Unable to update ubuntu applications because there is not enough space on /boot

Question

I am unable to update ubuntu because there is not enough space on /boot. Some googling has shown a lot of people have this issue but the reason for /boot being full is different for everyone and everyone has to take slightly different steps to solve the issue.

Here are the outputs of various commands I have seen requested of people posting about this problem

$ls -l /boot

total 148745
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1007681 Mar 11  2014 abi-3.11.0-19-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1158016 May  2 20:30 abi-3.13.0-24-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1161713 May 15 15:07 abi-3.13.0-27-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1161764 Jun  4 17:57 abi-3.13.0-29-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  1162712 Jul 15 00:29 abi-3.13.0-32-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   163258 Mar 11  2014 config-3.11.0-19-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   165510 May  2 20:30 config-3.13.0-24-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   165521 May 15 15:07 config-3.13.0-27-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   165544 Jun  4 17:57 config-3.13.0-29-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   165611 Jul 15 00:29 config-3.13.0-32-generic
drwxr-xr-x 8 root root     4096 Dec 31  1969 efi
drwxr-xr-x 3 root root     1024 Jul 26 13:38 extlinux
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root     1024 Jul 26 13:41 grub
drwxr-xr-x 5 root root     1024 Jul 26 13:34 grub.bak
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 17432259 Apr 17 20:45 initrd.img-3.11.0-19-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19093289 May 18 23:50 initrd.img-3.13.0-24-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19095691 May 26 17:32 initrd.img-3.13.0-27-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19096262 Jun 21 02:18 initrd.img-3.13.0-29-generic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 19151397 Jul 30 19:20 initrd.img-3.13.0-32-generic
drwx------ 2 root root    12288 Feb 26  2014 lost+found
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   176500 Mar 12  2014 memtest86+.bin
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   178176 Mar 12  2014 memtest86+.elf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root   178680 Mar 12  2014 memtest86+_multiboot.bin
-rw------- 1 root root  3296414 Mar 11  2014 System.map-3.11.0-19-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  3372643 May  2 20:30 System.map-3.13.0-24-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  3377429 May 15 15:07 System.map-3.13.0-27-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  3378267 Jun  4 17:57 System.map-3.13.0-29-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  3381262 Jul 15 00:29 System.map-3.13.0-32-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5634416 Mar 11  2014 vmlinuz-3.11.0-19-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5776416 May  2 20:30 vmlinuz-3.13.0-24-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5790912 May 15 15:07 vmlinuz-3.13.0-27-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5792544 Jun  4 17:57 vmlinuz-3.13.0-29-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5798112 Jul 15 00:29 vmlinuz-3.13.0-32-generic
-rw------- 1 root root  5800024 Jul 26 13:38 vmlinuz-3.13.0-32-generic.efi.signed

$dpkg -l linux-image*

Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name                                            Version                      Architecture                 Description
+++-===============================================-============================-============================-===================================================================================================
un  linux-image                                     <none>                       <none>                       (no description available)
un  linux-image-3.0                                 <none>                       <none>                       (no description available)
rc  linux-image-3.11.0-12-generic                   3.11.0-12.19                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-3.11.0-17-generic                   3.11.0-17.31                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-3.11.0-18-generic                   3.11.0-18.32                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-3.11.0-19-generic                   3.11.0-19.33                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-3.13.0-24-generic                   3.13.0-24.47                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-3.13.0-27-generic                   3.13.0-27.50                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-3.13.0-29-generic                   3.13.0-29.53                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-3.13.0-32-generic                   3.13.0-32.57                 amd64                        Linux kernel image for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-extra-3.11.0-12-generic             3.11.0-12.19                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-extra-3.11.0-17-generic             3.11.0-17.31                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
rc  linux-image-extra-3.11.0-18-generic             3.11.0-18.32                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-3.11.0-19-generic             3.11.0-19.33                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.11.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-24-generic             3.13.0-24.47                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-27-generic             3.13.0-27.50                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-29-generic             3.13.0-29.53                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-extra-3.13.0-32-generic             3.13.0-32.57                 amd64                        Linux kernel extra modules for version 3.13.0 on 64 bit x86 SMP
ii  linux-image-generic                             3.13.0.32.38                 amd64                        Generic Linux kernel image

$ uname -r

3.13.0-32-generic

Does anyone know how to solve this? Any help would be appreciated.

Answer 1

Just uninstall the old kernels:

sudo apt-get remove --purge linux-image-3.11.0-XX-generic

(Where 'XX' is the version number of the kernel you want to remove)

Answer 2

My suggestion is: to install kernel-remover.

kernel-remover

Tool for the removal of the Linux kernel packages.

This tool handles the common tasks while handling testing kernels, the removal of deprecated kernel images, headers, depending packages, symlinks and associated drivers. Unpackaged cruft below /lib/modules/$KVERS will be nuked. Neither the currently running-, nor the newest kernels will be offered for removal.

Maintainer: Alf Gaida agaida@siduction.org

Source: http://svn.berlios.de/svnroot/repos/fullstory/kernel-remover

To install kerml-remover, download these files:

http://mirror.lug.udel.edu/pub/siduction/base/pool/main/c/creativecommons3/creativecommons3_1.1_all.deb

http://mirror.lug.udel.edu/pub/siduction/base/pool/main/k/kernel-remover/kernel-remover_3.1.11_all.deb

Install them by Gdebi, to resolve dependencies.

Open a terminal.

Run it:

sudo -i
apt-get install gdebi

Run file manager.

Click right button --- Choose instal with gdebi, first creativecommons3_1.1_all.deb.

Run kernel-remover.

Answer 3

I just wanted to add that it is simpler to find out what is unused and CAN be removed by running purge without any parameters

sudo apt-get remove --purge

then run using what was listed above as unused, e.g.

sudo apt-get remove --purge linux-image-4.15.0-43-generic