Linux - I cannot build the NVIDIA kernel module (or modprobe/insmod fails).

I cannot build the NVIDIA kernel module, or I can build the NVIDIA

kernel module, but modprobe/insmod fails to load the module into

my kernel.  What is wrong?

These problems are generally caused by the build using the wrong kernel

header files (ie header files for a different kernel version than

the one you are running).  The convention used to be that kernel

header files should be stored in "/usr/include/linux/", but that

is deprecated in favor of "/lib/modules/`uname -r`/build/include".

The nvidia-installer should be able to determine the location on your

system; however, if you encounter a problem you can force the build

to use certain header files by using the --kernel-include-dir option.

Obviously, for this to work, you need the appropriate kernel header

files installed on your system.  Consult the documentation that came

with your distribution; some distributions do not install the kernel

header files by default, or they install headers that do not coincide

properly with the kernel you are running.