[AUCTeX] AUCTeX configure blocked by memory of old TL2011 installation

[Haines Brown]

I'm running Debian Squeeze, emacs-23.2, TL2011, auctex-11.85-1.

In removing an old intallation of TeXLive to reinstall it in a new 
location, user's home directory, I made the sad mistake of removing it 
by deleting files and directories rather than use tlmgr.

The new TL2011 works fine from command line, but AUCTeX ceased to 
function. I purged it and reinstalled it. However, its present status 
is "partially configured." The installation returned this:

  ...
  Setting up auctex (11.85-1) ...
  install/auctex: Setting up for emacs23 (log file:
    /usr/share/emacs23/site-lisp/auctex//CompilationLog)...
    emacs-package-install:
    /usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/auctex emacs23 emacs23
    failed at /usr/lib/emacsen-common/emacs-package-install line 30,
    <TSORT> line 1.
  dpkg: error processing auctex (--configure):
   subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit
        status 1
  configured to not write apport reports
             Errors were encountered while processing:
   auctex
  E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
  A package failed to install.  Trying to recover:
  Setting up auctex (11.85-1) ...
  install/auctex: Setting up for emacs23 (log file:
        /usr/share/emacs23/site-lisp/auctex//CompilationLog)...
        emacs-package-install:
        /usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/auctex emacs23
        emacs23 failed at /usr/lib/emacsen-common/emacs-package-install
        line 30, <TSORT> line 1.
  dpkg: error processing auctex (--configure):
   subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit
        status 1
  Errors were encountered while processing: auctex

The CompilationLog has:

  ...
  checking what file to use for auctex startup...
    /usr/share/emacs23/site-lisp//auctex.el
  ...
  config.status: creating auctex.el
  === configuring in preview
    (/usr/share/emacs/site-lisp/auctex/preview)
  configure: running /bin/bash ./configure '--prefix=/usr/'
    '--disable-build-dir-test' 'GS=gs' 'LATEX=/bin/true' 'P$
  configure: WARNING: unrecognized options: --with-auto-dir
  checking whether make sets $(MAKE)... yes
  ...
  checking for latex... /bin/true
  checking for pdflatex... /bin/true
  sed: can't read latex/preview.dtx: No such file or directory
  checking for tex... /bin/true
  configure: error: --with-texmf-dir="/usr/share/texmf/":
        Directory does not exist
  configure: error: ./configure failed for preview
  checking for make... make
  ...
  checking for latex... /bin/true
  checking for pdflatex... /bin/true
  sed: can't read latex/preview.dtx: No such file or directory
  checking for tex... /bin/true
  configure: error: --with-texmf-dir="/usr/share/texmf/": Directory
        does not exist
  configure: error: ./configure failed for preview


It seems AUCTeX wants to use the old location of TeXLive. I have a 
~/texlive/2011/texmf, but no /usr/share/texmf. In /usr/share/ there is 
only tex-common, texinfo, texlive base, texlive-bin, texmf-texlive, 
texpower. How do I tell AUCTeX the present location of texmf?

Haines Brown