Selection and installation of virtual machine software, system selection, installation precautions - Oracle VM VirtualBox installation tutorial, Kali Linux installation settings.

Preface

It took me two days of experimentation and trial and error to complete the installation of virtual machines and operating systems, which are the simplest visual operations. Although I am not a professional, I have practiced and figured it out myself. It should be relatively problem-free to follow my steps. If there are any omissions or errors in the explanations, please feel free to correct me.

First, let me introduce my computer specifications: Windows 10 Home Edition 1903.

Selection of Virtual Machine Software

I tried two popular virtual machine systems: VMware Workstation Pro and Oracle VM VirtualBox. Here is a summary:

VMware Workstation Official Website Link (direct link)
1. The software is paid, and I recommend supporting the genuine version.
2. The cracked versions circulating online do not provide a good experience. They are outdated and have constant issues after installation. They often crash directly after restarting. Some systems do not even display the installation interface and go black screen. I do not recommend installing them. There may also be security risks.
3. If the virtual machine freezes or shuts down abnormally, the software will freeze and cannot delete its process, requiring a restart. After uninstallation, there are numerous drivers, services, and miscellaneous things left behind. It's really frustrating.
4. Most cracked versions are not compatible with Windows 10 version 1903, unless you uninstall some updates.
Oracle VM VirtualBox Official Website Link (direct link)
1. The software is small and free, with built-in Chinese language support.
2. It has good compatibility and supports the installation of many systems. So far, I haven't encountered any system issues caused by the software.
3. The interface is more intuitive and consumes less memory.
4. The resolution adjustment for Windows 10 is not perfect, but there are no issues in actual use.

Considering the overall comparison between the two software, I choose Oracle VM VirtualBox. The visual installation process will not be elaborated further.

Selection of Virtual Machine Operating System

I did not choose Windows as the operating system because it is really troublesome to install and test software on it. Moreover, some tools no longer have good versions available, and the configuration process is full of errors due to its age, such as the installation of sqlmap. Many folk software from legendary figures are difficult to find in their original versions and most of them contain viruses, so it's not worth wasting time on them.

If you want to learn the basics of network security, I recommend directly using Kali Linux Official Website Download Page.
kali_download
Pay attention to the version selection when downloading: the blue line corresponds to the virtual machine system.
I downloaded it from the official website, but the speed was relatively slow and it took a few hours. I couldn't find any other suitable download methods, so feel free to suggest alternatives in the comments.

After downloading the compressed file, extract it and you will find another compressed file inside. Double-click the OVF file to enter the configuration interface, import the virtual machine, and adjust the virtual machine configuration as needed. Click to start the Kali Linux virtual machine.

Initial Configuration of Kali Linux

Login
The default administrator account is root, and the password is toor. You can change it, but it's troublesome. I haven't tested it myself.
Setting Chinese Language

Method 1:
Simply change the language to Chinese in the settings and restart. However, some versions may display garbled characters. In that case, please revert the changes and try Method 2.

Method 2:
Enter the following command in the terminal:

dpkg-reconfigure locales

Use the up and down arrows to navigate and the spacebar to select.
Choose character encoding: en_US.UTF-8, zh_CN.GBK, zh_CN.UTF-8
After selecting, press Tab, Enter, and then select the character: zh_CN.UTF-8
Restart the system.

Updating Software Sources
To download and update software faster
Enter the following command in the terminal:

leafpad /etc/apt/sources.list

A file will pop up. You can make a backup first to prevent errors. Then clear the content and paste the following:

# 

#deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 2019.3 _Kali-rolling_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20190827-10:52]/ kali-last-snapshot contrib main non-free

#deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 2019.3 _Kali-rolling_ - Official Snapshot amd64 LIVE/INSTALL Binary 20190827-10:52]/ kali-last-snapshot contrib main non-free

deb http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main non-free contrib
# deb-src http://http.kali.org/kali kali-rolling main non-free contrib

# This system was installed using small removable media
# (e.g. netinst, live or single CD). The matching "deb cdrom"
# entries were disabled at the end of the installation process.
# For information about how to configure apt package sources,
# see the sources.list(5) manual.

Save the file.
Then enter the following command in the terminal:

apt-get update

Wait for a while and type "y" to confirm the update (many installations, including application usage, require interactive input commands, which will not be further elaborated). Then enter the following command in the terminal:

apt-get dist-upgrade

Install software sources, and type "y" to confirm.
Done.

Installing Chinese Input Method
I installed the classic "ibus input method".
Enter the following command in the terminal:

apt-get install ibus ibus-pinyin

Then configure the input method:

im-config

Select "ok" for the prompt.
input_config
Enter the following command in the terminal:

ibus-setup

input_config_2
After adding the input method, go to the settings list.
kali_language
kali_language_2
Delete the English input method above.
Then set it up in the settings as needed.
kali_language3

Updating Kali Linux
I suggest not updating it casually. Linux system updates are not very stable. I updated it once and the system crashed, so I had to reinstall it. Therefore, it's better not to update the Kali system without a good reason. Updating software and other things should be fine.

This is the result of my two-day effort. If there is anything that is not explained clearly, please feel free to leave a comment or message me. I am happy to help and answer your questions. As a network novice, all I can do is share what I know and the pitfalls I have encountered, so that everyone can take a shorter path. This is my first tutorial, and I hope you all like it.