Which Laptop Brand for BT3?

[mesaphlin]

Hello everyone,

I have been searching for the right laptop for BT3 for a long time.

hxxp://backtrack.offensive-security.com/index.php?title=HCL:Laptops
site shows which laptop brands are running fine or not with the BT2 & BT3. And the newest laptop brand is Asus EEEPC in there which has some problems but the forum about it explains how to overcome with those problems. The rest of the laptops are in that site are really old ones which are really hard to find nowadays in stores.

Every month comes with newer models in laptops but I don't see any tests about those laptops in the HCL:Laptops site. I really want to purchase a laptop for only using BT3 but don't know which one to buy. For example, I have been thinking about new IBM model X300 series but it just hit the market so new so the tests on it will take time for BT3. Besides that, the new EEEPC is a good choice but I have read that the wireless is a little bit weak to get the signals.

If I would buy a new brand model of any laptop, what should I look for in the specifications in that particular laptop for the use of BT3? Because it seems like I could never purchase one when the tests of those laptops tested out only on the old models.

I also know that the best test is to grab a BT3 CD with me and try on any laptop to see if it works. But I cannot test every laptop to see if the BT3 works on that particular laptop before the owner of the store gets a little nastier on me.

Any help is really appreciated.

Thank you goes out there upfront who help me on this irritating bug in my brain.

[linuxer314]

I suggest you LENOVO...almost wireless card built in is based on atheros and they are very well done...
then they are linux friendly so...
I know they are a little bit more expensive but... they are the top

[mesaphlin]

I suggest you LENOVO...almost wireless card built in is based on atheros and they are very well done...
then they are linux friendly so...
I know they are a little bit more expensive but... they are the top

I see. So, the Lenovo X300 would be a good choice.

Thank you linuxer314 for the information.

[raVenX]

Not really sure if this is the place for this particular subject. Moderators feel free to move it.

I really want to purchase a laptop for only using BT3 but don't know which one to buy.

Why would you want to drop $1,500-$2,000 on a brand new laptop when, as you describe, you only want to run BT3 on it?? Many deals can be had on used laptops. In fact, I find them preferable for taking on the road.

I purchased a Toughbook CF-28 1GHz on eBay that, in terms of mobility, far exceeds my 3.4GHz HP Pavillion boat anchor of a laptop. My Toughbook has a built-in GPS and a touchscreen making mobile computing and wardriving a breeze. Further, the Toughbook has no internal fans. It uses an air cool system much like a VW engine. An additional extended battery makes the laptop last an easy 6-8 hours under med-hard processor use. Dust proof, water resistant. Can't say enough about them. They go for about $200-$250 at auction, but more feature packed models go for about $500.

Here's what other have had to say about the Toughbook, for your consideration:

'cause the only thing better than having the latest technology is being able to beat the crap out of it. --Shopping.com

For kicks I have held it under a bathroom shower at all different angles, and no leaks whatsoever, it is great. --Forum post

These laptops are very tough, mine got left on top of a car, slung about 5ft through the air onto concrete while running, and didn't skip a beat (Don't ask how this happened LOL). It's also had plenty of water on the keyboard from a careless brother, dumped off and continued use. --Forum post

... placed directly on top of explosives that are the equivalent to two sticks of dynamite. Beneath the desk 20 litres of fuel was poured into a container. Everyone stood well back with ear defenders on and then the count-down to the explosion began. The explosion erupted in a huge fireball which sent the Toughbook ... 20 feet up into the air. [It] landed back on solid ground with a crash ... After a search ... the Toughbook's battery was no-where to be found. It had been thrown out. After more searching it was recovered – a little bit sooty and bashed but still in good enough shape to fit back into the Toughbook ... Suzi opened it up. On the screen were imprints of the keys in soot and the whole thing was blackened. She pressed the switch and amazingly the computer turned on ... and played The Gadget Show's titles perfectly. --The Gadget Show

In April 2003, a U.S. soldier in Iraq was carrying a Toughbook on his hip in an unarmored Humvee. A 7.62mm round ripped through the vehicle's door and buried itself in the computer. Thanks to the Toughbook's magnesium casing, the bullet pierced the outer case, cracked through the LCD screen and cratered the left side of the keyboard -- but it didn't make it all the way through and it didn't enter the soldier. --Popular Mechanics

Enough said.

[Barry]

Works pretty good on my eeePc.

[mesaphlin]

Dear raVenX,

First of all, thank you for your information. All I want to know is that how BT3 works on that Toughbook? Can you run easily compiz fusion for example on that and what about wireless? And the thing is that I live in istanbul Turkey and here, there are no Toughbooks but if BT3 works fluently on this machine, I would consider buying it for sure from ebay or somewhere else outside Turkey. Thank you again for your attention.

And Barry,

I first thought buying an eeepc but here in this forum somewhere I have read that wireless on that baby is a little bit weak to capture the signals. Is that true? And overall, are you satisfied with it so far? Thank you in advance.

mesaphlin

[Barry]

Dear raVenX,

First of all, thank you for your information. All I want to know is that how BT3 works on that Toughbook? Can you run easily compiz fusion for example on that and what about wireless? And the thing is that I live in istanbul Turkey and here, there are no Toughbooks but if BT3 works fluently on this machine, I would consider buying it for sure from ebay or somewhere else outside Turkey. Thank you again for your attention.

And Barry,

I first thought buying an eeepc but here in this forum somewhere I have read that wireless on that baby is a little bit weak to capture the signals. Is that true? And overall, are you satisfied with it so far? Thank you in advance.

mesaphlin

I've not had a problem with it. Though I'm not trying to do packet captures from across town. I am thinking about modding on a couple external antennas to it though. It's not as strong wirelessly as some laptops, but for what I use it for, it's working out so far. It is a little small, not unuseably small, at least not for me, though I still have pretty good eyesight. The keyboard is a bit small, I wouldn't want to do a lot of heavy word processing on it, but typing this up isn't too big a deal.

[mesaphlin]

Dear Barry,

Which eeepc do you recommend?

ASUS EEE PC 900 20G or ASUS EEE PC 700 4G ?

Thank you so much in advance.

mesaphlin

[Barry]

Dear Barry,

Which eeepc do you recommend?

ASUS EEE PC 900 20G or ASUS EEE PC 700 4G ?

Thank you so much in advance.

mesaphlin

I have the 701 4G surf. The newer ones have more space to play with, but I don't know about compatibility with BT3. If I were to buy one right now, it would be one of the new ones, I can live without backtrack compatibility, I built a box just for that.

[raVenX]

All I want to know is that how BT3 works on that Toughbook? Can you run easily compiz fusion for example on that and what about wireless?

I have my Toughbook setup in a tri-boot configuration with WinXP/Ubuntu/BT3beta all installed on the hard drive. BT3beta installed flawlessly and I have encountered no problems running its applications. I use several different pcmcia network cards for wireless. An Ubiquiti SRC for use with an external cantenna or yagi antenna, and a Netgear WG511T for local short range use. Both cards are Atheros chip based and compatible under BT3beta and the Wildpackets driver. No problems with either. I don't run Compiz Fusion so I cannot comment on that aspect, but I run many different applications on all three operating systems and have not had any problems to date.

If you decide on a Toughbook and you find one on eBay, just make sure it's from a reputable seller and make sure you get pictures of the unit you are actually bidding on. There is a lot of junk out there.