Probably a simple question...

How do I go about removing programs etc from a RH7 installation. I know how to remove RPM files, using the RPM manager, which is fine, but if for example, I wish to remove other stuff.

Thanks

everything is installed from rpm files on redhat. you jsut want to find what package it is in (rpm -qf /the/file) what are these "other" things? you just want to delete files? "rm"

Ok, I installed Mozilla, which I'm not too keen on and would like to remove. I did not install this using an RPM but rather a makefile or similar.

I also have a few other things that I installed, like Yahoo IM, Unreal Tournament, again both of these were not installed using the RPM method.

ok, so you go into the source directory that you compiled it in and run "make uninstall" if that doesn't work you have to manually delete the files.

If I install some applications to see if I like them, like StarOffice, possible a couple of other browsers, then I need to know how to remove them properly.

thanks...

I'm sorry plisken. I would really like to help you but I won't have anything to do with uninstalling Mozilla. What don't you like about it? I think its a great browser!

OK, right, could not think of any other applications at that time, and used it as an example...

If you know what i mean....

Truth is that my Linux machine is connected to an old/small monitor and everything looks pretty crap anyway.

I am trying to move more and more towards Linux, installing more and more applications is the only way I can do this, but need to know how to completely remove them if they don't turn out to be suitable.

Is there not a system wide registry or similar, like that of Win*

If not then, why do a "make uninstall"?

It's not only software, I'm concernded about here, another example being that I no longer require the USB ports and want them removed (not physically), how would I stop the USB files/drivers being loaded and indeed remove them from the drive?

Well, as acid_kewpie said, uninstalling rpm's is a lot cleaner then un-installing source. If you need to install something try and use it in rpm so that if you have to unintall it is much better. Example:

Say you want to uninstall the wine rpm package(I chose this because I think this package stinks)

First find out the package name by doing

rpm -qa | grep wine

You'll probably get output like this:

wine-20020605-2
wine-devel-20020605-2

So to uninstall wine-20020605-02 you would use the -e option to ERASE the rpm package

rpm -e wine-20020605-2

As long as other packages don't have dependincies on the package you are trying to uninstall everything will go smoothly.

I know I can treat RPM's in this way and it is clear from what I have seen in this forum and by your posts that this is the proper and best way to do it, but if the program was not initially installed in RPM form, as is the case with most of the things I have downloaded and installed.

make uninstall or delete the files manually as our linux god acid_kewpie said. Its a pain in the arse but thats just the way it is.

Sounds good to me, so simply removing the complete folder and any sub folders will do it?

I was just worried that there may have been some form of registry or other issues that I had to concern myself with...

Thanks for all the replies...