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wcroce

1 Rookie

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1 Message

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September 20th, 2025 20:38

where is nvidiam command (nvidia -smi)

I got a brand new alienware AA16250, with a RTX5070ti. Following instructions from posts in the web, I installed WSL2, Ubuntu22.04, python 3.13, Anaconda, CYUDA and cudNN. no way to make the environment see the Nvidia GPU. The answer I get to  nvidia -SMI is that command does  not exist or has been defined. 

For me restoring to factory settings was the last alternative and even after that no results. I used the Nvidia app to check for driver driver update and I was recommended to download the latest (583.xx if I am not wrong) but  the system never updated it, keeping the original Dell driver version coming from the factory. 

Tried to load Dell SupportAssist app and....... does not load, requests to restart the laptop and again.... does not start.

Having doubts on the investment I made.

This forum  is my last step before requesting full refund and professional compensation for the week work I applied to this matter.

Does anyone has any suggestion?

anne_droid

3 Apprentice

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860 Posts

September 21st, 2025 09:10

Hi

Why WSL2?

AFAIK WSL2 does not do graphics in the same way as W11 or a standalone Distro.

It is a hybrid mish-mash of a kludge, and only walks the walk.

However the internet differs slightly....

Current Status in WSL2

  • With modern Windows NVIDIA drivers (R495 and newer), nvidia-smi is included and can be executed from within WSL2.

  • The command is available in WSL2 usually at /usr/lib/wsl/lib/nvidia-smi, with the binary mounted from the Windows system driver folder rather than a native Linux installation.

  • NVIDIA officially recommends installing only the Windows driver for CUDA and GPU compatibility in WSL2, not any Linux display driver within WSL2 itself.

Known Limitations and Issues

  • The nvidia-smi tool in WSL2 may have a "Limited Feature Set" compared to a native Linux installation; some features and detailed reporting may not work as expected.

  • Users have reported occasional segmentation faults and CUDA errors running nvidia-smi from WSL2, particularly when using certain driver versions or GPU models.

But I would still pose the question, Why not DUAL boot.

The internet reports...   

The latest version of Ubuntu available for WSL2 is Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat). This version can be installed via the Microsoft Store or using WSL commands on Windows 10 or 11. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS is the recommended release for best security, reliability, and support on WSL2 as of 2025.

But I noted you have 22.04, by choice? 

""Following instructions from posts in the web, ""

What question did you ask or what solution are you wanting?

If in doubt please ask.

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