HowTo: Fully Uninstall the ubuntu-desktop meta-package

**aysiu** · December 15th, 2005

Originally Posted by kairu0

This was a really good idea for a HOWTO, aysiu!

How many readers have found it helpful?

I don't know. Actually, I usually point people to my "uninstall kubuntu" thread because most Ubuntu users are using Gnome and want to try KDE, not vice versa.

**pmj** · December 15th, 2005

Thanks, but as I believe I already told you, I already installed everything that went missing. It only took a few minutes. My computer works perfectly and KDE is gone. I don't need to use another tutorial.

I *did* read the whole thread and I *was* aware that the command I ran was not part of the howto. And I know I should have been more careful. I'm just telling you how it went so that anyone else reading knows and won't do the same.

**aysiu** · December 15th, 2005

Cool.

**desiboston** · March 7th, 2006

This also resoled the issue described here. It happened to me.

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...sg9044#msg9044

**aysiu** · March 7th, 2006

Originally Posted by desiboston

This also resoled the issue described here. It happened to me.

http://kubuntuforums.net/forums/inde...sg9044#msg9044

If you follow that link to this page:
http://doc.gwos.org/index.php/Uninstall_kubuntu-desktop

...you'll see it's just the same tutorial mirrored on another website.

**Tapatio** · May 5th, 2006

It didn't work for me. I copy-pasted the command and apt-get wanted to remove a lot of my KDE packages too!! Any idea why? By the way, I installed Ubuntu 5.10 first and later installed the kubuntu-desktop package. I don't know if this has anything to do with it.
This is what I got:

