Previous Kernel versions

[Rarehunter]

Hey all,

I have a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows Vista. When I turn on my computer, Grub loads and I can choose which OS to start. When I first set this up, I only had Linux 2.6.28-11 and Windows Vista (loader). Later on, Linux 2.6.28-13 appeared as well as 2.6.28-11. Now, this morning, I turned on my computer and now I had 2.6.28-14, 2.6.28-13 and 2.6.28-11, and Vista.

Can someone explain to me what is going on? Why do I have so many Linux kernels and how do I get rid of the ones I don't need. I'm a bit new at this so if you would be so kind as to walk me through on how to delete unused kernels. Obviously, I would like to keep my setting, applications and files so I would not want to delete the kernel that has all my data saved on it.

Thanks.

[x1a4]

It's generally a bad idea to replace the kernel (Linux). Instead adding the latest one is the way to go. Just use your favourite package manager (Synaptic for instance) and remove the older kernels. Make sure you boot to the latest kernel first.

[MikeTbob]

Hey all,

I have a dual boot with Ubuntu and Windows Vista. When I turn on my computer, Grub loads and I can choose which OS to start. When I first set this up, I only had Linux 2.6.28-11 and Windows Vista (loader). Later on, Linux 2.6.28-13 appeared as well as 2.6.28-11. Now, this morning, I turned on my computer and now I had 2.6.28-14, 2.6.28-13 and 2.6.28-11, and Vista.

Can someone explain to me what is going on? Why do I have so many Linux kernels and how do I get rid of the ones I don't need. I'm a bit new at this so if you would be so kind as to walk me through on how to delete unused kernels. Obviously, I would like to keep my setting, applications and files so I would not want to delete the kernel that has all my data saved on it.

Thanks.

The reason for this, is so you will have time to make sure this new kernel will actually boot and work properly before you dispose the older kernels. Don't forget to edit your /boot/menu.lst file to reflect the changes.
Changing kernels does not affect your saved files or Desktop settings in any way.
If you still need a guide for removing older kernels then try here.
How To Remove Older Kernels from Ubuntu

[Rarehunter]

Okay, so how did these kernels appear on Grub in the first place? Will random Ubuntu kernels keep appearing on my Grub? Are they new updates for the kernel or something?

Do older kernels take up disk space?

Again, can someone walk me through how to delete older kernels? I want to make sure I edit every thing correctly.

[JillSwift]

Okay, so how did these kernels appear on Grub in the first place? Will random Ubuntu kernels keep appearing on my Grub? Are they new updates for the kernel or something?

They're kernel updates.

Do older kernels take up disk space?

Yes, but no so much that you have to worry much about it. I tend to keep one older kernel around "just in case".

Again, can someone walk me through how to delete older kernels? I want to make sure I edit every thing correctly.

MikeTbob posted a link that will take you through the steps. It's fairly simple.

[MikeTbob]

Okay, so how did these kernels appear on Grub in the first place? Will random Ubuntu kernels keep appearing on my Grub? Are they new updates for the kernel or something?

Do older kernels take up disk space?

Again, can someone walk me through how to delete older kernels? I want to make sure I edit every thing correctly.

Run through that link I posted,, if you have any trouble....just post back here and tell us what the problem is. There's always someone around to help.

[Rarehunter]

Thanks MikeTbob and Jill Swift. I followed that link and removed my older kernels. Everything seems fine so far.

Can one of you explain the theory behind kernel updates, though? Does that mean that the Linux or Ubuntu kernel has updates every once in a while and it is released to all users using Linux and they have the opportunity to try it out to make sure it works?

[MikeTbob]

Thanks MikeTbob and Jill Swift. I followed that link and removed my older kernels. Everything seems fine so far.

Can one of you explain the theory behind kernel updates, though? Does that mean that the Linux or Ubuntu kernel has updates every once in a while and it is released to all users using Linux and they have the opportunity to try it out to make sure it works?

That's about it, kernels become obsolete,,they get hacked, flaws,,then they get fixed and delivered right to your Desktop. Once you get a couple of kernels built up, like you did here, then you just try them out before you remove the older ones and wait for the next updates. Pretty dang cool huh?

[reed9]

Just a note, go to System>Administration>Update Manager, when the Update Manager comes up, on the bottom left click Settings.... From there, you can choose whether you want security updates automatically installed without confirmation, or whether you want to be notified. (Which I would assume is the reason these kernels are magically appearing.)

[Bemk]

You can also update your system through the CLI.

The commands are:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

Note that this (at least not on my system) upgrades the kernel. If you do want that you should use:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get dselect-upgrade

I just removed some old kernels too, because I needed more space on my / partition (removed other stuff as well). The whole clean up party gave me back some gigs on the / partition, though the kernels only gave about 20 MB each (I had 4 to get rid of).