How to Install Tails OS on USB flash drive for Wallet Purpose

[Chikito]

A lot of problems out there arise due to viruses on the computer hard drive makes the wallet installed in it vulnerable to attack. Therefore, I suggest separating wallets and PC, which are often used for browsing to avoid or at least provide security.

Buy hardware wallet is the best choice, but when you don't have enough money to buy it?
I think we can use USB Flashdrive to make a portable operating system included Electrum wallet.

What we need?

1. Tails Os - download https://tails.boum.org/install/dvd-download/index.en.html
2. Rufus - download https://rufus.ie/
3. A USB flash drive a minimum of 8 Gigabyte (fat-32 formated)

How To Install?

a. inject your USB flash drive into PC
b. Open Rufus

• 1. USB flash drive will automatically be detected when Rufus application has ready
• 2. Click select and choose where your file downloaded
• 3. Move your cursor to make persistent partition size
• 4. (Optional) Labeling your USB flash drive
• 5. Click start

• 6. Wait until Finish

• 7. Reboot your PC while push esc button on keyboard (depends what PC are you using. sometime f9 and f11) then booting with USB Flashdrive
• 8. Star your tails and wait for a while.
• 9. let's make configuration your system like a persistent password.  This important part to safe your data because tails os won't keep your setting when you restart it.

NOTE: This is a crucial thing to keep and  encrypted your data on persistent. also, you have a choice to enable or disable it.



By the way, Tail OS has already installed an electrum wallet, but not recommend because we can't verify it. https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tails.html

So how to use wallet?, You have to download again electrum wallet at the official website and verify it.

1. Open https://electrum.org/#download and download App image Linux



2. Appimage file will save on Tor Browser folder

3. Verify download - (scroll down official electrum website, you can find how to verify your download).

4. Move your Appimage file into persistent storage. See the image below.



5. Right-click file and Tick "Allow executing file as program"



6. We have finished here. To open an electrum wallet, double click Appimage and use electrum ussually.

source: https://github.com/spesmilo/electrum-docs/blob/master/tails.rst

Note: Your setting and password won't save, so be careful, keep your essential data file into persistent volume.

Disclaimer: This for education only, I am not part of Tails and rufus. when you want to try and use it do with your own risk.

[TheBeardedBaby]

This is a very good guide for newbies who want to try crypto and stay safe without to worry about all those malwares and viruses lurking and trying to steal your funds. Sorry OP out of sMerit, but I'll keep this post for later

[hatshepsut93]

I use Tails to access my Bitcoin wallets and I think that using persistent storage and connecting it to the Internet kinda defeats the purpose of using Tails, since its main feature is being amnesiac. Persistent storage introduces the risk of letting some malware sitting there between sessions and potentially escaping the airgap, and turning on Internet connection would allow malware to send the stolen data to its parent server.

I prefer to store wallet files and Electrum wallet on a flash drive, copy them to the desktop and remove the flash drive, and only then open wallet files and do transactions (which I create on my online machine and use yet another USB stick to bring them to the cold storage machine for signing).

[NeuroticFish]

I find the start of the tutorial unnecessary and OS dependent (Windows)
Tails page already has step-by-step tutorials for the major operating systems one wants to install from: https://tails.boum.org/install/index.en.html

[Chikito]

I use Tails to access my Bitcoin wallets and I think that using persistent storage and connecting it to the Internet kinda defeats the purpose of using Tails, ~~snip
~~snip~~ I prefer to store wallet files and Electrum wallet on a flash drive, copy them to the desktop and remove the flash drive~~

Thanks for your suggestion.

Persistent volume has sensitive drive, it's hard malware inject or insiding into the file.
I try to download picture, it won't save into persistent volume.



Also, We can disable personal data at configure persistent volume to avoid them.

[OcTradism]

This guide is a supportive one for the topic. I read it weeks ago and it help me a lot. [Guide] How to get genuine windows 10 ISO and why?. It help people who have old computers with broken DVD drives or with new generations of laptops which don't have DVD-drives.

[Chikito]

It help people who have old computers with broken DVD drives or with new generations of laptops which don't have DVD-drives.

They should read system requirements^[1] before installing Tails.
Some old computer hasn't support because of not compatible processor 32 bit. I have experienced tried booting my old Laptop ASUS Eee PC 4G with Intel Celeron M 353 / 900 MHz CPU and 512 RAM I got an error message "Tails can not work on this core".

[1]. https://tails.boum.org/doc/about/requirements/index.en.html

[50 Cent]

how to install on mac?

[Chikito]

how to install on mac?

to make bootable USB stick use Etcher, what you need?
1. Tails OS for Mac >> https://tails.boum.org/install/mac/usb-download/index.en.html
2. Etcher >> https://github.com/balena-io/etcher or https://tails.boum.org/etcher/Etcher.dmg

Don't forget to verify all downloads.


For Linux user can use Startup Disk Creator already has ubuntu store or use command line dd
https://tails.boum.org/install/expert/usb/index.en.html

when tail os already on a USB stick, easy way to make it by clone

[Husna QA]

how to install on mac?

