Você pode remover o GNOME e todos os seus programas instalados usando:
sudo apt-get purge abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview alacarte argyll cups-pk-helper epiphany-browser epiphany-browser-data evolution evolution-common evolution-plugins fonts-cantarell fonts-lyx gdm gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 gir1.2-caribou-1.0 gir1.2-clutter-gst-2.0 gir1.2-evince-3.0 gir1.2-gck-1 gir1.2-gconf-2.0 gir1.2-gcr-3 gir1.2-gdesktopenums-3.0 gir1.2-gkbd-3.0 gir1.2-gnomedesktop-3.0 gir1.2-gst-plugins-base-1.0 gir1.2-gstreamer-1.0 gir1.2-ibus-1.0 gir1.2-mutter-3.0 gir1.2-networkmanager-1.0 gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0 gir1.2-polkit-1.0 gir1.2-telepathyglib-0.12 gir1.2-telepathylogger-0.2 gir1.2-upowerglib-1.0 gir1.2-xkl-1.0 gjs glchess glines gnect gnibbles gnobots2 gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-color-manager gnome-desktop-data gnome-dictionary gnome-games gnome-games-extra-data gnome-icon-theme-extras gnome-mahjongg gnome-packagekit gnome-packagekit-data gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-search-tool gnome-session-fallback gnome-shell gnome-shell-common gnome-software-manager gnome-sushi gnome-tweak-tool gnome-update-viewer gnotravex gnotski gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gstreamer1.0-alsa gstreamer1.0-plugins-base-apps gstreamer1.0-pulseaudio gstreamer1.0-tools gtali iagno itstool libabiword-2.9 libaudit0 libcaribou-common libcaribou0 libcolamd2.7.1 libcolord-gtk1 libedataserverui-3.0-4 libevolution libgdict-1.0-6 libgdict-common libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libgjs0c libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgtkmathview0c2a libicc2 libimdi0 libiptcdata0 liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 libmail-spf-perl libmozjs185-1.0 libmutter0 libnetaddr-ip-perl libots0 libpst4 libtidy-0.99-0 libtracker-extract-0.14-0 libtracker-miner-0.14-0 libtracker-sparql-0.14-0 libwv-1.2-4 libytnef0 lightsoff link-grammar-dictionaries-en mutter mutter-common packagekit packagekit-backend-aptcc packagekit-tools plymouth-theme-ubuntu-gnome-logo plymouth-theme-ubuntu-gnome-text python-cloudfiles python-packagekit quadrapassel re2c simple-scan spamassassin spamc swell-foop tracker tracker-extract tracker-gui tracker-miner-fs tracker-utils ubuntu-gnome-default-settings ubuntu-gnome-desktop xsltproc yelp-tools
Você pode instalar o desktop da unidade com
sudo apt-get install ubuntu-desktop
Observação: Se você estiver usando o gerenciador de exibição do gnome ( gdm ), talvez queira substituí-lo pelo padrão do Ubuntu - lightdm . Para isso, digite sudo dpkg-reconfigure gdm e selecione lightdm .
Você pode então remover gdm com sudo apt-get purge gdm .