Hey everyone! I'm new here, and very new to Linux, I started like 3 days ago.

I'm currently studying to get my Security+ so I can eventually become OSCP certified; I figured if I'm going to do something, might as well jump right in. I'm new to Linux, but not programming, Windows, even computer security/hacking; which is why my interest is in Kali (it's harder to learn, more terminal based than Ubuntu); eventually I'll switch back over to Ubuntu for programming... But anyway; that's just to save me a few posts of people asking why I'm using Kali.

I just bought this MSI GT72 Dominator Pro-211 (Super excited, it's my first high-end laptop, I travel too much for a PC sadly).

So after running benchmarks and playing with it on Windows 8.1, I play around with VMWare, Kali, and a Packet Injection environment I made.. Then I realize I want to tap into my GPU to crack pcaps with pyrit/hashcat, and this is where it gets crazy.

The Background

I installed Kali Linux onto a USB 3.0 Flash Drive, had trouble with the UEFI for a day or two, ended up destroying Windows EFI bootloader, so I had to create a recovery disk from another computer; ended up breaking it like 6 more times lol. I eventually just booted Kali with Legacy settings, until I came across an article on Kali Forums that allowed be to successfully boot Kali in UEFI. I had already tried disabling Fast Boot, Secure Boot, and manually partitioned the drive to include an EFI Partition, ext4, and a 4GB swap (I have 16GB RAM) before. The problem was I didn't have an /EFI/Boot folder. I am currently using rEFInd as my Boot Loader as well. It's working great... When I boot up using the Integrated Intel Graphics.

The Big Problem:

I have a couple choices with rEFInd. I can boot into Grub bootloader (which doesn't work at all), boot into Windows, or boot straight into my Kali 1.0.9 Partition from rEFInd (which is the only way I can get it to work).

If I go through "GNU GRUB v1.99-27+deb7u2" bootloader with either Intel Graphics or nVidia, I boot, it runs through the grub commands and then hits a black screen. No flashing cursor. Can't Ctrl+Alt+F1. There's nothing. This happens using either Integrated Graphics or nvidia.
I've tried a motley of different commands to include:
nosetmode, nouveau.setmode=0, nouveau.accel=1, grub_gfxmode=1280x1024x24 (vesa and vga as well).

I am not completely sure how to blacklist nouveau though.

Booting through Grub is just... It doesn't work with anything I've tried. Now, when I boot through rEFInd and go straight to Kali; I can actually get on the OS with my Integrated Graphics Card.

When I try to do it with my 980M, /dev/ does its thing like always, and then it always stops... Right at this line:
At first, I thought it was just loading; until I waited like 20 minutes and looked it up online and found a few others had similar problems. When I boot using this method, there is no Grub menu; so I can't screw around with nosetmode and such this way.

When I get on with my Integrated Graphics, I can't install any nvidia drivers because it doesn't detect a card. My laptop has a manual switch that can switch on and off my 980M. My computer does not have optimus, MSI opted out of Optimus, so Bumblebee really didn't help me; it's a complete manual shutdown of one or the other.

I might have just done something wrong trying to install nvidia drivers; but I am not so sure that I did. I've tried doing a manual .run file from nvidia's drivers site; and I've tried repositories and guides (Like this one and this one).. No luck.

Any help would be HIGHLY appreciated!

then STOP!!! RIGHT HERE -- DO NOT USE KALI !!!!!!

The developers of Kali really DO!!! EXPECT !!! the user of Kali to
1) have about a 6 year degree in computer science
or
2) the equivalent in REAL WORLD hands on TRAINING

second to "use Kali" you really DO need to take the classes offered by "offensive security"
and to pass the testing in test
you really do need at least a bachelor's degree in CS with a minor in Network Security


I would use a Operating System that was NOT!!! designed for EXPERTS to use


have a look at say
Linux Mint ( in the Debian / ubuntu camp )
or
OpenSUSE 13.2 (in the Redhat/ RPM camp )


both are good for a NEW to linux person

Why not just install debian & boot in EFI mode & install the security tools available in kali?

1 members found this post helpful.

Why bother? You guys are just going to tell me what I should and shouldn't do. I figured it all out. Thanks for nothing.

Well could you atleast post your solution & mark thread as soled.

1 members found this post helpful.

