Problems with nVidia proprietary driver

[Lisi Reisz <lisi.reisz@gmail.com>]

I read the postings fairly recently on this list, then Googled and found:

https://wiki.debian.org/NvidiaGraphicsDrivers#configure

I decided to follow that.  I also followed the trouble-shooting recommended.

I have checked and as a result of what I did, the following package is 
definitely installed.  (It is recommended.)
http://packages.debian.org/wheezy/nvidia-kernel-common

At present I have been offered a CLI login and have logged in as root.

I was able to:

cat /var/log//Xorg.0.log

but I could not pipe to less (or more!) because I couldn't find the pipe.  
Googling seemed to suggest that the American pipe was on a key in a position 
that does not exist on my keyboards, which wasn't very helpful.

Here is my best attempt at copying across onto a working X on another 
computer:

(II) LoadModule: "nvidia"
(II) Loading /usr/lib/xorg/modules/drivers/nvidia_drv.so
(II) Module nvidia: vendor="NVIDIA Corporation"
  compiled for 4.0.2, module version = 1.0.0
  Module class: X.Org Video Driver
(EE) NVIDIA: Failed to load the NVIDIA kernel module
[snip] can't quite make it out accurately enough to copy.  Short message 
saying to look at the system's kernel log if you want to see more messages.
(EE) NVIDIA (tangled up with above)
(II) UnloadModule: "nvidia"
(II) Unloading nvidia
(EE) Failed to load module "nvidia"(module-specific error, 0)
(EE) No drivers available.
Fatal server error:
         no screens found

I have downloaded the correct driver for my husband's card (GTX 650 TI) on 
this box (mine) and was thinking of putting it on a USB key with a view to 
copying it onto the other box (my husband's) and trying to install it.  But I 
would presumably need to unistall whatever is there now first.

Trying to get a 4.0.2 , presumably a kernel 4.0.2, strikes me as a 
non-starter.  Even backports are only up to
linux-image-3.10-0.bpo.2-amd64

Reinstalling is a possibility, but it would be nice to get this sorted out.  
Unfortunately, I am under time pressure, so I may just have to cave in and 
make do with a fresh install and nouveau.  I had upgraded successfully. Pity 
I had to play around and spoil it. :-(  But I was keen to get him the better 
graphics of which his box is capable.  Nouveau really wasn't very good. :-(

Ideas and suggestions please!  I don't want to reinstall and put up with 
nouveau if I can avoid it. :-(

Thank you,
Lisi