Creating Backtrack 3 Live USB Drive

Booting to live CDs seems to be sluggishly slow when compared to booting from a USB drive. I previously posted about creating a Live BackTrack 2 USB drive, and here is the instructions for the new BackTrack 3 Beta. They have a special release specifically for USB drives this time around so it’s getting easier as new versions are released. Keep in mind that BT3 is in Beta and may still have several bugs. If you would like to run the stable version try BT2. So here is my step by step tutorial on how to create a bootable USB drive running BackTrack 3.

Note:
-you should use at least a 2GB USB drive to make bootable. The boot files total around 946MB of space on the drive. You may be able to get by with a 1GB drive but it would be pushing it to the limit on space. Drives are getting cheaper and cheaper that it shouldn’t be a big pain to cough up the extra $5 for the 2GB alternative

1. Go to: http://www.remote-exploit.org/backtrack_download.html Choose the backtrack 3 beta the USB version (unless you want to create a bootable cd choose the CD version).

2. You will need something to extract the files from the RAR archive. WinRAR is my favorite.

3. Once you have a RAR extractor installed then extract all the folders to the destination drive (USB Drive). There should be two folders named “BT” and “Boot” along with a text file called “INSTALL.txt”.

4. After extracting the files power down unit and restart (make sure that boot order is changed so it boots from the USB drive first, and keep in mind that some older machines do not support USB boot, so you may need to use the CD version instead.)

5. the first menu you are presented with is the boot menu. The default is to boot into KDE. (you may want to change to a graphics safe environment if it does not work properly the first time on your system but I have yet to see a case where it doesn’t work properly at first boot).

6. Just wait and it will boot the rest of the way up and show the back track desktop. Click on the 2nd icon that says “System” that looks like an IC chip. Navigate to MEDIA > Your removable drive (names differ) > BOOT folder. Here you will find a file named “bootinst.sh.”

7. Open up “shell” by clicking on the 2nd icon on the left which looks like a monitor with a black screen. Drag “bootinst.sh” to the shell. Click “Paste”. Press ENTER

8. This will now give a warning screen that it will format the drive to boot this distro only. Make sure that the drive listed in that warning is the same as the drive you are browsing (which is shown in the location bar at the top) so that you don’t tamper with the computer’s other drives by mistake. Press ENTER when you are sure.

If task completes successfully your drive is now bootable! If you are having problems or have questions with any of these steps head over to the Back Track Forums.

If you would prefer using the stable BackTrack 2 here is my article pertaining to creating bootable USB drives for BT2: http://maddhat.com/?p=16

MobaLiveCD offers a simple way of trying out your Live CDs

Overview:

MobaLiveCD is a freeware that will run your Linux LiveCD on Windows thanks to the excellent emulator called “Qemu”.
MobaLiveCD allows you to test your LiveCD with a single click : after downloading the ISO image file of your favorite LiveCD, you just have to start it in MobaLiveCD and here you are, without the need to burn a CD-Rom or to reboot your computer.

Features:

* No need to burn the CD-Rom anymore
* You can use the right-click menu for an easy and fast start
* Program without installation that you can start from an USB stick
* A clear and easy to use interface
* Light and portable application, packaged in a single executable of 1.6MB only

Review:

MobaLiveCD is a virtualization program that can quickly boot Live CD ISOs from inside Windows. All you need to do is to select the Live CD image that you want to load and MobaLiveCD will run it in a Window. I found the emulation to be a little slower than when using VirtualBox but it was decent nonetheless. You can also optionally setup a virtual hard drive for the Live CD and install a context menu option to quickly load ISOs. Since MobaLiveCD comes packaged into a single executable you can carry it around in your pen-drive or other potable device making this a a very versatile tool in my opinion.
In conclusion MobaLiveCD is a simple way of testing Live CDs. Available for all Windows versions.

Get it at http://mobalivecd.mobatek.net/en/

Wireless Soapbox: Share your ideas and suggestions about cellphone carriers

Heck, looking at my cellphone bill, sometimes I feel like going to India. There people don’t take land lines ‘cos it is more expensive and hassel than getting a SIM card. And the talk-rate is dirt-cheap. in fact so cheap that my friends use their cellphone for high-speed internet. And look at us here. We can barely make ends meet under this broke-back economy. On top of that Rrogers and Bell are eating our groceries; sometimes in different disguises (Fido, TV, Home-Phone etc.). I am paying $10 every month to Fido prepaid, and holding my breath till some good cellphone carrier with good talk-rates comes up.

Post your cellphone carrier related suggestions/tips here: http://www.wirelesssoapbox.com/ideas

Canadians have a lot to say about wireless. And, cellular providers have a lot to learn.

When Globalive was announced as a provisional winner in Industry Canada’s Advanced Wireless Services Auction, we knew we had a lot of hard work in front of us in developing our wireless business model.

Sure, we could recreate a model that’s been done before, using the same formula, offering the same services and contracts and making the same promises. In essence, making us just another phone company – exactly what we think Canadians are NOT looking for.

There’s a reason we had in auction in this country. Our prices are too high, penetration is too low and services are lagging behind all developed nations. Canadians pay an average of 60% more for mobile wireless services than Americans. Canadians are losing out on high-tech mobile services. Only 58% of Canadians have a wireless device, compared to the United States at 77% and other industrialized countries, such as the UK and Hong Kong, where the number is over 100%.

Most importantly, Canadians lacked choice.

It’s about time a company did a lot less “telling” and a lot more “listening,” which is why we launched WirelessSoapbox.com. It’s designed to be a place that gives Canadians the opportunity to sound off about their cell phone experience, sharing thoughts and comments and putting forward new ideas. It’s about starting a dialogue with people who care about wireless in this country and are invested in making sure the next provider gets it right!

We’re asking everyone with an opinion on wireless to get up on our ‘Wireless Soapbox’ and we plan to use that cross-country intelligence to build a smarter and more informed new Canadian wireless company.

We want to hear from a wide range of Canadians on everything from ‘what their ideal cell phone plan looks like’ to their ‘biggest pet peeve about their monthly cell phone bill’.

Very importantly, we want to hear from tech-savvy armchair engineers who are interested in sharing their advice on network architecture and design, and wireless suppliers and vendors.

The future we’re helping to create for wireless in Canada is comparable to the development of many software companies who have engaged consumer input to help build their platforms.

This is the framework for WirelessSoapbox.com. We hope you’ll get involved.