NVidia - correct build/install sequence?

[Rick Macdonald <rickmacd@shaw.ca>]

I recently switched to using module-assistant for building nvidia 
drivers but wonder if I am doing everything in the correct sequence. I 
especially wonder if the first reboot is always necessary.

Here's what I do when upgrading kernel versions or even reconfiguring a 
kernel, both of which seem to require rebuilding NVidia to match.

cd /usr/src/linux
make xconfig
make-kpkg clean
make-kpkg --append-to-version .rickm.4 kernel_image
cd ..
dpkg -i kernel-image-2.6.9.rickm.4_10.00.Custom_i386.deb
==>> reboot

I always do the reboot here, figuring that the kernel needs to be 
installed and running for the nvidia to build correctly. Usually, GDM 
fails to run after booting because the old driver doesn't match the new 
kernel. But what if I'm reconfiguring, such as turning on tmpfs or some 
drivers? Should I always reboot?

# David recently suggested to
rm -rf usr/src/modules/nvidia-kernel/
# before running the actual nvidia steps:

apt-get install module-assistant nvidia-kernel-common
module-assistant auto-install nvidia
apt-get install nvidia-glx
==>> reboot

The last set of commands usually say that I have the most recent 
versions for one or more packages but I always run this sequence anyway.

...RickM...