How to Install Kali Linux on a USB Drive
Previously i posted a guide on How to Install Kali Linux inside Windows. As for today, i’m going to show you the alternate way to install Kali Linux.
What happen is that when you boot up the USB into the Live session, and make changes to the system, such as download a file, run the system update, install an application etc, your data will be saved to the reserved space in the USB drive. Data saved in this reserved space won’t be deleted when you shut down the live session. The next time you boot into the live session, you are still able to access and retrieve the data.
Advantages of Data persistency in Live Session
- The main advantage of a Live USB is that it doesn’t need a lot of storage space. You can easily create a Live USB with data persistency with a 2GB USB drive while a full installation will require at least 8GB of storage space.
- A Live USB is configured to run on almost all desktops and has a great compatibility with various hardware. If you want to test the Linux distro on various computers, using a Live USB with data persistency is the best way to do it.
- The main disadvantage of a Persistent Live USB is the security issue. When you boot up a live USB, it boots directly to the desktop. There is no login or any security mechanism to protect anyone from accessing your data. The live USB is meant for you to test the distro and install it to the hard drive if you like it. It is not meant to be used as a production OS.
- Slower boot up time. On bootup, the Live USB has to run a series of compatibility test to make sure that it can run well on the machine. This slows down the boot up time greatly.
- The Linux distro in the live USB is outdated. Most Linux distros have their own update manager that can automatically update itself to the latest version. The Linux distro you are running in the USB is created from the ISO image which is often the release version, not the updated version. While you can technically run a system update in the live session to upgrade it to the latest version, there is a high chance that it might break the system because of a conflict in kernel and the bootloader is not configured to make use of the new updated kernel.
- Download and Install Linux Live USB Creator (LiLi)
- Run the program
- Set the program as belowCHOOSE YOUR KEY – Find the USB Drive you
want to Install KaliCHOOSE A SOURCE – Locate the Kali Linux Image file
(ISO) / DownloadPERSISTENCE – Nothing to do here
OPTIONS – Set up the option as you like
CREATE – Click on the lighting icon to start - Wait for the process completed
- Once it done, restart your computer and boot into your USB Drive
- From the Kali Boot Menu, choose Kali Linux Live USB Persistence
- You’re done and ready to action!
Downloads
Linux Live USB Creator (5.9MB) / Mirror / Mirror 2