June 25, 2026
The Mission
Install BlackArch Linux — a powerful penetration testing distribution — in a VMware virtual machine.
The Reality
What should have been a simple ISO boot turned into a multi-hour battle involving:
- BIOS boot order nightmares
- A corrupted disk with 200+ LUKS encrypted partitions
- PXE boot loops
- Failed GRUB installations
- Network/DNS issues
- A misspelled username
The Timeline
🔁 Phase 1: Boot Loop Hell
Every time the VM started, it skipped the hard disk and jumped straight to PXE network boot. Even after changing the BIOS boot order, the system refused to cooperate.
🧹 Phase 2: The Corrupted Disk
After finally booting from the live ISO, lsblk -f revealed a nightmare:
- A 100 GB virtual disk
sda1= ext4 (boot)sda2= swapsda3throughsda200+= crypto_LUKS partitions
Yes — over 200 encrypted partitions. The installer had glitched during a previous encryption attempt.
💣 Phase 3: Wipe & Reinstall
We wiped the disk clean with:
bash
wipefs -a /dev/sda
Then reinstalled without encryption and selected the DOS (MBR) partition table — the correct choice for BIOS-based VMware VMs.
🚀 Phase 4: The Boot Finally Worked
After:
- Disconnecting the ISO
- Setting the correct boot order in BIOS
- Installing GRUB properly
BlackArch booted from the hard disk for the first time.
👤 Phase 5: User & Sudo Setup
Created user ny2honolulu and added to sudoers:
bash
useradd -m -G wheel -s /bin/bash ny2honolulu echo 'ny2honolulu ALL=(ALL) ALL' >> /etc/sudoers
🌐 Phase 6: Network Fix (in progress)
DNS resolution failed during updates. Fixed with:
bash
echo "nameserver 8.8.8.8" > /etc/resolv.conf
Lessons Learned
| Lesson | Takeaway |
|---|---|
| BIOS ≠ UEFI | VMware VMs often use BIOS. Use DOS/MBR partition table, not GPT. |
| Encryption adds complexity | In a lab VM, skip LUKS unless you really need it. |
| Boot order matters | Disconnect the ISO after installation. |
| GRUB must go to /dev/sda | Not a partition — the whole disk. |
| Check your spelling | ny2honolulu ≠ ny2honoluu 😅 |
Final Setup
- OS: BlackArch Linux (no encryption)
- Firmware: BIOS (Legacy)
- Partition Table: DOS (MBR)
- User:
ny2honolulu(sudo enabled) - Disk: 100 GB SCSI
What’s Next
- Fix DNS permanently
- Run
sudo pacman -Syu - Install
neofetch,htop, and BlackArch tools - Start exploring the 2800+ security tools
Final Thought
“The obstacle is the path.”
— Zen saying (probably)
This install tested patience, persistence, and problem-solving — but in the end, BlackArch is now running smoothly.