How to remove or purge a kernel package manually to resolve a stuck APT/DPKG installation?

Question

I have faced lately some cases where the asker had a APT removal operation stuck due some kernel script errors.

Sometimes is easy to fix the root cause.

• Like touching the few missing files

• Removing bad config

  like: residue /etc/initramfs/post-update.d/zz-flash-touch-initrd
  Boot: "Couldn't find data partition. Spawning adbd"
  Installed ubuntu-touch package to test Unity8, computer won't start because it can't find data partition
  like: empty /etc/kernel/postinst.d/vboxadd
  Ubuntu 16.04 broken kernel packages won't let me install or remove anything with apt-get

But in some other rare cases, it is hard or long path to go with debugging. Specially with non boot-able system or only recovery shell available.

I will add some cases here:

• Errors were encountered while processing Linux kernel packages
• Force removal of unwanted linux-image-extra* packages
• Fixing a broken dpkg and apt package manger

I have already used a dirty solution as explained my answer below. I would ask for a cleaner workaround to manually remove a kernel package as DPKG do?

Answer 1

This is not a clean solution as it does not update the some generated kernel settings/files.(It skips all post-/pre- scripts & dpkg triggers)

1. Check the installed files using

    dpkg -L linux-image-...
   

2. Remove them manually

3. Remove generated RAMDisk

   sudo rm /boot/initrd.img-...
   

4. Backup /var/lib/dpkg/status them open it and change its status to deinstall

5. Update grub menu

   sudo update-grub