Persistent Bootable USB or DVD

[lmlm]

What is the best program for creating a bootable Flash Drive which will be persistent... i.e. maintain my settings and programs?

Secondly, is there one for making a persistent customized DVD which is read-only? I might prefer this sometimes, when wanting greater security.

Alternatively, can I run a program which will "lock down" the bootable USB flash drive to be read-only after customization? I've heard one can buy expensive flash drives that can do so, but I'm wondering if it can be similarly achieved via either free software or encryption.

Thanks.

[usbtux]

What is the best program for creating a bootable Flash Drive which will be persistent... i.e. maintain my settings and programs?

Secondly, is there one for making a persistent customized DVD which is read-only? I might prefer this sometimes, when wanting greater security.

Alternatively, can I run a program which will "lock down" the bootable USB flash drive to be read-only after customization? I've heard one can buy expensive flash drives that can do so, but I'm wondering if it can be similarly achieved via either free software or encryption.

Thanks.

http://youtu.be/pq2bsTh_dDs How to use unetbootin to make a liveusb - with persistence.

You can use a persistence file with a livedvd but the file could not be on the dvd.

The best way to do this would be by remastering the iso.

You could install trucrypt on the live usb - but this would be a file you can open and would not encrypt the home folder.

You could install to a 8G flash stick and encrypt the home system.
I belive that the next issue of mint will have the option to encrypt the whole file system.

[lmlm]

You could install to a 8G flash stick and encrypt the home system.
I belive that the next issue of mint will have the option to encrypt the whole file system.

You speak of encryption with the goal of preventing thieves from reading data off the physical Thumb Drive, correct?
But encryption will not prevent writing to the drive while I'm logged in and online, correct?
This writing is of concern only when booting with persistence, obviously, I assume?

Someone recently taught me how to edit the syslinux.cfg file so that it would present boot options for both persistent and live USB. I've attached the code.

So was editing that boot file sufficient to prevent re-writing when I choose to boot Live (without persistence)... in other words, when choosing non-persistent mode, the USB functions like a live CD, via RAM only, such that corruption/malware cannot rewrite the saved USB copy?

Thanks

[lmlm]

Someone recently taught me how to edit the syslinux.cfg file so that it would present boot options for both persistent and live USB. I've attached the code.

The forum won't upload a cfg nor a txt file, for some reason, so instead I've pasted the code below (syslinux.cfg file)

Code: Select all

default menu.c32
prompt 0
menu title UNetbootin
timeout 100

label unetbootindefault
menu label Default
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper quiet splash -- 

label ubnentry0
menu label Start Linux Mint
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper  quiet splash -- 

label ubnentry1
menu label Start in compatibility mode 
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa nomodeset b43.blacklist=yes  ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll --

label ubnentry2
menu label Start Linux Mint Persistent
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper  quiet splash -- persistent

label ubnentry3
menu label Start in compatibility mode Persistent
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa nomodeset b43.blacklist=yes  ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll -- persistent

label ubnentry4
menu label Integrity check
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz boot=casper integrity-check  quiet splash -- persistent

label ubnentry5
menu label Memory test
kernel /isolinux/memtest
append initrd=/ubninit  persistent

label ubnentry6
menu label Boot from local drive
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit  persistent

label ubnentry7
menu label Start Linux Mint (compatibility mode)
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz file=/cdrom/preseed/mint.seed boot=casper xforcevesa iso-scan/filename=${iso_path} ramdisk_size=1048576 root=/dev/ram rw noapic noapci nosplash irqpoll -- persistent

label ubnentry8
menu label Check the integrity of the medium
kernel /casper/vmlinuz
append initrd=/casper/initrd.lz boot=casper integrity-check iso-scan/filename=${iso_path} quiet splash -- persistent

label ubnentry9
menu label Test memory
kernel /ubnkern
append initrd=/ubninit  persistent

[badhart]

Hello my name is jack. I have an old compaq machine. The cd quit some time ago. It had win xp home, with 2 drive partitions on it. 1st partition was to reformat the 2nd partition with the statndard win xp oem edition. I have a 4gig and a 8 gig usb drives. Most linux distros including Ubuntu did not work. Linux Mint 14 nadia worked when I selected compatible mode at boot. I now have my main hard-drive os as Linux Mint Olivia 15, with the mate desktop. I have a working 8gig usb with the Mint 15 and the matedesktop, with 4gig of persistence on it. It generally works good; but changeing the supersuer doesn't work. Either you are the mint@mint superuser or nothing. I would like to change this and a few other things also. If anyone would like detailed instructions on how to do this just leave a post and I will post how I did it. Would like your input to this and other things I can change to make it better or more usable. I would like to have a fully functioning linux usb to take anywhere. Thank you in advance for putting what you know on the forum and what we may acheive in the future.
Badhart