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
adept akode akregator amarok amarok-gstreamer amarok-xine apollon ark arts artsbuilder bittorrent bluez-pin bug-buddy capplets-data
contact-lookup-applet dbus-1-utils desktop-file-utils eog esound evince evolution evolution-data-server evolution-exchange
evolution-plugins evolution-webcal file-roller firefox firefox-gnome-support fping gaim gaim-data galternatives gcalctool gconf-editor
gdb gdm gedit gedit-common gimp gimp-data gimp-python gksu gnome-about gnome-alsamixer gnome-app-install gnome-applets gnome-applets-data
gnome-btdownload gnome-control-center gnome-cups-manager gnome-desktop-data gnome-doc-utils gnome-games gnome-games-data gnome-icon-theme
gnome-keyring gnome-media gnome-menus gnome-mime-data gnome-netstatus-applet gnome-nettool gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-pilot
gnome-pilot-conduits gnome-session gnome-spell gnome-system-monitor gnome-system-tools gnome-terminal gnome-terminal-data gnome-themes
gnome-utils gnome-volume-manager gnome2-user-guide gnomemeeting gparted gstreamer0.8-esd gstreamer0.8-gnomevfs gthumb
gtk2-engines-clearlooks gtk2-engines-crux gtk2-engines-gtk-qt gtk2-engines-industrial gtk2-engines-lighthouseblue gtk2-engines-mist
gtk2-engines-pixbuf gtk2-engines-redmond95 gtk2-engines-smooth gtk2-engines-thinice gtkhtml3.8 gucharmap guile-1.6-libs gwc gwenview
hal-device-manager hwdb-client k3b k3b-mp3 k3blibs kaddressbook kaffeine kaffeine-gstreamer kamera kappfinder karm katapult kate
kaudiocreator kcontrol kcron kde-guidance kde-style-lipstik kde-systemsettings kdeadmin-kfile-plugins kdebase-bin kdebase-kio-plugins
kdebluetooth kdegraphics-kfile-plugins kdelibs kdelibs-bin kdelibs4c2 kdemultimedia-kappfinder-data kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins
kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdenetwork-filesharing kdenetwork-kfile-plugins kdepasswd kdepim-kio-plugins kdepim-kresources kdepim-wizards
kdeprint kdesktop kdm kfind kghostview khelpcenter kicker kio-apt kio-locate klaptopdaemon klipper kmail kmenuedit kmilo kmix
knetworkconf knotes koffice-libs konq-plugins konqueror konqueror-nsplugins konserve konsole kontact konversation kooka kopete korganizer
kpdf kpf kppp krdc krfb krita kscd kscreensaver ksmserver ksnapshot ksplash ksvg ksysguard ksystemlog kubuntu-default-settings
kubuntu-desktop kubuntu-docs kubuntu-konqueror-shortcuts kuser kwalletmanager kwifimanager kwin language-selector launchpad-integration
libaa1 libarts1c2 libbonobo2-0 libbonobo2-common libbonoboui2-0 libbonoboui2-common libcamel1.2-6 libcompfaceg1 libcroco3
libdbus-qt-1-1c2 libdjvulibre15 libebook1.2-5 libecal1.2-3 libedata-book1.2-2 libedata-cal1.2-1 libedataserver1.2-4 libedataserverui1.2-6
libeel2-2 libeel2-data libegroupwise1.2-8 libesd-alsa0 libexchange-storage1.2-0 libgail-common libgail17 libgda2-3 libgda2-common
libgimp2.0 libgksu1.2-0 libgksuui1.0-0 libglade2-0 libgle3 libglib-perl libglib2.0-data libgnome-desktop-2 libgnome-keyring0
libgnome-menu2 libgnome-pilot2 libgnome2-0 libgnome2-canvas-perl libgnome2-common libgnome2-perl libgnome2-vfs-perl libgnomecanvas2-0
libgnomecanvas2-common libgnomecups1.0-1 libgnomecupsui1.0-1 libgnomeprint2.2-0 libgnomeprint2.2-data libgnomeprintui2.2-0
libgnomeprintui2.2-common libgnomeui-0 libgnomeui-common libgnomevfs2-0 libgnomevfs2-common libgsf-1 libgtk2-perl libgtkhtml2-0
libgtkhtml3.8-15 libgtksourceview-common libgtksourceview1.0-0 libgtkspell0 libgtop2-5 libgucharmap4 libguile-ltdl-1 libkcal2b libkcddb1
libkdepim1a libkipi0 libkleopatra1 libkmime2 libkonq4 libkpathsea3 libkpimexchange1 libkpimidentities1 libkscan1 libksieve0 libktnef1
liblaunchpad-integration0 liblircclient0 liblpint-bonobo0 libmetacity0 libnautilus-burn2 libnautilus-extension1 libnotify0 libopenal0
libopenh323-1.15.3c2 libpanel-applet2-0 libpisync0 libpoppler0c2-glib libpt-1.8.3c2 libpt-plugins-alsa libpt-plugins-v4l
libpt-plugins-v4l2 libqthreads-12 librsvg2-2 librsvg2-common libsmpeg0c2 libsoup2.2-8 libtotem-plparser0 libvte-common libvte4
libwmf0.2-7 libwnck-common libwnck18 libxklavier10 libxml2-utils libxres1 metacity nautilus nautilus-cd-burner nautilus-data
nautilus-open-terminal nautilus-sendto notification-daemon openoffice.org2-evolution openoffice.org2-gnome openoffice.org2-kde
python-glade2 python-gmenu python-gnome2 python-gnome2-extras python-gst python-gtk2 python-kde3 python-launchpad-integration python-vte
python2.4-cairo python2.4-glade2 python2.4-gnome2 python2.4-gnome2-extras python2.4-gtk2 python2.4-kde3 rdesktop rhythmbox rss-glx
sanekonsole serpentine shared-mime-info smeg sound-juicer ssh-askpass-gnome synaptic system-tools-backends totem totem-gstreamer tsclient
ubuntu-artwork ubuntu-desktop ubuntu-docs ubuntu-sounds update-manager update-notifier vino vnc-common whois xchat xchat-common xsane
xsane-common xscreensaver xscreensaver-data xscreensaver-gl xsltproc xvncviewer yelp zenity
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 349 to remove and 70 not upgraded.
Need to get 0B of archives.
After unpacking 909MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n

**aysiu** · May 5th, 2006

I did it on a fresh Kubuntu install--totally fresh. I hadn't installed anything else on top of it.

By the way, I installed Ubuntu 5.10 first and later installed the kubuntu-desktop package. I don't know if this has anything to do with it.

So, yes, I think that may have something to do with it.

What I would do is look at all the stuff it's planning to remove, copy and paste that to a Kate document and then delete from that document all the stuff you want to keep. Then paste it back in after the command

Code:

sudo apt-get remove

Or... just go ahead and remove it all--the configuration files will still be there, as will the .debs. After that, do

Code:

sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop

and everything you need to have come back will be reinstalled.

**Tapatio** · May 6th, 2006

Thanks for your answer aysiu. I just did it as N8K99. I opened synaptic and removed anything that was gnome related. Well, almost everything, 'cause there were some programs I wanted to keep. Thanks anyway. Good HOWTO.