Help! Why can't I install Kali on a USB-C Drive?

foozball3000

foozball3000

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I have a USB-C Flash Drive (32GB) that I'd like to install my Kali Instance to, so that I don't have to run a virtual machine every time.
The idea is to run it similar to being hot-swappable. Plug in the drive, reboot into the Kali OS and do my work that way.

Speed wise with USB-C, it should be more than fast enough to run it as a HDD.
But I cannot install it that way.

At first I thought 32GB is not big enough, but it seems that it's more than enough. I also tried this with Ubuntu which is much smaller, also no luck.
There is an option to create a live boot drive that you can write to its memory, but I've tried a lot of tutorials for that on both a Kali and an Ubuntu instance, they never worked. No idea why.

Shouldn't it be as simple as just installing it like you would with a 2nd HDD?
Then just choose from the PC's boot menu to use the USB drive instead of the GRUB?
 
Maybe this?

www.kali.org

Win-KeX | Kali Linux Documentation

Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 & Win-KeX
www.kali.org www.kali.org

I assume you're trying to run Kali as a window within Windows by leveraging WSL?

If not then this:

www.kali.org

Making a Kali Bootable USB Drive on Windows | Kali Linux Documentation

One of the fastest method, for getting up and running with Kali Linux is to run it “live” from a USB drive. This method has several advantages: It’s non-destructive - it makes no changes to the host system’s hard drive or installed OS, and to go back to normal operations, you simply remove the...
www.kali.org www.kali.org

Other than this, no clue.
 
You want to run Kali from USB and plug that USB in any PC/laptop and boot from it? But by the sounds of it you just going to plug it in your machine.

With encryption
www.kali.org

Standalone Kali Linux 2021.4 Installation on a USB Drive, Fully Encrypted | Kali Linux Documentation

Standalone Kali Linux 2021.4 Installation on a USB Drive, Fully Encrypted These instructions allow you to create a fully encrypted standalone installation of Kali Linux 2021.4 on an external USB drive. By this, I mean an installation that is fully encrypted using luks, including encryption of...
www.kali.org www.kali.org

Just a plain live USB installer which you can boot from.
www.kali.org

Making a Kali Bootable USB Drive (Linux) | Kali Linux Documentation

Our favourite way, and the fastest method, for getting up and running with Kali Linux is to run it “live” from a USB drive. This method has several advantages: It’s non-destructive - it makes no changes to the host system’s hard drive or installed OS, and to go back to normal operations, you...
www.kali.org www.kali.org
 
@foozball3000

I've done it many times with Linux Mint.

What you need is 2x USB.

One to boot Kali Live and the other to which you will install.

Then, set PC/Laptop boot order to USB and then regular OS. Regular OS will always boot unless this (or other bootable) USB is present.

It worked so well for me that I could play Icewind Dale 2 (a Windows game) on my Linux Mint stick without any issues.

It is handy to have because you can pick up many nasty things in IT by stocking your USB into their systems and then you boot into Linux and format the USB before using it again on Windows.
 
Last edited:
netstrider said:
@foozball3000

I've done it many times with Linux Mint.

What you need is 2x USB.

One to boot Kali Live and the other to which you will install.

Then, set PC/Laptop boot order to USB and then regular OS. Regular OS will always boot unless this (or other bootable) USB is present.

It worked so well for me that I could play Icewind Dale 2 (a Windows game) on my Linux Mint stick without any issues.

It is handy to have because you can pick up many nasty things in IT by stocking your USB into their systems and then you boot into Linux and format the USB before using it again on Windows.
Click to expand...
You have excellent taste!
 
Virex said:
You have excellent taste!
Click to expand...
Great game. Ironically I couldn't get it to work on Windows for some benign reason at the time (working since) so I tried it on Linux, even got 16:9 mod working.
 
What you are looking for is to add persistence to your live USB image, that will allow you to make changes etc that stick and use it like a normal OS.

www.kali.org

Adding Persistence to a Kali Linux Live USB Drive | Kali Linux Documentation

Kali Linux “Live” has two options in the default boot menu which enable persistence - the preservation of data on the “Kali Live” USB drive - across reboots of “Kali Live”. You can either do: USB Persistence (This guide) USB Encrypted Persistence This can be an extremely useful enhancement...
www.kali.org www.kali.org
 
I just want to point out that while persistence isn't what you describe above, the end result is the same, a bootable Kali where you can install software, save files etc that remain after rebooting the OS, just like it was an installed OS on the USB.
 
Zipkoppie said:
I just want to point out that while persistence isn't what you describe above, the end result is the same, a bootable Kali where you can install software, save files etc that remain after rebooting the OS, just like it was an installed OS on the USB.
Click to expand...

I might have to. We tried various iterations yesterday and all of them failed.
It might just be my terrible laptop (thanks ASUS).

The last time I tried setting up a persistence instance, it didn't work. But I'll try again during the week sometime
 
what you can do is use another PC to get it onto your flash then plug it into your laptop and see if you can boot into it. Laptops like ASUS USB type C isn't true type C I had the same situation. I think it is sharing the USB 3.0 controller. Easy to see actually if it doesn't have the little lighting logo next to its type C chances are it is not true type C

image_2022-11-22_170837591.png

image_2022-11-22_170945713.png
 
ZombieKing said:
what you can do is use another PC to get it onto your flash then plug it into your laptop and see if you can boot into it. Laptops like ASUS USB type C isn't true type C I had the same situation. I think it is sharing the USB 3.0 controller. Easy to see actually if it doesn't have the little lighting logo next to its type C chances are it is not true type C

View attachment 1426969

View attachment 1426973
Click to expand...

That is plain incorrect, there is no such thing as "true" and "not true" usb c.

The usb type C connector is the physical connector for the form factor, underlying it is support for different protocols namely USB and thunderbolt. The lightning bolt marker indicates the port supports the thunderbolt protocol.
 
Mystic Twilight said:
That is plain incorrect, there is no such thing as "true" and "not true" usb c.

The usb type C connector is the physical connector for the form factor, underlying it is support for different protocols namely USB and thunderbolt. The lightning bolt marker indicates the port supports the thunderbolt protocol.
Click to expand...
Right then please plug a GPU into one and then the other and see how that goes for you
 
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