Not really TOTALLY Vista, but I did it in Vista, so ‘nuff said.
You’re going to want at least 2GB for this. They’re hella cheap nowadays, too, so just pick up a new one if need be!
1. Download the USB version from here:
http://www.remote-exploit.org/backtrack_download.html
2. Extract it (use 7-Zip or another unzipping utility). Don’t delete the image just yet in case you mess up.
3. Format your stick – and not a Quick Format, a proper format.
Computer > Right click > Format > FAT32 > Format.
4. Copy the /boot and /BT3 directories over to your newly formatted flash drive. (once the format is complete).
5. PAY ATTENTION.
IF YOU GET THIS WRONG, YOUR COMPUTER WILL NOT BOOT.
On your flash drive (NOT your hard drive) launch the X:/boot/bootinst.bat file. FROM your flash drive – so go to Computer, open your flash drives folder, enter the boot directory and double click bootinst – you might not see .bat. NOT bootinst.sh
This window will show up:
NOTE It says This installer will setup disk Z: to boot only Slax.
Z: is the drive letter of my flash drive. If it says C:, abort this as your current installation will no longer boot. DONT TYPE “X” as the window implies, close it at the top right.
I hit any key, and then it will either say Install Successful OR Install Failed and throw an error about permissions. If this happens, return to /boot and right click the bootinst.bat file, and hit Run As Administrator.
However, for me, I had a tiny problem.
When I launched with elevated permissions, I’d get C:, but when I launched normally I’d get Z:. to combat this, I turned UAC off, rebooted, and tried again. Problem solved.
6. Danaaaa! Done.
7. Now, reboot your PC with the USB flash drive plugged in. For some people, not all USB ports work, so if it refuses to work, try a different port. Also, ensure that your boot order is correct – enter the BIOS on boot (hit F2, F10, whatever it says on the bottom as you boot) then head to Boot Order and ensure that Hard Disk Drive is below all USB devices.
8. Exit and Save all BIOS changes.
9. It will boot into BT3.
10. If your screen goes black, leave it for a while – if it’s still black after five minutes, mash some random keys. If this still doesn’t work, push your power button as if you were turning the PC on again (not to reset it). This happens to me a lot. Then the screen will show up again.
Congratulations. You just created a bootable BackTrack 3 USB flash drive.
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