Is there a 'simple' nvidia install ?

I again apologize for ignorance. I think I'm having video card problems maybe due to wrong (or no!) drivers. I think I have an nvidia card but not sure how to tell. Have Slack 14.2 64-bit w/o new kernel (prefer not to update kernel), with multilib, has worked well for years. But problems with Google Earth, and with trying to view videos - most say 'no appropriate program' or something similar.

The recent (30-odd pages) nvidia thread is a bit too involved for beginners in the subject. Can someone give me some basic commands / methods to discover card type, what 'drivers' I have, and how to do a basic install of nvidia's if appropriate?

Or is that an inappropriate question.

Thanks for help.

jrc