I usually use DiskMaker X when creating a Bootable Flashdisk on Mac.
Previously I tried a different way, using Tails Installer and Install by cloning from the default Tails OS which I ran first on Parallels Desktop (you can try Virtual Box).
(Applications -> Tails -> Tails Installer -> Clone the current Tails)

[igor72]

• 9. let's make configuration your system like a persistent password.  This important part to safe your data because tails os won't keep your setting when you restart it.

What's the "persistent password"? Did you mean to create a persistent volume?

By the way, Tail OS has already installed an electrum wallet, but not recommend because we can't verify it. https://electrum.readthedocs.io/en/latest/tails.html

Why would we verify it if it's already pre-installed?

So how to use wallet?, You have to download again electrum wallet at the official website and verify it.

Why install another copy if you already have a current version installed?

[Chikito]

What's the "persistent password"? Did you mean to create a persistent volume?

Yes, configure persistent volume to create password.

Why would we verify it if it's already pre-installed?
..
Why install another copy if you already have a current version installed?
..

We don't know how electrum pre-installed come from. So better to download again, verify it and put it on persistent volume.

[igor72]

We don't know how electrum pre-installed come from. So better to download again, verify it and put it on persistent volume.

Why do you think that the developers have not verified the pgp-signature of Electrum? And if you don't trust the developers of Tails, why do you suggest using it?

[Chikito]

And if you don't trust the developers of Tails, why do you suggest using it?

I trusted tails OS developer except electrum wallet because i can't verified it.
let's me know brother, how verify electrum on tails?

[Kakmakr]

Ok, I learned something new today, I usually just updated the Electrum version that comes with Tails and then clean boots with that, but I kind of agree with previous posters that it defeats the purpose of a clean boot, if you want to use a persistent volume. The hackers just target the data that does not get wiped, when the OS is rebooted.

One advantage of using Tails is the fact that hackers usually target Operating systems with a large user base, so something like Windows would be targeted a lot more than Tails. < I am not saying Tails is not targeted, but it is less likely > 

[Chikito]

Tails OS was Updated 4.6

https://tails.boum.org/news/version_4.6/index.en.html

Changes and updates

- Update Tor Browser to 9.0.10.
- Add support for Universal 2nd Factor USB security keys.
- Update the list of applications in the Favorites applications submenu.

Different old version. we can see configure persistent volume at the front



Another changed, we don't see persistent disk/volume at places. I am surprise, cause I keep my electrum app image there encrypted.



but don't worry, Persistent volume located at home.



My friend ask me, how to add the file to persistent volume?, because he can't add electrum app image in persistent folder (permission denied)

persistent volume has access only by default, you can't write, copy, pasting or delete the file.
to change it right click persistent > Permissions



Change access > from Access file > to create and delete files



when copied, don't forget to back it to beginning as access file, purpose to avoid malware or virus injecting your persistent.

~dwyor~

[Sidney986]

Thanks.  I have Tails installed on bootable flash drive and the electrum app image in the persistent folder.  I can also run Kleopatra on Tails to check the electrum image is genuine but every time I reboot, Kleopatra forgets the electrium public keys I setup and my info for certifying them.  Anyone know if it's possible to set Tails to remember this setup?

Nevermind, I found the answer as follows.


Toggle the GnuPG switch in the persistent folder to on.

[Synchronice]

That's a good explanation but misses one important step: How to reset a USB stick because people have problems like, USB is not visible on their PC after they install tails and find it troublesome to format USB.

P.S. Skip step 1 if 4 if you can differentiate your USB Flash drive from other drives.
1. Be sure that the USB flash drive that you want to reset is unplagged.
2. Press on ⊞ Win and R key at the same time, enter cmd and click ok to open command prompt.


3. Type diskpart in our command prompt and then press Enter button.


If new window pops up, click on Yes to launch DiskPart.
4. Type list disk and then press Enter to get information about disks. Now plug-in the USB again.
5. Type list disk and then press Enter:


In my case, Disk 2 is the USB flash drive because I own 8GB one and it's different from the rest disks, so I'm confident mine is Disk2.

6. Then type select disk=number (For example, select disk=2 in my case) and press Enter
7. Type clean and press Enter
8. Type convert mbr and press Enter
9. Type create partition primary and press Enter.

You can see 6-9 steps on this image:


That's all, not you will be able to use your USB flash drive without any problem.

[Chikito]

Anyone know if it's possible to set Tails to remember this setup?

Nevermind, I found the answer as follows.

you just need to set the persistent. but not as often as possible especially for the wallet. Better to use AppImage which you have downloaded and installed on another device, USB drive, and external HD. Just make your OS is refreshed and clean every boot.

I rarely use Tail since I bought some Hardware Wallet, I am curious, what version of Electrum loads on Tail?

That's a good explanation but misses one important step: How to reset a USB stick because people have problems like, USB is not visible on their PC after they install tails and find it troublesome to format USB.

I've experienced it, but clear after I access Disk Management or if people prefer the GUI, they can use the USB image tool.