Installing Kali Linux as a Virtual Machine

As we even think about hacking at some point of time in our life, the operating system which comes in our mind is Linux. Kali Linux is called the OS for hackers, mostly because it comes packed with so many pre-installed tools that come in handy whether it's in the information gathering stage or the exploitation stage.


So here are the steps how you can install Kali Linux in your Windows Machine.

Steps to Install :

Step 1 : Download and Install VMWare from here.

Step 2 : Download a Kali Linux ISO from here.

Step 3 : Open VMWare > File > New Virtual Machine.

Step 4 : Choose custom from the dialog box that appears and click Next.

Step 5 : Click Next Again.
Step 6 : Choose I will Install the Operating System Later and click Next.

Step 7 : Click the Linux  radio button and choose Debian 7/Debian 7 64-bit for 32 bit or 64 bit respectively. (I chose Debian 7 64-bit for 63 bit Kali Linux)

Step 8 : Set the Name and Location of your Virtual Machine and click Next.

Step 9 : Choose appropriate Number of Processors and Number of cores per processor and click Next.(I selected 2 for both of them)

Step 10 : Allocate some Memory like 2048 MB and click Next. (You can also choose less like 512 MB or so)

Step 11 : Select the Use address network translation (NAT) radio button and click  Next.

Step 12 : Use the (recommended) one and click Next.(LSI Logic in my case)

Step 13 : Use the (recommended) one and click Next.(SCSI in my case)

Step 14 : Select Create a new virtual disk radio button and click Next.

Step 15 : Allocate Maximum Disk Size (GB) (I chose 20 GB) and select Store virtual disk as a single file and click Next.

Step 16 : Leave the name as it is and click Next.   

Step 17 : Click on Customize Hardware...

Step 18 : From the Menu on left hand side click on New CD/DVD (... and then on the right side choose Use ISO image file: and browse your Kali-Linux ISO file then click Close.

Step 19 : From the Library in left select your Kali Linux and click Power on this virtual machine.(Then wait for some time till the OS loads)

Step 20 : Select the Graphical Install option using the up & down arrow keys. (the real thing starts from here)

Step 21 : Select a language and click Continue. (I chose English)

Step 22 : Select your location and hit Continue.

Step 23 : In configure the keyboard box appeared choose American English and hit Continue.

Step 24 : Leave the hostname as it is and hit Continue. (mine was 'kali')

Step 25 : Leave the Domain Name empty and click Continue.

Step 26 : Set a password for your root user and hit Continue.

Step 27 : For Partition disks box that appeared choose Guided - use entire disk and click Continue.

Step 28 : Click Continue again for the box showing SCSI3 (0,0,0) (sda) - 21.5GB VMware, VMware Virtual S selected.

Step 29 : Choose All files in one partition (recommended for new users) and click Continue.

Step 30 : Select Finish partitioning and write changes to disk and click Continue.

Step 31 : For the box saying Write changes to disk select Yes and click Continue. (Wait for sometime for the OS to be installed)

Step 32 : Select Yes for the box saying Use a network mirror ? and hit Continue.

Step 33 : Leave the HTTP proxy information (blank for none) as blank and click Continue. (Wait for sometime for it to configure everything)

Step 34 : Choose Yes for the box saying Install the GRUB boot loader to the master boot record? and click Continue. (I know this is taking very long but don't worry, it's rewarding)

Step 35 : Select /dev/sda and click Continue. (wait for the completion process)

Step 36 : Click Continue again for the box saying Installation complete. (wait for sometime)

Step 37 : Select *Kali GNU/Linux using the up & down arrow keys and hit Enter.

Step 38 : For username: type root and click Next.    

Step 39 : Type your password and click Sign In.

If everything went as expected you must be inside your Kali machine as shown below. (it's beautiful isn't it ?)

I know it was a little long but very simple. The key to hacking is persistence.

So, this was my first article on this blog. Please leave your feedbacks and let me know if you guys like it.

Happy Hacking