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Below is the list of the many installed images on my system. I do not know why there are so many. Why doesn't the autopurge argument take care of this mess? Please give me a reason why this is happening. Have I installed or enabled some settings without knowing? Thanks.

ii  linux-image-5.11.0-25-generic                 5.11.0-25.27~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-27-generic                 5.11.0-27.29~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-34-generic                 5.11.0-34.36~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-36-generic                 5.11.0-36.40~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-37-generic                 5.11.0-37.41~20.04.2                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-38-generic                 5.11.0-38.42~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-40-generic                 5.11.0-40.44~20.04.2                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-41-generic                 5.11.0-41.45~20.04.1                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-5.11.0-43-generic                 5.11.0-43.47~20.04.2                        amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-66-generic                  5.4.0-66.74                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-66-lowlatency               5.4.0-66.74                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-67-generic                  5.4.0-67.75                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-67-lowlatency               5.4.0-67.75                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-70-generic                  5.4.0-70.78                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-70-lowlatency               5.4.0-70.78                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-71-generic                  5.4.0-71.79                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-71-lowlatency               5.4.0-71.79                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-72-generic                  5.4.0-72.80                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-72-lowlatency               5.4.0-72.80                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-73-generic                  5.4.0-73.82                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-73-lowlatency               5.4.0-73.82                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-74-generic                  5.4.0-74.83                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-74-lowlatency               5.4.0-74.83                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-77-generic                  5.4.0-77.86                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-77-lowlatency               5.4.0-77.86                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-80-generic                  5.4.0-80.90                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-80-lowlatency               5.4.0-80.90                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-81-generic                  5.4.0-81.91                                 amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.4.0-81-lowlatency               5.4.0-81.91                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-50-generic                  5.8.0-50.56~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-53-generic                  5.8.0-53.60~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-55-generic                  5.8.0-55.62~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-59-generic                  5.8.0-59.66~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-63-generic                  5.8.0-63.71~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
ii  linux-image-generic-hwe-20.04*
heynnema
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Cor Blufon
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    Only the "ii" packages are installed. The "rc" packages are leftover config files. You can purge all of those if you wish. – heynnema Dec 18 '21 at 22:36

2 Answers2

3

Some of them are already removed:

rc  linux-image-5.4.0-81-lowlatency               5.4.0-81.91                                 amd64        Signed kernel image lowlatency
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-50-generic                  5.8.0-50.56~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-53-generic                  5.8.0-53.60~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-55-generic                  5.8.0-55.62~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-59-generic                  5.8.0-59.66~20.04.1                         amd64        Signed kernel image generic
rc  linux-image-5.8.0-63-generic                  5.8.0-63.71~20.04.1

But have remaining configuration files in your system.

For explanation see: explanation

To remove the remaining configuration files of the deinstalled packages, run:

sudo apt purge $(dpkg -l | egrep '^rc' | awk '{print $2}')

Explanation:

  • apt purge: Completely remove the package along with all of its configuration files.

  • $(dpkg -l | egrep '^rc' | awk '{print $2}'): dpkg -l filter lines that are beginning with rc

  • awk '{print $2}': It will print the second field of the lines (where there are the names of the packages).

For future, use autopurge instead of autoremove, so you have no leftover configuration files:

sudo apt autopurge
Error404
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nobody
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2

The reason is pretty simple: You can actually boot an older version, if you experience any kind of hiccups, regressions. While Ubuntu hides the boot menu by default, you can press a key to see it before you actually boot, and then you can pick a different version.

If you type: sudo apt-get autoremove, your system will let you remove all these packages at once. If you use a newer Ubuntu (such as 20.04 LTS), you can also use sudo apt autoremove, they are the same practically the same thing.

You can check out the /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/01autoremove-kernels file where apt stores the relevant lines. Don't touch the file though, it's auto-generated after each new kernel install.

Ps.: Only the ii packages are actually installed, as heynnema stated in comments.

Apache
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