need help while trying to install ubtuntu to usb flash

[kmitnick]

Hello all,
I have a 32GB Kingston Flash Memory which I would like to install BackTrack4 (which is ubtuntu based distro but used for pentesting) so I opened the LiveCD and double clicked the install.sh which installs BT4 on your HDD which in my case my flash memory (/dev/sdb)

in the process after entering the username and so, it starts to partition and I use Guided to use the entire disk so when it tries to format partition #1 (ext3) it says that it can't mount that partition in / so it failed, and then I tried another tut. to do it manually, and used command

grub-install --no-floppy --root-directory=/mnt/sdb /dev/sdb

after executing this it tells me that

/mnt/sdb/boot/grub/stage1 not read correctly

so any help in any issue????
DevilsCasper your my Saviour

[HROAdmin26]

Google: how to install backtrack 4 to usb

[kmitnick]

i did that, that's why I posted a threasd here

[TaZMAniac]

Try Unetbootin
UNetbootin - Homepage and Downloads

[kmitnick]

I did but I wasn't able to make the flash bootable using grub-install command

[TaZMAniac]

I believe that Backtrack and Unetbootin use Syslinux and not Grub.
Or are you attempting to make a multiboot flash using Grub?

[TaZMAniac]

Let me get out of here for a few minutes and give this a try on my on flash drive.
Will test it and make sure it boots.

[TaZMAniac]

Okay, I'm back. I used BackTrack 4 Beta iso and the latest Unetbootin installed from the repos. Put it on a 2 gig flash drive. Restarted pc and first screen up was the Syslinux page with H. Peter Anvin's name across the top. All that was showing was a command prompt. Hit the Enter button and the Syslinux menu booted up where I had a choice of boot options. I selected boot to Ram. It booted up and ran through all the start up command lines then ended with a prompt.

Hmmm...... Been there before. Seen it, done it.
Typed in startx at that command prompt and BackTrack started booting into the GUI Desktop interface. 30 seconds later I had a full featured desktop.

Hope some of this helps you out.

[kmitnick]

thnx TazMAniac, you really did your homework , I tested it with BT4 Pre Release and BT4 Final, and didn't work, I won't waste another 1.5GB to download the Beta release just because it is called Beta ,you know.

Anyway, I will try a new shot and going to copy the my HDD MBR to my flash memory and post the result back again.

For confirmation only,did you only use UnetBootin without any modifiction?

Bundle of thanks to you.

[TaZMAniac]

No problem. I've done 15 in 1 and 20 in 1 live boot DVD's so I have most of the stuff I need. I recently upgraded my computer to 64 bit so I had to grab unetbootin before I tried this. Straight download and install. No modifications to it.

Used a PNY 2 Gig flash drive and set the bios to boot from it.
As I mentioned in the previous post, I only had 2 glitches. That was Enter to boot the syslinux menu then startx to start the Backtrack x session.

I've also said this many times but I'll say it again.
1 -2 gig flash drive. Can't go much higher due to the limitations of the fat32 file system.
Not all flash drives will boot properly. Some won't work at all.

Good luck!