Removing Unwanted Kernels

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...[for Ubuntu] To see what kernel you're running now:

(This will tell us which one NOT to remove.)

I have sense realized that the command line method has issues, if you use it you need to add --purge to the remove command.

To get list of installed apps on a Debian or Ubuntu system:

To see what kernels have been installed:

It seems that the above command sometimes shows more linux-image entries than you actually have installed, but maybe it's because I failed to use the --purge switch at first. Not sure...

To remove all packages that start with name "linux-image-2.6.20-16"

Again, if you DO need to use the commandline method add the --purge switch, like so:

Not only will it uninstall the 2.6.20-16 kernel, but it will also make the appropriate changes to /etc/grub/menu.lst

For those that prefer GUI methods, just fire up the package manager front end, symantec, and search for linux-image and then choose to uninstall the unwanted entries.

From personal experience, I now see that the GUI method is the preferred method. By all means, use Synaptic Package Manager and select option "Mark for Complete Removal"

[Fedora / RedHat / CentOS]:
To find out what kernel your currently running:

To see what kernels are installed:

To remove old kernel:

Or:

Or:

Either command should do the trick.

RedHat / Fedora's GUI package manager can also be used to remove unwanted kernels. Back to Site Blogs