Kali is a operating system designed BY EXPERTS !!! for use BY EXPERTS


think of is a a F1 racing car
if you have NEVER even driven a street car then HOW do you expect to drive a RACE CAR !!!!

or

think of Kali as a f18a hornet
and you are trying to land it on an aircraft carrier
BUT
you have NEVER even flown a small two seeter sesna

so how do you expect to land a fighter jet on the carrier ?

have fun

PS
the developers of Kali
have the networking DISABLED !!! BY DEFAULT!!!!
you will have to figure out how to turn back on the wireless software
or
plug in a eth cable and do not use the wireless

have fun !!!!

Thanks John. I actually already figured that out too. My chipset doesn't work with Aircrack-ng, so I acquired a wireless card for it ahead of time. Sure, there's plenty of other wireless tools, but I like aircrack because of how customizable it is. I just wanted to get my GPU working so I could use Hashcat and Pyrit.

I don't understand why you guys are being assholes to me lol.

I am taking a Security+ exam next week, and I'm going to pass it. I may have not driven an F1 car, but I've done plenty of driving.. Lots of debugging and reverse engineering with ASM, C++, and C#, sorry I haven't played with Linux before. Jesus. It's just an OS. It's not that different from any other Debian distro except that it has all the debugging, reverse engineering, hacking, and cracking tools built in.

I found out how to make it work with EFI even before this post, if you read it, you would have seen that. There is also literally so much information on the Internet you almost do not have to be an expert at anything, because an expert has already touched up on it.

I'm not an expert, but I'm not new to this stuff, just new to Linux. It's not a big deal.

Suck it. Bye.

@Eddy thanks for actually suggesting things, wasn't what I was really asking, but thanks for trying. I don't want to post my solution, I don't care about marking it resolved either. I'm not coming back to these forums; but in all seriousness, you were the only one who tried helping.

I found this post after constant amounts of searching.

This person appeared to have a close hardware comparison that I do with the 900 series and the same issue while wanting to achieve the same result of using the GPU

I only wish I could have read the resolution / fix

The resolution is actually still unresolved seeing as the card was too new and the drivers wouldn't work, I haven't tried in a few months. I'll try again eventually, but I was just using Hashcat on Windows for the time being, the only way I could boot Kali was using my integrated graphics card, not my dedicated 980.

I also found a way to use Pyrit on Windows if you're interested in that, I'll try more on this matter later, but I've just been using Kali on a virtual PC for networking and security with a Wifi Adapter (had trouble getting my Atheros Killer AC working with packet injection software like aircrack), and transferring pcaps and other logs to my windows using a network drive that I run using a Virtual Ubuntu server.

Nobody here wanted to help me because I'm new to Linux lol... I wanted to do security, so I jumped in head first and I've learned A LOT much faster than I would any other way. However, like I said, we can conquer this together. Should be good drivers out by now, just have been content so I haven't checked in a while.

Also, the most logical decision would be to use these programs on a different Linux distro until Kali and the 900 series cards start playing nicely

Just to get it out there. My system specs are
Aorus X7 Pro
2x Nvidia 970m GTX
32GB Memory

Regard windows. I have achieved oclhashcat (AMD) with zero issues.

I am a bit stuck though.
With Kali 1.1 no matter what direction I take I appear to be riddled with "blank screen and cursor" and only removing the xorg.conf

With Ubuntu 14.04 I can get aircrack-Ng, crunch, macchanger, etc. Working well
Except for the send deauth to capture the handshake.
Stuck on channel -1
To my understanding it requires patched wifi drivers...
Thats
where I hit a wall and get lost.

Wifi channel -1 is an easy fix. Just add --ig at the end of the statement. It's short syntax for ignore channel negative one.

If that doesn't work, could be patched wifi drivers, or could also be your chipset doesn't allow it, which I honestly don't believe to be the case.

I can help more with the black screen when I get home, I believe you just push a function key and get to the root screen and you can access it.. It's been a minute since I've had problems, but when I get home I will definitely help you. I'm at work at the moment.

Should have mentioned that. The ignore function has not worked for me (using external USB wifi) which has worked in Kali

It's CTRL ALT F1
Then login root

That's easy to get to. From there you can remove the xorg.conf, reboot and it will load the kali gui except no nvidia drivers will be used.