How do I get apt-get to completely uninstall a package?

When you use the command apt-get remove <package> it removes that package from the system but leaves behind config files for that package. How do you get apt-get to remove EVERYTHING when it removes the package?

Here's the case. I used apt-get to remove a package I though I would no longer use. Some time went by and it looke like I was done with it so I manually deleted the config files for that package just to clean up the drive. Some time went by and I needed to use that package again so I used apt-get to install it again. The 2nd time around the package does not have nor generate the config files. I'm assuming since it was installed once it expected them to be there and did not make them this time.

How do I get a total uninstall with apt-get? So when that above situation happens the reinstalled package will be complete by making the configs again.

apt-get --purge remove <package>

Quote:

Here's the case. I used apt-get to remove a package I though I would no longer use. Some time went by and it looke like I was done with it so I manually deleted the config files for that package just to clean up the drive. Some time went by and I needed to use that package again so I used apt-get to install it again. The 2nd time around the package does not have nor generate the config files. I'm assuming since it was installed once it expected them to be there and did not make them this time.

You should never remove files by hand use dpkg --purge <package> if you have already removed it with apt plus the files by hand and it thinks it is still configured this should get rid of it.

Quote:

How do I get a total uninstall with apt-get? So when that above situation happens the reinstalled package will be complete by making the configs again.

See above and try apt-get --reinstall install <package> to see if it helps if not the dpkg --purge then reinstall.

muxman:
you are right, 'apt-get remove' does not do the job throughly, the solution to your problem, IMHO, can be solved this way, which is what i do in order to remove everything pertaining to the package in question:

apt-get install deborphan debfoster

#apt-get remove --purge package
#apt-get clean

the later will clean the /var

#debfoster

will show files and libraries still left after the apt-get remove --purge, if you don't recognize a library, keep it, later on, deborphan will give you a list of 'orphaned' libraries that are hanging with no use, and are safe to nuke.

if you make a mistake with debfoster, type 'u' and will ask you again if you want to keep it. When you are thru with it, invoke deborphan.

#deborphan

will give a list of libraries that are hanging just taking space, to get rid of them:

#deborphan | xargs apt-get -y remove purge

when thru with that:

#apt-get clean

recently after a dist-ugrade to sid, it installed emacs21, i removed it, and debfoster found some files like emacsen, etc.

now, i don't know if dpkg --purge is any better, i should try that sometime.

Great suggestions guys. Those are just what I'm looking for and I'll be putting this knowledge to use.

Thanks!

Hi! I too wanted to purge my machine throughly from old uninstalled packages... I have ubuntu karmic.

I used this simple trick:

dpkg --get-selections | grep deinstall > tobepurged

then opened the resulting file and removed the "deinstalled" line from each entry (used find deinstall and replace *blank*, there were a couple hundred packages). Finally:

cat tobepurged | xargs sudo dpkg -P

It worked fine for me and most important.. it didn't purge active packages!
Hope to hear some suggestions and ways to make it better. It's the first time I post an original solution (I understand it's very basic...) of mine on a linux forum.

aptitude purge ~c
apt-get autoremove

Also you do not need the "remove" when doing apt-get remove --purge package, just apt-get purge package.

deborphan | xargs apt-get -y remove --purge

To remove all orphaned data packages run:

deborphan --guess-dev | xargs apt-get -y remove --purge

To see all the orphaned packages on your system run:

deborphan --guess-all

You can also, to completely remove not just the package but all of its dependencies, use "sudo apt-get autoremove" with the --purge flag.

Had never heard of apt-get clean, so never used it before. Manual said it should be run occasionally to free up disk space. Get this: An astonishing reduction in the disk space used.

Hang on. It's just got rid of /var/cache/apt/archive/* has it? Not so surprising then, and presumably debian.org would not like it because it increases their bandwidth?