Overlapping partitions on USB drive.

Hi. I am a complete newbie at Kali, which I want to use live from a USB drive for the purposes of an online computer-security course which I'm following.

My computer is a Mac Mini (late 2012 model) with an Intel 64-bit processor, and I am running macOS Sierra plus a Windows 10 VM. I have tried both the OS X and the Windows method of creating a bootable Kali USB drive as detailed in the instructions at http://docs.kali.org/downloading/kal...ve-usb-install . The result, in each case, is a USB drive (which is indeed bootable) containing two partitions --- a 2.51GB Kali Live one with (according to GParted) an unknown file system, followed by a 704KB Fat-16 one --- which overlap. (GParted displays the error message "Can't have overlapping partitions").

The above overlapping-partitions result is the same on three different USB drives which I have tried. (All three, however, are bootable).

This doesn't seem right to me.

Any helpful comments or advice would be much appreciated :)


PS: The Kali build which I've used to create the bootable USB drive is weekly build kali-linux-2017-W06-amd64.iso. (Version 2016.2 didn't work for me: it produced a frozen welcome screen from which I couldn't boot into Kali Live at all)

I think you are making bootable USB too complicated to use. Format your USB and delete partitions in USB if exist any. Create a FAT 32 bootable USB using rufus. You don't have to follow that guide. Rufus will do that work for you.

I am newbie too

I Just deleted that fat16 partition and made ext4 partition with label : persistence.

and followed those steps from docs.Kali.org to make a kali live encrypted persistence (one which save your data and setting so that you dont have to set it again and again)
and everything is working fine!

I tried with Rufus (FAT 32 + MBR), just as you suggested.

Using Rufus in its default iso mode, the result is a USB drive with a frozen Kali welcome screen from which none of the options can be selected or booted.

Using it in dd mode, the result is exacly as described in my first post --- i.e. a properly-bootable USB (from which I can go into Kali Live) with overlapping partitions (the first and larger of which is a hybrid partition "unknown" by GParted). :(

Hi K@!R0U$3ki. What is the file system of the partition which you didn't delete?

Use GParted, and if that says that it's a hybrid partition whose file system is unknown then I invite you to try the following experiment:

1. Delete all of the partitions on the USB stick (after backing up anything you want to keep, of course). Don't format the drive, just delete the partitions.

2. Then examine the contents of the USB in Debian. And if your experience is similar to mine you'll see that it's got a whole load of left-over Kali-related files on it. Files which reside in no partition (because you've deleted all the partitions, right?). This is WEIRD!! [Don't worry: you can blitz the files by formatting the USB drive. But it's still weird).

Yes, the USB installation with the mysterious hybrid Kali partition does work. But I don't like working with tools that mystifty me and which just don't seem right. It disturbs me.

Any comments?

1. partitions your USB device, just for one major partition (after kali iso wroten on your usb device may have 4.2GB space usage,so just partition 6GB free space for it) ,ignore the left partition don`t format it.
2. download "universal usb installer" run it, and choose kali linux mode in lots of linux versions. find kali iso path with next step, and just choose your USB device partition and don`t check except format to fat32. wait to process. done. close it
3. reboot your PC or MAC, (i don`t have mac to try,so you need to boot from usb HDD) load to install mode interface.
4. there are 2 choice to setup kali, one: run with perisistence or graphical install on to usb device
5. peisistence mode with save configures may have alot of command typing, it`s long to say, you can google it
6. normail install kali with graphical interface, i choose some important to say: one: partition a 4~6 GB logical partition for SWAP, left space for EX4 ROOT.
7. just like windows and mac os `s install way ,after install reboot~
ya u got your kali linux USB device now~

use win32imager to make a live kali usb

then boot from that usb as a live session

open gparted

select your drive (in my case it was /dev/sdb/) one which matches to size of your pendrive

you will see 3 partitions:
1.Unknown
2.FAT16
3.unallocated

now right click on the FAT16 partition and select unmount

then right click again and select "delete"

then you will see only two partitions one unknown and another unallocated

then select the unallocated, right click on it and make a new partiton of EXT3 with label persistence

go to docs.kali.org

find the "make kali live persistence usb"

skip to the step where you will find commands like "cryptsetup......"

follow those steps and remember to replace every /dev/sdc3 by whatever your new allocated (persistence) is (in my case it was /dev/sdb2 you can check it in gparted)

thats it! reboot your system

choose boot from pendrive

then select kali live persistence with encryption

type the password when asked (when you will execute the crypsetup.... command you will be asked for the password; the same you have to enter when asked at boot time)

And you will get your new kali USB! without any magical HYBRID partition! ready to hack!

Hi K@!R0U$3ki. Just saw your last post above. Thanks: I'll try that and post back here to report whether it works for me.