Installing BackTrack 4 Pre Final in VMWARE

[Goldhedge]

I am NOT the author of these instructions but they may be of use to someone who is looking to build a vm from the iso image (using a customized iso should work as well). These instructions are not necessary if you are working directly with the pre-built Vmware image of Backtrack 4 which is readily available.

P.S. Vmware tools will need to be installed after the vm has been built.

Here is the web link:

Installing BackTrack 4 Pre Final in VMWARE | Tech 21 Century

I will explain below the steps I took to install BackTrack4 on VMWare Workstation running on Windows XP Pro. I have used VMWare Workstation 6.5.3 (it should work with older versions) and BackTrack4 pre-final.

First download the BackTrack 4 pre-final file (bt4-pre-final.iso) from its original location from Remote-Exploit.org - Supplying offensive security products to the world. The file comes in dvd ISO format. Save the iso file locally on your hard disk.

* Start the VMWare Workstation and go to File>New>Virtual Machine
* Select Typical Install
* Select option to use Installer Disc image file (iso)
* Click the Browse button to find the ISO image that you downloaded above.
* Click Next, select Linux and for version select Ubuntu.
* Click Next and select the location where the Virtual Machine will be installed.
* Leave the defaults (maximum disk size 8GB and Store Virtual disk as a single file).
* Click Next and Finish.
* Go to “Edit virtual machine settings” and change the network adapter to “Bridged”.
* Power on the virtual machine.
* This will boot up the Live CD from the ISO image and give you several boot options. Select the first option (BackTrack Framebuffer 1024×768).
* After it boots, it will get you into command line prompt as root@bt:#
* Type startx
* This will take you into the graphical interface of BackTrack. However you are still under Live CD. Any changes you make will be lost with next reboot. Therefore you need to install it on the VMWare virtual disk.
* Double click the “install.sh” script that you see on the desktop. This will start the installation procedure. Follow all steps. This will finally install BackTrack on the VMWare disk.
* Press “Restart” button to reboot. After rebooting, it will now boot from the VMware disk and not from the Live CD. At the login prompt, enter the username and password that you configured during the graphical installation above.
* You need to configure a root password here. Type “sudo passwd root”. It will ask you for your own user password to execute the command above. Then it will ask you to enter new password for root (twice). After that, the password for root will be changed.
* Login as root and get into graphical interface with startx.
* You are ready to Rock Baby!!!

I advice you to visit the offensive security blog (Leaders in Online Information Security Training) to read some very useful posts about BackTrack4. Especially useful is the post about upgrading the Kernel which is required because of a security hole in the default Kernel of bt4.

[rayj00]

How do I install VMware tools? I cannot find the file!!

I am running VMware WS7 RC on a Win 7 64 bit box with a single VM of BT4.

Thanks.
Ray

[Archangel-Amael]

How do I install VMware tools? I cannot find the file!!
I am running VMware WS7 RC on a Win 7 64 bit box with a single VM of BT4.
Thanks.
Ray

Look in the help section of your vmware product because it will tell you exactly how to do it.

[rayj00]

Look in the help section of your vmware product because it will tell you exactly how to do it.

Well, after following the help guide, I cannot find the VMwareTools .tar.gz file.

Ray

[Archangel-Amael]

Well, after following the help guide, I cannot find the VMwareTools .tar.gz file.

Ray

Where did it tell you it would be at ?
Where did you look for it at ?

[rayj00]

Where did it tell you it would be at ?
Where did you look for it at ?

in the tmp directory of the mounted CD. There is no tmp directory!

So, when I click the VM->Install VMware Tools, the only thing that
happens is at the bottom of the VMware window. It says to mount the virtual CD drive in the guest (how?), launch a terminal, and use tar to uncompress the installer. Then execute vmware-install.pl to install VMware Tools.

I thought you would need a terminal to mount a drive? Makes no sense to me.

[Archangel-Amael]

It says to mount the virtual CD drive in the guest (how?), launch a terminal, and use tar to uncompress the installer. Then execute vmware-install.pl to install VMware Tools.

So mount the drive and then cd into the drive and copy the files to /tmp and untar and execute the script.

[Barry]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, it vmware is kicking your ass, BackTrack is waaaaay over your head.

[rayj00]

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say, it vmware is kicking your ass, BackTrack is waaaaay over your head.

Actually no. Have been using VMware for about 3 years now. VMware 6 was much easier and intuitive. It was a lot different than v7....

I do have a working config now (ie. a BT4 guest VM).

An issue now is Wireshark has no Capture Interfaces.

Ray

[imported_vvpalin]

An issue now is Wireshark has no Capture Interfaces.

Looks like its broken .. try reinstalling it a few times