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

[Jason Wilson]

On Sun, 7 Sep 2008, Ashley Benton wrote:

> On Sun, Sep 7, 2008 at 5:44 PM, Leonard Chatagnier
> <lenc5570 at sbcglobal.net>wrote:
>
>>
>> --- 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
>
>
> Thank you for your answer. I tried apt-get remove --purge and it told me
> 'Package apache2 is not installed', so not removed' Now I am completely lost
> because ls -l /etc/apache2 list me:
> -apache2.conf, -conf.d, -envars, -httpd.conf, -mods-available,
> -mods-enabled, -ports.conf, -sites-available, -sites-enabled, -ssl
> Why can I see the files and directories with ls -l /etc/apache2 if it is not
> installed? I thought that ls -l would show me only what is installed, am I
> wrong?
> Thanks
> Meg

Obviously you tried the --purge option _after_ you uninstalled it. Am I 
not correct? Any time you would like to completely remove software, you 
can either use your package manager to completely remove it, or you can 
use the --purge option with your apt command. The ls -l command lists 
contents in the directory you are currently working in or the directory in 
which you specify for ls to look in. ls -l doesn't _show_ you everything, 
ls -a does; however, the uninstallation didn't completely remove 
everything. Perhaps you could try reinstalling apache, then use the purge 
option to completely remove it, then reinstall it, _or_ you could just 
sudo rm everything.

Jason