How to completely remove an application as well as the configuration files?

[Leonard Chatagnier]

--- Ashley Benton <chuaukantli at gmail.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> I am trying to install apache2, php5, and my sql and
> I messed up somewhere.
> Apache was working but stopped when I tried to use
> ssl. After hours of
> trying to find where I messed up I wanted to remove
> apache2 and reinstall
> it. My problem is sudo apt-get remove apache2 then
> sudo apt-get install
> apache2 reinstall apache 2 like it was and doesn't
> delete my configuration
> files. I tried sudo apt-get purge apache 2 but
> apache 2 is still here the
> way I configured it. What could I do to completely
> uninstall apache2 and
> reinstall it with its original configuration files?
> By doing ls -l I found some file like that :"books~"
> I am guessing that some
> files that were saved after a crash but I don't know
> how to open them. They
> should be in my home directory but are not (or at
> least I can't see them)
> How can I open them and delete them? I tried
> lost+found but it wasn't there
> neither.
> Your help would be appreciated
> Thank you
> Meg
sudo aptitude purge <pkgname> should do it. I don't
know for sure about apt-get but I think it's something
like sudo apt-get remove --purge <pkgname>.  Either
should remove the conf files but if not for some
unknown reason you could do locate apache and remove
any related files manually using the rm command or
better still use the mv command so you could retrieve
them if needed.
HTH,

Leonard Chatagnier
lenc5570 at sbcglobal.net