PAE-kernel? I have a dilemma.

[Shatter]

I have this old Compaq NX 6110 laptop that I've been using for the past many years for BackTrack. I've upgraded the RAM to 1 gig and it worked quite nicely and responsive after disabling most of the KDE desktop effects. Recently I saw the Kali release announcement and decided to give it a go. I have not yet performed the installation, but the installer seemed to work fine while testing it. So I decided to try the live image instead and was greeted by this message:

This kernel requires the following features not present on the CPU:
pae
Unable to boot - please use a kernel appropriate for your CPU.

So now I have a dilemma, what do I do?

Can I still somehow run Kali on this old piece of junk? I.e. is there a supported non-pae kernel available in the repos?
Or do I simply go and purchase a newer laptop?

~Shat

[muts]

You could probably use live-build to create a kali iso with a "normal" 486 kernel.

root@kali:~# apt-cache search linux-image-3.7
...
linux-image-3.7-trunk-486 - Linux 3.7 for older PCs
linux-image-3.7-trunk-686-pae - Linux 3.7 for modern PCs

I haven't tried this yet, but see no reason it shouldn't work.

[samiux]

You can download at here.

Samiux

[Shatter]

Thanks for the article. I'll perform the conversion when I have some free time...

By the way, is there a way to install Kali to an encrypted HDD with LVM by using the existing installer with manual configuration? I can't seem to convince it to accept my setup. I'm trying to put the /boot partition on an usb flash key while having the rest of the system installed on a LVM within a fully encrypted HDD. The installer refuses to encrypt /dev/sda, instead it wants to create a partition table and encrypt a partition i.e. /dev/sda1.

[gmm]

Thanks for the article. I'll perform the conversion when I have some free time...

By the way, is there a way to install Kali to an encrypted HDD with LVM by using the existing installer with manual configuration? I can't seem to convince it to accept my setup. I'm trying to put the /boot partition on an usb flash key while having the rest of the system installed on a LVM within a fully encrypted HDD. The installer refuses to encrypt /dev/sda, instead it wants to create a partition table and encrypt a partition i.e. /dev/sda1.

I am having a very similar issue. I only have a ThinkPad X31 with a Pentium M Processor(400MHz FSB), so I can't install Kali Linux on my machine. Unfortunately, samiux was banned and his solution was deleted before I could take a look at it. Can you let me know what the solution was, Shatter? I really want to have this up and running, but I can't even use the disc in Forensic Mode without a compatible processor. I want to give Kali a whirl, so I look forward to seeing the conversion solution. Thanks in advance!

[mcmurphy]

That is not very good, the same problem here with Pentium M. Any workarounds please?

[Shatter]

I bought a newer laptop.

[mcmurphy]

Hehe not an option here, X31 is still quite a usable machine

[thorin]

That is not very good, the same problem here with Pentium M. Any workarounds please?

Already provided, read above.

[mcmurphy]

I don't know how I have managed to miss it. Thanks.

[LinuxLovr]

Hi, this is my first post. If you go to "settings" in virtual box menu, go to "system", then click on "processor" tab, you'll see a box that says "Enable PAE/NX"; check this box and it will fix the pae booting error. Hope this helps!

[RChadwick]

Is there a pre-compiled ISO available? I have an older UMPC I want to use, and buying a new laptop is not the solution I'm looking for. Or would I be better off using Backtrack, which works fine?

[TRS-80]

Is there a pre-compiled ISO available? I have an older UMPC I want to use, and buying a new laptop is not the solution I'm looking for. Or would I be better off using Backtrack, which works fine?

I am in the same boat as the others. I have an older R51 ThinkPad that is a perfectly capable machine for my uses. I tried to use a Backtrack CD I have had for a while, but since it is not maintained anymore I could not apt-get update nor install reaver. Which led me to Kali. I DLed a huge ISO via torrent, copied it over to USB stick only to find out it won't boot on my machine. And I don't want to take hours to recompile from source as given in the instructions above (although appreciated) if I can possibly avoid it. Any other options?

[S3th]

You could probably use live-build to create a kali iso with a "normal" 486 kernel.

root@kali:~# apt-cache search linux-image-3.7
...
linux-image-3.7-trunk-486 - Linux 3.7 for older PCs
linux-image-3.7-trunk-686-pae - Linux 3.7 for modern PCs

I haven't tried this yet, but see no reason it shouldn't work.

If I run a Live Kali on a non-PAE CPU, what you wil think it wil happening? I think it will not run. Any other ideas?

[S3th]

You could probably use live-build to create a kali iso with a "normal" 486 kernel.

root@kali:~# apt-cache search linux-image-3.7
...
linux-image-3.7-trunk-486 - Linux 3.7 for older PCs
linux-image-3.7-trunk-686-pae - Linux 3.7 for modern PCs

I haven't tried this yet, but see no reason it shouldn't work.

It seems logic to not run/work Kali Live on non-PAE CPU unless if find a non-PAE kernel build. So any other solutions?

[Leoncito81]

It seems logic to not run/work Kali Live on non-PAE CPU unless if find a non-PAE kernel build. So any other solutions?

Download Kali 2.0, boot from DVD. When main boot screen opens, select install option, but instead of hitting "enter", hit "tab". This will give you a command line with boot instructions. At the end, add "forcepae -- forcepae". Then hit "enter". This should install the kernel.