How long do you use USB drives for live Linux systems? (infosec.pub)

submitted 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) by occultist8128@infosec.pub to c/linux4noobs@programming.dev

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i’ve been using a USB 2.0 drive to run a live linux OS for the past couple of years, mostly for storing linux ISOs, installing linux on laptops and live persistence. lately, i’ve noticed a huge drop in write speed, currently around 1.8 MB/s, which is pretty slow for the tasks i do. i'm planning to replace it with a USB 3.0 drive in the future, but i wanted to ask:

how long have you typically used a USB drive for live linux systems, including for live persistence??
do you still use USB 2.0, or did you upgrade to a 3.0 or higher?
any tips to extend the lifespan of a USB drive when using it for live linux systems?

i'm mainly looking for advice and insights on how others manage their USB drives for similar use cases. thanks in advance for sharing!

EDIT: it's a usb stick. forgot to tell.

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[-] Botzo@lemmy.world 2 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago)

There are too many variables to give you a direct answer for measuring lifespan, but as you suspect, degraded performance is an indicator of failure.

If this is a USB disk drive (and not a "stick"), Smartmontools is your friend and there should be a package for your distro.

If it is a stick, you're much more limited and testing, such as it is, is data destructive. https://superuser.com/a/376278

To maximize life of solid state media, reducing the number of writes is key. Here's an article to get you started with the basics, but do look into the implications of changes to some of these before jumping.

[-] occultist8128@infosec.pub 2 points 2 weeks ago

yes, it's stick. thanks for the resources!

this post was submitted on 21 Jul 2025

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