Step 1: Create the "Home" for Kali
Open your W: drive in File Explorer and create this folder structure manually:
W:\VMs\
W:\VMs\Kali-Linux\
Step 2: Download & Extract (The Big Move)
- Download: Go to kali.org/get-kali/#kali-virtual-machines and download the VirtualBox 64-bit file (it will be a
.7z file).
- Move: Move that downloaded file from your "Downloads" folder into
W:\VMs\Kali-Linux\.
- Extract: Right-click the
.7z file and select Extract Here (use 7-Zip or WinRAR).
- You should now see two main files in that folder:
Kali-Linux-xxxx.vbox (The configuration file)
Kali-Linux-xxxx.vdi (The actual disk file where all your data lives)
Here is the finalized, combined checklist to make sure nothing is missed:
1. The "Engine" (VirtualBox)
- Download: VirtualBox for Windows.
- Install: Run this
.exe and install it normally to your C: drive. It’s just a small program (the dashboard) that manages your VMs.
- Configure: Once installed, open it and go to File > Preferences > General and change the Default Machine Folder to
W:\VMs. This ensures the "brains" (the heavy data) always go to your W drive.
2. The "Car" (Kali Linux Image)
- Download: Kali VirtualBox 64-bit (the
.7z file).
- Move & Extract: Move this 3GB file to
W:\VMs\Kali-Linux\ and extract it there.
- The Result: Inside that folder on W:, you will now see the
.vbox and .vdi files I mentioned.