uninstalling stuff compiled from source

hsimah · 06-14-2006, 10:20 AM

I have installed various drivers and applications on my slack machine to get it running how I like it. I do the basic ./configure make make install routine with them all. Tonight I have been tackling Bluetooth support, and I have made a bit of a mess! I have all the sources from which I installed, but I was wondering how to uninstall the files so I can start again.

Is there a simple way to do it (like removing packages easy) or do I have to hunt down the files copies to various locations when I ran make install?

I have found out how to do it in Red Hat, Mandrake, and Debian, but nothing for Slackware (ie not apt-get or rpm help)

$in · 06-14-2006, 10:43 AM

go in the sources directory and do make uninstall.

next time when installing from source you can try checkinstall (instead of make install just type checkinstall). it creates a package from the source and installs it. later you can easily remove it with removepkg

MannyNix · 06-14-2006, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hsimah

Is there a simple way to do it (like removing packages easy) or do I have to hunt down the files copies to various locations when I ran make install?

I guess you answered your own question

Next time you ./configure make make install
try ./configure make checkinstall instead http://slackware.it/en/pb/search.php...q=checkinstall
http://asic-linux.com.mx/~izto/checkinstall/
That way checkinstall will install your program and create a package that you can save for another time, pkgtool will see it, and let you install/remove it, or the installpkg removepkg way.

jong357 · 06-14-2006, 10:45 AM

make uninstall

Every once in a while, that won't work. If you didn't use installwatch or something similar when you installed then you'll have to manually hunt down all the files.

hsimah · 06-14-2006, 10:07 PM

I did make uninstall and it all worked nicely.

From now on I will do that make checkinstall, that sounds pretty cool

Thanks guys

$in · 06-15-2006, 03:55 AM

no, not 'make checkinstall' just 'checkinstall'

./configure
make
checkinstall

once you try it, you'll love it!

Quote:

Thanks guys

i'm a girl

dunric · 06-15-2006, 05:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hsimah

I did make uninstall and it all worked nicely.

So you have been lucky. Many Makefiles are not written so properly. As already mentioned, installation by packages solely is the way.

MS3FGX · 06-15-2006, 11:44 AM

I have been burned many times by source installs that did not have a "uninstall" target.

I don't build anything without checkinstall now.

hottdogg · 06-15-2006, 11:51 AM

from gcc.gnu.org/install :

Quote:

Please note that GCC does not support `make uninstall' and probably won't do so in the near future as this would open a can of worms. Instead, we suggest that you install GCC into a directory of its own and simply remove that directory when you do not need that specific version of GCC any longer, and, if shared libraries are installed there as well, no more binaries exist that use them.

is this good tips?
CMIWW

osor · 06-15-2006, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dunric

So you have been lucky. Many Makefiles are not written so properly. As already mentioned, installation by packages solely is the way.

Yes. In addition to not having an `uninstall' target, sometimes they do have an `uninstall' target, but it makes bad assumptions. By doing this, it ends up either leaving traces behind, or removing stuff used by other distros. Always be careful with source installs.

uglydot · 07-17-2006, 03:21 AM

You know, I feel like I should have known about this app years ago. Funny the things you just never run into.