Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

Head_on_a_Stick · 2016-09-09 06:22:15

The openSUSE live ISO images have persistence enabled by default (when installed to a USB stick), which really freaked me out the second time I loaded the image and it connected to my wireless access point automatically...

mradovan · 2016-09-12 08:14:02

I'm currently successfully running an installed instance of Bunsenlabs Hydrogen off a memory stick.

I've done a lot of experiments and wasted an enormous amount of time (and "found 10,000 ways that will not work" ;-)

Here are my findings, may save others some time:
- Use Sandisk Extreme if you can. Not only it's one of the fastest USB 3.0 flash drives, but it's also detected as a SSD by most BIOS - so no issues installing. Once installed (and in a USB 3.0 slot), it performs as well as an average hard drive.
- Disconnect all other hard drives, leave only the installation media and the flash drive during the installation.
- To transfer the system to another (flash) drive or backup, the best utility I've found was HDDRawCopy (on Windows). It even copies Linux (dm-crypt/luks) encryped partitions.

Naik · 2016-09-22 09:19:44

Some Months ago i used THIS method to install Kalilinux afterwards encrypted the persistent partition via ecryptfs and it works like a charm.

PLUS: If you set up the system on /dev/sdX1 (hidden, bootable) and persistence on /dev/sdX3 You may be able to use /dev/sdX2 (fat32 e.g.) as normal storage. As Windows won`t use massstorage-devices not located in the first partition of the actual medium without further complainants this may help but isn`t failsave as i discovered.

I haven`t tested it with the latest BL-iso but i suggest it would work on almost any debian jessie derived distro.

naik --greetz

barnabyh · 2016-09-22 15:52:59

+1 for Puppy, or its offspring Simplicity Linux. There is a way to run as user fido so you won't be running root.

Surprised nobody mentioned Knoppix. It may be considered too crowded, depending on your views of course.

Crunchbang Waldorf still runs well for me from an external hard drive, which it was installed to after the spinning disk in my then main desktop started showing rw errors. It's quite fast over USB 2.0. If you're ok with carrying a thin enclosure with 2,5' hd/ssd instead of a thumb drive this may be much better. You'll have persistence and probably more storage.

ohnonot · 2016-09-23 13:46:58

barnabyh wrote:

+1 for Puppy, or its offspring Simplicity Linux. There is a way to run as user fido so you won't be running root.

does this mean a more standard linux experience?
i have respect for puppy linux, but their whole cosmos seems to have developed around the root user principle, so i'm not sure.

Surprised nobody mentioned Knoppix. It may be considered too crowded, depending on your views of course.

thanks, another one to look at.
what do you mean by "crowded"? too much software?

right now i'm pretty happy with antiX, safe for one crucial thing: encryption.
there was no option during install, and i don't know if i can get even home encryption retrofitted.

so i will be looking at these alternatives with that in mind.

any ideas?

barnabyh · 2016-10-08 15:59:49

Sorry ohnonot, haven't logged in for a while.

In regards to your above questions, yes. switching to user fido gives you a more traditional experience, with a user account that is restricted in the usual way.

Knoppix has a LOT of software loaded, that's what I mean by crowded.

I believe they both have options in the installer for at least partial encryption, for the persistency save file or the /home directory.

#21 2016-09-09 06:22:15

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

#22 2016-09-12 08:14:02

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

#23 2016-09-22 09:19:44

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

#24 2016-09-22 15:52:59

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

#25 2016-09-23 13:46:58

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

#26 2016-10-08 15:59:49

Re: Distro on a Stick, pretty Please!

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