Problem with Nvidia driver 331.20 on ubuntu 13.10 (64bit)

The source of the problem probably starts with installing the 331 driver from the .run file provided by NVIDIA.

Here are the steps that worked for me and resolved both this and the low-graphics mode problem that subsequently came up.

Remove Nvidia proprietary drivers:

sudo apt-get remove --purge nvidia*

Add xorg edgers PPA for NVIDIA drivers and install nvidia-331:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:xorg-edgers/ppa
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nvidia-331

Remove/purge bumblebee and reboot:

sudo apt-get --purge remove bumblebee
sudo reboot

The following helped:

• After apt-get upgrade system always boot to low-graphics mode
• http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2197861

I was stuck in a similar situation. I removed all Nvidia drivers and associated programs and then manually re-installed the drivers from terminal mode. I believe, in my case, that an unknown Nvidia program conflicted with the Nvidia upgrade (3.19). With the screen black you will need to use terminal mode CTRL+ALT+FI to conduct all your work.

In my case, the initial re-boot "failed" after installing the updated driver (3.19), but I shut-down and rebooted and everything worked. What I have heard (unverified) is that the Nvidia graphic card is not immediately recognized by the computer when booting, hence initial failure.

I did a quick check and ran across this website: Nvidia Driver 331.20 released, Install it in Ubuntu & Linux Mint. It may prove helpful.

This may prove helpful too: Install NVIDIA GeForce driver in Ubuntu 13.10 / 13.04 / 12.10 / 12.04 using PPA

How to change proprietary video driver using the command line?

Also read the following: Reset Unity and Gnome to default values [duplicate] and How To Reset Unity And Compiz In Ubuntu 13.10 Or 13.04. I found them useful too.