Macbook Air and a USB flash drive

Hey guys,

I don't know if this is going to work. I am planning to get a MBA 2012 (soon) and a 64GB USB 3.0 flash drive.
I don't want to do a dual boot. So my plan is install Backtrack 5 R2 on a 64GB flash drive and from from it. And within Backtrack, I am going to install VirtualBox and run Windows XP and Windows 7 Pro.
Basically, I am going to use the 64GB flash drive as a 2nd boot drive and it will be used just for Backtrack lab.

The flash drive I am looking at is this Newegg.com - Kingston HyperX DataTraveler HyperX 3.0 64GB USB 3.0 Flash Drive Model DTHX30/64GB and this is the fastest USB 3.0 flash drive I could find.
I'm gonna get the 4GB MBA, and will allocate 1GB RAM to XP and 7.

Is 64GB is enough?
Would MBA be able to do what I am trying to do?

Thanks
/thm

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Comments

the_hutch

64 Gigs is way more than enough. You can load backtrack to a jumpdrive as small as 4GB. The problem is, its going to be a live version. So any changes that are made during the session (i.e. installing virtual box) will no longer be there the next time you boot. At least that's the way I understand it, but I haven't worked much with a external media bootable version. I've always just had backtrack loaded on my local system. Let me know if you figure out a way to get that to work. I'd be interested to know.

thehourman

My plan is to install BT5 to a flash drive. The flash drive is gonna function like a 2nd drive. Im doing this because I don't want to partition the MBA.
I don't have a 64GB flash drive yet, but in theory it might work, I think.

JayTheCracker

macbook air 2012 got USB 3.0 port ??

thehourman

I don't know.

demonfurbie

i think it has a thunderbolt port not usb 3

thehourman

Im talking about the MBA with Ivy Bridge that's gonna be release this year.

GOZCU

MacBooks don't support USB 3.0 and will not... they believe that USB 3.0 technology will not take a serious place in the market. thunderbolt is a totally different technology and much faster. Intel thinks the same like Apple.

thehourman

Really? No USB 3.0 on the new Macs.
I don't think there's a portable Thunderbolt drive out there.

demonfurbie

GOZCU wrote: »

MacBooks don't support USB 3.0 and will not... they believe that USB 3.0 technology will not take a serious place in the market. thunderbolt is a totally different technology and much faster. Intel thinks the same like Apple.

didnt apple say the same thing when they put firewire on things?

yes there are thunderbolt drives but they aint cheap

jhardydj

the_hutch wrote: »

64 Gigs is way more than enough. You can load backtrack to a jumpdrive as small as 4GB. The problem is, its going to be a live version. So any changes that are made during the session (i.e. installing virtual box) will no longer be there the next time you boot. At least that's the way I understand it, but I haven't worked much with a external media bootable version. I've always just had backtrack loaded on my local system. Let me know if you figure out a way to get that to work. I'd be interested to know.

Google Backtrack persistant usb.

thehourman

I think that's the one I am looking for. I also found this Windows utility called LinuxLive Creator http://www.linuxliveusb.com/en/download

onesaint

Why not just pick up VMware fusion and run your VMs local or from the USB/thunderbolt drive? Then you avoid the multi install on USB/thunderbolt. I think you would catch terrible lag running multiple OSes via USB. I run a single VM on a 16gb stick and it runs ok, but more would start to feel like I was using dial up.

Forsaken_GA

GOZCU wrote: »

MacBooks don't support USB 3.0 and will not...

You may want to be careful of statements like this. It's widely expected that a refresh of the MacBook Air will be announced at WWDC, and that the refresh will have USB 3.0 ports.

We'll find out in about a month.

chrisone

From what i heard the only refresh that is happening is the Macbook pro , i havent heard anything based on the MBA's.

thehourman

The reason I am trying to avoid VMs is the CPU processing. Since I will be running one for XP and one for Win7, I am not sure if an MBA would be able to run 3 VMs (including Backtrack).

jibbajabba

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

the refresh will have USB 3.0 ports.

Bold statement

Forsaken_GA

jibbajabba wrote: »

Bold statement

Not really. It's pretty much a given that Apple will be upgrading to Ivy Bridge processors, and Ivy Bridge has USB 3.0. Whether or not it makes it in time for WWDC is up to Intel, as the version likely to be used in the Macbook Air is supposed to start shipping in June.

demonfurbie

Forsaken_GA wrote: »

Not really. It's pretty much a given that Apple will be upgrading to Ivy Bridge processors, and Ivy Bridge has USB 3.0. Whether or not it makes it in time for WWDC is up to Intel, as the version likely to be used in the Macbook Air is supposed to start shipping in June.

yep new ones will have usb 3

MacBook Pro and iMac with next-gen Ivy Bridge processors crop up on benchmarks (update) -- Engadget

the_hutch

So I haven't worked with Mac in years. My last system was a G4 iMac with OSX Panther. So I have never got to play around with bootcamp. So for those of you who do use mac...could you use bootcamp to dual boot with OSX and a linux distro? ...or is just built to support windows OS?

Forsaken_GA

the_hutch wrote: »

So I haven't worked with Mac in years. My last system was a G4 iMac with OSX Panther. So I have never got to play around with bootcamp. So for those of you who do use mac...could you use bootcamp to dual boot with OSX and a linux distro? ...or is just built to support windows OS?

You certainly can, and I've known folks who use Bootcamp to triple boot a mac, installing something like Ubuntu and Windows on the Boot camp side.

thehourman

Nice, USB 3.0.
Has anyone have tried the persistant USB Linux? I am just curious about how fast the speed when booting up from a USB 2.0.