PrimeNode identity reflection

Exactly 👌 — you nailed it.

Your apt list shows that nvidia-driver-550 is installed.
But your checks tell the story:

• lsmod | grep nvidia → empty → the NVIDIA kernel module isn’t loaded.
• lspci → your GTX 1070 is detected, but it lists multiple possible kernel modules (nvidiafb, nouveau, nvidia_drm, nvidia) — and right now it’s probably falling back to nouveau (the open-source driver), which doesn’t handle modern 3D games like Satisfactory.
• dmesg → couldn’t read without root, but that’s where the real error logs live.

👉 So yes — the driver package is installed but not bound to the GPU. That’s why nvidia-smi reports the version but no devices, and why your game is crawling.

✅ Fix path

1. Check which driver the GPU is actually using:
   bash
sudo lspci -k | grep -EA3 'VGA|3D|Display'
   (with sudo, it’ll be more accurate). Look for Kernel driver in use:. If it says nouveau, that’s the culprit.

2. Blacklist nouveau so it stops hijacking the card:
   bash
echo "blacklist nouveau" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
sudo update-initramfs -u

3. Reboot.
   On reboot, the nvidia module should load instead of nouveau.

4. Confirm with:
   bash
lsmod | grep nvidia
nvidia-smi
   If all goes well, nvidia-smi will show your GTX 1070 and processes.

⚡ Side note: You might also need to disable Secure Boot in BIOS if it’s on, because unsigned NVIDIA kernel modules won’t load otherwise. That’s a common “driver installed but not loading” cause.

Do you want me to write you a one-shot cleanup + reinstall sequence (purge nouveau, reinstall driver, blacklist, reboot) so you don’t have to chase steps piecemeal?

👍 Perfect, thanks for running that with sudo.

The important line is missing here: Kernel driver in use:

Normally you’d see:

Kernel driver in use: nvidia

or

Kernel driver in use: nouveau

The fact it didn’t print either means the GPU isn’t actually bound to any driver right now — the system sees it, knows which modules exist (nvidiafb, nouveau, nvidia_drm, nvidia), but none of them are attached. That’s why nvidia-smi can’t find devices and why Satisfactory is choking.

✅ Next steps to get it working

1. See if nouveau is currently active anywhere
   bash
lsmod | grep nouveau
   If you see output, nouveau is loaded and needs to be blacklisted.

2. Blacklist nouveau (if it shows up above):
   bash
echo "blacklist nouveau" | sudo tee /etc/modprobe.d/blacklist-nouveau.conf
sudo update-initramfs -u
   Then reboot.

3. Force-load NVIDIA after reboot
   bash
sudo modprobe nvidia
   If that works, lsmod | grep nvidia should show several NVIDIA-related modules loaded.

4. Check again
   bash
nvidia-smi
   At this point your GTX 1070 should appear.

👉 If Secure Boot is on in your BIOS, Ubuntu will silently refuse to load the NVIDIA kernel module (even if it’s installed). That’s the #1 cause of this “driver installed but not in use” behavior.

Do you want me to hand you a single cleanup + reinstall script that removes nouveau, reloads initramfs, and ensures NVIDIA gets bound cleanly at boot? That’d make this a one-and-done fix.

Ahh — that error message is the smoking gun:

modprobe: ERROR: could not insert 'nvidia': Key was rejected by service

That’s Secure Boot biting you. Even though you turned off the MOK manager prompt, the kernel is still enforcing signature checks. Ubuntu signs some modules, but NVIDIA’s proprietary kernel driver usually doesn’t pass unless it’s manually signed.

So what’s happening:

• The driver package is installed (nvidia-driver-550).
• The kernel tries to load it.
• But Secure Boot rejects it because the module signature isn’t trusted → “Key was rejected by service.”
• Result: your GPU is left driverless.

✅ How to Fix

You’ve got two main options:

1. Simplest fix — Disable Secure Boot fully in BIOS

• Go into your BIOS/UEFI settings.
• Look for Secure Boot.
• Turn it OFF.
• Save & reboot.
• Then run:
  bash
sudo modprobe nvidia
nvidia-smi
  That should now work.

2. Keep Secure Boot — Sign the NVIDIA module (more advanced)

If you want to keep Secure Boot on, you’d need to manually sign the NVIDIA kernel module with your own Machine Owner Key (MOK). That’s a bit of a hassle — involves generating a keypair, enrolling it, and signing nvidia.ko yourself. Doable, but fiddly.

👉 Since this is a home machine and you just want Satisfactory to run smoothly, I’d strongly recommend Option 1: disable Secure Boot completely in your BIOS. That’s what most Linux/NVIDIA users end up doing.

Do you want me to write you the exact BIOS + Linux reboot check steps so you can confirm Secure Boot is really off and the driver is binding?

Yeah, good call 👍. Sometimes BIOS menus are a bit sneaky — you think you’ve disabled it, but it’s still enforcing. On many boards there are multiple entries like:

• Secure Boot → Enabled/Disabled
• OS Type → Windows UEFI vs. Other OS
• Key Management / MOK → whether enrolled keys are still active

If “Secure Boot” is off but “OS Type” is still set to Windows UEFI, it can silently enforce signatures anyway.

🔎 After you recheck BIOS

Once you’re sure Secure Boot is really off:

1. Boot back in and check status:
   bash
mokutil --sb-state
   – It should say SecureBoot disabled.

2. If it’s disabled, try loading NVIDIA again:
   bash
sudo modprobe nvidia
nvidia-smi

3. If that works, you’re good. If not, we might need to purge and reinstall the driver cleanly so it re-hooks into the kernel without the old Secure Boot conflicts.

⚡ Want me to prep you a purge + reinstall sequence now, so you can just run it after verifying BIOS and be sure everything’s clean?