Re: Scanning windows from linux

Ubuntu provides a utility to create a bootable USB stick.

Ubuntu provides clamav.

A) Ubuntu based USB has Synaptic Packet Manager system that could be used to install, remove, configure, or upgrade software packages, browse, sort and search the list of available software packages, manage repositories, or upgrade the whole system.

I think, this can be used to get the virus scanner onto the USB stick once the Ubuntu is up from the USB stick. Need to check. But, No clear method is available on the method of addition of new software. Any ideas ?

B) In Puppy linux, i found specific statements that convey that one can use antivirus that is built-in or can be installed in Puppy.

C) Pendrivelinux also seems to be full blown linux, and the virus scanner can be installed just as this application is installed in the below link -

Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru

karthikbalaguru schrieb:

I'm also interested in a free (maybe trial) version of a Linux on an USB stick. Some time ago I tried to install such a system myself (BartPE?), but couldn't make it work with my machines. Now I don't know whether it's a matter of the software or of my BIOSes, why I couldn't boot from the stick :-(

Can you give a concrete link, or an search key?

DoDi

Of course not - last thing I heard nobody was giving away USB sticks for free yet. ;-)

You are not going to find one, since USB sticks cost money. Most distributions do however have the necessary tools for creating a USB-stick-based GNU/Linux distribution, and some may even have preconfigured and automated utilities to do such a thing for you.

Google is your friend.

Then you didn't look well enough. ;-)

Well, good luck with that then. The 2.6 kernel doesn't even fit on a floppy anymore, so you'd be stuck with an old kernel, which may not support all of your hardware. For instance, I don't even know whether

If they are floppy-based, then they will certainly not hold any decent antivirus software, given the size of such software suits.

Then why even consider it? ;-)

That is not what it was designed for, but in theory, you should be able to make a bootable USB stick with the contents of that CD, yes. On the other hand, you'd be far better off with a more complete distribution, e.g. Knoppix.

I can't really help you with that. I've only used it once or twice, in order to detect hardware errors on one of my machines.

Yes, that is what I wrote higher up already. You'd be far better off with a "real" distro. There are several live-CD based distros, and other distros allow you to make a live-CD with a few simple mouseclicks, or a bootable USB stick. Look here and see whether you can find something to your liking:

They will probably not have such scanners "on board", so you'd have to add them yourself. The simpler the base you start from, the more work you'll have at producing a bootable USB stick with a working distro

USB sticks and floppy disks are not "embedded Linux". Embedded (GNU/)Linux is what you find in routers, cellphones and satnav systems, i.e. the "system on a chip" approach. Such systems usually don't come with antivirus software, and most of the time those devices are configured to not work as if they are complete UNIX systems.

For instance, a Linksys WRT router has a Linux-based system in firmware, but other than approaching it via a webbrowser to make a few changes to the settings, you can't do much with it, since the device was never designed for any other purposes than being a router. Alternative firmware downloads do exist, but they really *are* alternative, i.e. you'd have to install it yourself. And for your intended purposes, the issue is moot.

Great ! This is interesting.

I searched for setting up ubuntu in USB stick and the below link -

Another link that claims the installation of ubuntu in USB stick from Live CD is below -

Does clamav come by default after following the procedures mentioned in the below link ?

Or, should we need to add clamav by setting up the network/internet once the ubuntu is up from the USB stick ?

Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru

I got few links, but not exact info. I think the below link is one of the good input to start for USB stick based linux flavour.

But, it does not clearly convey the method of addition of new softwares/applications to USB stick based linux.

I assume that i need to set up the network/internet and download the application/ software of interest(anti-virus, etc ) once the linux boots up from the USB stick and occupies the RAM.

Another possible method could be to add the software/application to a particular folder in USB Stick so that it gets added into a directory from where it could be executed to get installed once the ubuntu gets booted off the USB stick and occupies the RAM.

For setting up ubuntu in USB stick -

Setting up ubuntu in USB stick from Live CD -

Incase of ubuntu,

Any trick for adding the application/software so that the application comes by default when it gets booted up from the USB Stick instead of adding it everytime ? That is , it need not be installed once the linux gets booted up from the USB stick ?

Still searching for information w.r.t this. Lemme know if you got some information regarding this.

Nice link ! This link would be of great help to me. It is fantastic. Your response has been very helpful !!

Thx in advans, Karthik Balaguru

That is correct.

There are several methods for doing this, but if you're going to save it on a separate partition on the USB stick - as opposed to making it part of the boot image - then I recommend formatting that partition with a UNIX-style filesystem, i.e. ext2/3, reiserfs, XFS or JFS, but not with FAT32, as that does not honor the UNIX permissions and file ownerships.

Either use an ext2/3 or similar filesystem on the USB stick and save it to that, or add it to the boot image from which the GNU/Linux system boots up from the stick. If push comes to shove, you can temporarily save the downloaded files to a /tmpfs/ - i.e. a temporary filesystem in RAM while you are fiddling with the USB stick.

That link is known to just about every GNU/Linux user. ;-) As you didn't seem to know about it yet until I mentioned it here, you're probably not a real GNU/Linux user... :p

Right, you need to add clamav, after you have built the stick, but this is very straightforward. The penstick will be updated to reflect changes as packages are added or removed. (It works justs like a regular installation).

I've got some notes on the creation of the bootable pendrive somewhere. I will try and dig them out for you.

Mark.