SUMMARY
Blind user attempting to install kali from iso downloaded from kali.org, kali-linux-2022.3-installer-amd64.iso, on virtualbox 6.1.34, host is Windows 10.
Main request is for workaround to get gnome/orca running as soon as possible via command-line install/configuration.
I am new to this, so pardon my ignorance. I need a lot of advice with lots of details, because I am not familiar with this process and with linux in general.
When I reference output during the installation process, it is from speakup screen reader speech during installation, or from Windows 10 OCR output needed due to the screen reader not working at various stages, details below.
Main problem:
Options selected at Component Selection screen during installation does not then install any components, only minimal installation occurs.
Other problems:
1. Installation crashes (freezes) at seemingly random points during installation process, from first to last screens, speech stops, keyboard input is not accepted, must be aborted and restarted. Eventually the minimal installation succeeds, but the freezing sometimes occurs multiple times in a row with successive installation attempts.
2. Twice gnome installed and loaded successfully, but then user account created during installation does not allow login.
**3. Manual attempts to install gnome/orca fail, this one is due to my total ignorance, I'm sure. Could really use help with this one since it appears I will not be able to get gnome set up during the installation.
DETAILS
Basic vm settings, including Processor/PAE enabled, followed instructions to disable 3d acceleration, enabled multiple network cards, multiple serial ports, otherwise basic setup, see attached.
Note: I am fairly new to all this, so I don't know how to get virtualbox serial output to raw file which I would be glad to share if requested if someone can tell me how to get boot/other output to go to the raw file.
Booted to iso, pressed 's', Enter, to start speech installation.
If the installation does not freeze as described above and I make it to the Select Components screen, where it might also freeze, the default options are: 1 2 5 6 7.
I want to install gnome for its accessibility, so I have tried typing many variations of the available options, including the following:
13567 (no spaces)
1 3 5 6 7 (with spaces)
3 (no other options)
(blank) (defaults selected, which should install xfce)
Installation proceeds, but after completion and reboot, I am taken to the "This is a minimal installation" welcome message screen with user prompt at the command line. The resulting .vdi hd file is only 3.7gb, so I don't think gnome is hiding somewhere just waiting to be started, but I would be glad to be wrong about this, so that I could just run a command like 'gnome" to get it started with orca talking.
There is no speech, so I blindly type sudo systemctl enable ssh to get ssh started, so that I can then open a command line via Windows, where my screen reader is working.
**Since I am able to get to a command prompt, it is here I could use some detailed advice about how to install gnome manually. Here is what I have tried and failed with:
Installed espeak, espeak-ng, speech-dispatcher, all of these work and can be used directly inside virtualbox, and speakup can also be enabled from its init.d file, so audio works.
I then attempted to run task-gnome-desktop, and it seems to install gnome, but then orca does not start with win+alt+s at the login screen, so I am dead in the water, although I am told a command prompt can be started from the gnome login screen, but I have not been able to get that working, and even if I did, it would only be partially readable using constant Windows OCR'ing, which would be lame and probably not helpful. And I would not know what to do at that point. I have never been inside gnome with orca running, as I said I am new to this.
Interesting note: All the above was done using 2022.3 (and also tried the w33 weekly build, but same problems as with 2022.3). However, I also tried 2022.2, and twice it allowed installation of gnome from the installation options screen, but after getting to the gnome login screen, where orca politely and helpfully starts, the user account does not allow login. This seems to be a known issue from way back several years, but again I am not able to employ workarounds at the login screen because I do not know how to open the command prompt from here, dead in the water again.
After more full installation attempts using 2022.3 and getting the usual "minimal installation", I tried installing task-gnome-desktop brltty orca together using apt, but then before rebooting and losing access once again, I set AutomaticLoginEnable=true and similar setting for user to root in file /etc/gdm3/daemon.conf, and this results in booting to a lot of text output of various messages about login and network services starting, then ends with the text "Gnome Desktop Manager". But that's it, no gnome, no login screen, and not even a command prompt (as far as I can tell, no keyboard response at all).
Three weeks later, still no gnome. Please help. If anyone at kali knows Samuel at the Debian Accessibility team, I'm sure he could help with this, but I am starting here.
