problems with old kernel to be removed
 

Good morning everybody.
I tried to remove old kernel because seems they give me problems when I try to install some programs.
at the moment I use the first of the following list.

ii linux-image-4.12.7 4.12.7-10.00.Custom i386 Linux kernel binary image for version 4.12.7

ii linux-image-4.12.7-64 4.12.7-64-10.00.Custom i386 Linux kernel binary image for version 4.12.7-64

pH linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic 4.9.0-040900.201612111631 i386 Linux kernel image for version 4.9.0 on 32 bit x86 SMP

pH linux-image-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae 4.9.130-2 i386 Linux 4.9 for modern PCs, PREEMPT_RT

pH linux-image-4.9.11 1.0.NAS i386 Linux kernel binary image for version 4.9.11

I d like to get rid off all the other but when I give in order the follows commands

sudo apt-get --purge remove (list of what i want to remove)

I get the following message

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
linux-image-4.12.7-64 linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic
linux-image-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae linux-image-4.9.11
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 4 to remove and 952 not upgraded.
4 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 609 MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n] y
(Reading database ... 494691 files and directories currently installed.)
Removing linux-image-4.12.7-64 (4.12.7-64-10.00.Custom) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/postrm.d .
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools 4.12.7-64 /boot/vmlinuz-4.12.7-64
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub 4.12.7-64 /boot/vmlinuz-4.12.7-64
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postrm.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-4.12.7-64.postrm line 291.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-4.12.7-64 (--remove):
subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Removing linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic (4.9.0-040900.201612111631) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/postrm.d .
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools 4.9.0-040900-generic /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.0-040900-generic
update-initramfs: Deleting /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-040900-generic
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub 4.9.0-040900-generic /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.0-040900-generic
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postrm.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic.postrm line 328.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic (--remove):
subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Removing linux-image-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae (4.9.130-2) ...
I: /boot/vmlinuz is now a symlink to vmlinuz-4.12.7
/etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools:
update-initramfs: Deleting /boot/initrd.img-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae
/etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub:
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub exited with return code 1
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae (--remove):
subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Removing linux-image-4.9.11 (1.0.NAS) ...
Examining /etc/kernel/postrm.d .
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/initramfs-tools 4.9.11 /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.11
update-initramfs: Deleting /boot/initrd.img-4.9.11
run-parts: executing /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub 4.9.11 /boot/vmlinuz-4.9.11
Searching for GRUB installation directory ... found: /boot/grub
run-parts: /etc/kernel/postrm.d/zz-update-grub exited with return code 1
Failed to process /etc/kernel/postrm.d at /var/lib/dpkg/info/linux-image-4.9.11.postrm line 291.
dpkg: error processing package linux-image-4.9.11 (--remove):
subprocess installed post-removal script returned error exit status 1
Errors were encountered while processing:
linux-image-4.12.7-64
linux-image-4.9.0-040900-generic
linux-image-4.9.0-8-rt-686-pae
linux-image-4.9.11
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)


any help would be great
thank you

I would see what's there. Have a look (e.g. ls -lh) for kernels, initrds, configs & System.maps in /boot. Note but ignore symlinks
Have a look (e.g. ls -lh) for module trees in /lib/modules.

Presuming they're still there, remove your unwanted ones from your grub configuration. Then try again.

Please paste the output from the following commands (without the row of equals signs for the latter command):

thank you very much for the answers,I solve the problems in a easy way, I reinstall knoppix again, I made a bit of a mess trying to install same strange workbench for freecad and the whole system went mad, so then I find out that I had several kernels built in and I was thinking were in conflict, so that's the decision to eliminate some of them.
Anyway everything seems fine now.
thank you again.

FYI, kernels are one of the few things you can remove without too much discomfort, as nothing is goiing to get broken if you remove kernels, initrds, modules, & sources. Kernel headers are a different matter - let's leave it at that.

Except Grub might complain and crash at startup if you have configurations in there of Kernels that do not exist (have been removed). Yes, it's true. I have experienced this myself.. Typically I just expected those boot options not to work, not to crash Grub.

So, to be on the safe side, also reconfigure your boot loader when you remove unused kernels.