Ubuntu Remove Exim4
Posted by tech on
July 14, 2008
I’ve scoured over the net on how to permanently remove the Exim4 Mail Server from the Ubuntu OS and 
came across with this one command that did it. The other options that include purge with it didn’t work. So I’m sticking with this one since it is what made it work and I was able to reinstall Exim4 again.
apt-get remove exim4 exim4-base exim4-config exim4-daemon-light
Then just install Exim4 again with this command.
apt-get install exim4
If you are using an account that doesn’t have root access, add the command sudo first.
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September 11th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
Thanks, trying to remove exim was driving me nuts.
September 11th, 2008 at 7:13 pm
welcome. glad it helped you
February 12th, 2009 at 1:59 pm
Thanks very much. I never would have figured this out on my own.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:33 pm
np. this took me more than a day to figure it out grrrrr
March 9th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
If this doesn’t work - particularly if your dpkg repository is confused if you tried just typing “apt-get remove exim4″ first, try something along these lines:
$ sudo apt-get install -f
$ sudo apt-get install exim4
$ dpkg-reconfig exim4-config
$ sudo apt-get remove exim4-base exim4-config exim4 exim4-daemon-heavy
$ sudo dpkg -purge exim4-base
$ sudo dpkg -purge exim4-config
$ sudo dpkg -purge exim4
$ sudo dpkg -purge exim4-daemon-heavy
There appears to be an error in the debian package that causes failure if you try to remove the meta package, exim4. The order of removal of packages is such that the exim daemon will be stopped, but the meta package expects the daemon to still be running, so the removal fails half-way and you are left with a corrupted apt database.
Cheers.
March 9th, 2009 at 8:53 pm
hey, great input hervey. thanks
March 9th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
My pleasure.
Cheers.