly. See the troubleshooting section for more details
You can make configuration changes through the AMD/ATI Catalyst Control Center. It can either be found in your Application menu or you can launch it through a terminal like this:
sudo amdcccle
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Be aware that when you manually install fglrx, this can subtly break your system, since the packaging system isn't made aware of your changes.
The Launchpad developers get many bug reports from users who do this and then later discover after a few upgrades that their system starts behaving weird because of those fglrx remnants.