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ADHD_VM_How_To_Guide_and_Common_Errors_and_How_to_Fix_them_MERGED_v7

This document provides a comprehensive guide for setting up and troubleshooting the ADHD virtual machine (VM) used in Antisyphon courses. It includes installation instructions, steps to prevent issues caused by Windows updates, and troubleshooting tips for Hyper-V and virtualization errors. The document emphasizes the importance of using VMware over VirtualBox and offers scripted and manual solutions for common problems.

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jobvera96
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
5 views

ADHD_VM_How_To_Guide_and_Common_Errors_and_How_to_Fix_them_MERGED_v7

This document provides a comprehensive guide for setting up and troubleshooting the ADHD virtual machine (VM) used in Antisyphon courses. It includes installation instructions, steps to prevent issues caused by Windows updates, and troubleshooting tips for Hyper-V and virtualization errors. The document emphasizes the importance of using VMware over VirtualBox and offers scripted and manual solutions for common problems.

Uploaded by

jobvera96
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 31

Getting Started with the ADHD VM

Document Control
Version Author Change Date
1
2
3
4
Fixed Common Errors &
ChildOfAlliance
Scripts
HaircutFish
5 03/11/2024
Document Formatting,
Lavender
Proof Reading
Added step before running
6 ChildOfAlliance 03/11/2024
script
7 ChildOfAlliance Fixed script typo 4/11/2024

2
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Contents
DOCUMENT CONTROL ............................................................................................. 2
CONTENTS .............................................................................................................. 3
PURPOSE ................................................................................................................ 4
BASIC SETUP AND INSTALL INSTRUCTIONS .......................................................... 4
INSTALL THE VM ........................................................................................................ 5
NEXT STEPS.............................................................................................................. 6
PREVENT BROKEN TERMINAL BY DISABLING VM WINDOWS UPDATE ..................... 7
BACKGROUND ............................................................................................................ 7
SCRIPTED DISABLING .................................................................................................. 7
HYPER-V / VIRTUALIZATION ERRORS TROUBLESHOOTING & FIXES ..................... 9
INTRODUCTION .......................................................................................................... 9
SYMPTOMS THIS GUIDE ADDRESSES ................................................................................. 9
REMEDIATION .......................................................................................................... 10
PASSWORD CRACKING LAB ERRORS OUT WITH “CL_DEVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE”
ERROR .................................................................................................................. 24
BACKGROUND / SYMPTOMS .......................................................................................... 24
REMEDIATION .......................................................................................................... 25
CREDITS ............................................................................................................... 31

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Purpose
The purpose of this document is to guide you through the setup and common
trouble shooting errors that happen with the ADHD virtual machine (VM) used
in the Antisyphon Pay What You Can courses. As not every host machine has
identical settings and hardware, please note that you may have slightly
different experience than what is documented here. We attempted to compile
the steps that work for most users.

Basic Setup and Install Instructions


Download the VM and required tools
1. Ensure you’ve got a compatible VM platform
a. You can use VMware Workstation Player (free), or you can download
and use the VMware Workstation Pro evaluation (the eval for
Workstation Pro is free to use for a limited time).
b. If you are using a Mac, you can use VMware Fusion:
i. https://www.vmware.com/products/fusion.html
ii. Sadly, if you are Mac user with an M processor the VM may not
be compatible with your setup. If this applies to you, ask the
class instructor or a tech support channel member about a
cloud resource for the class.
c. The VM is very large so best to download it before class if possible
d. Do not install updates to the VM unless specifically directed to do so
updates tend to break labs.

ALTERNATIVE: VIRTUALBOX

1. You can use VirtualBox, but it fails about 25% of the time on either
networking or USB support. USB Support is necessary for the
classes and labs. If you hate yourself, use VirtualBox. Otherwise,
use VMware.
2. We only officially support VMWare for class troubleshooting.

e. Remember to get permission from your IT department if you are


installing, running this software, or making any changes to your
company’s machine.
2. Make sure you have a way to extract 7-zip files.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
a. Recommendation: Extract with the full 7-Zip application; do not
extract the VM zip file with the native Windows extract process – it
can fail / cause issues.
b. 7-ZiP: https://www.7-zip.org/download.html
c. 7-Zip support for Linux: https://itsfoss.com/use-7zip-ubuntu-
linux/
d. 7-Zip utility for Mac: https://www.keka.io/en/

Install the VM
1. Use 7-zip to extract the VM files to some folder of your choosing on your
local file system.
2. Select “Open a Virtual Machine” in VMware.

3. When asked, select “I Copied It.”

4. If you are using VMware Workstation Pro please use the “Take a
snapshot of this virtual machine” icon in the toolbar to take a snapshot
of the original working image. You may need this “clean” snapshot later

in case of troubleshooting VM errors.


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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
5. Note where your original download is located in case you need to
re-extract to setup the VM fresh as part of later troubleshooting.

Next Steps
1. Proceed to “Prevent Broken Terminal by disabling VM Windows Update”
2. If you’ve received any errors related to Hyper-V or virtualization,
see the Troubleshooting guide for Hyper-V and virtualization issues.
3. If you have any other questions or issues not covered here, ask in
the Tech Support channel in discord (you should have been
automatically added to it as part of your class registration).
a. We can help you better when you share screenshots of your
problem and share what steps you have taken up to that point!

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Prevent Broken Terminal by disabling VM
Windows Update
Background
Windows’ auto-update feature can wreak havoc on the class VM by updating
packages to newer versions that may not be compatible with the labs.
Obviously in a “Real world” environment, you’d want to keep things updated
through a proper change and vulnerability management program, but for a
disposable lab VM, the effort is not worth it.
Given that, you’ll want to disable windows update on the VM.

Scripted Disabling
1. Log into the ADHD VM using adhd:adhd
2. Open a PowerShell window as admin by searching for PowerShell in the
Windows Start menu, then selecting Run as Administrator.

a. Select Yes that you will allow this program to make changes to
your device when prompted to continue.

3. Run the below command to pull down the update-disabling script.

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/deterministicj/AntiS
yphonTraining-VM-Fix-Menu/refs/heads/main/ADHD-Fix-
Menu.ps1 -OutFile C:\ADHD-Fix-Menu.ps1

4. In the same PowerShell window, type the line below and press enter:
C:\ADHD-Fix-Menu.ps1

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
5. A simple menu should pop up and ask whether you’d like to disable
updates (Option 1) or Fix the HashCat lab (Option 2).

a. For now, Select Option 1, and if prompted, “Q” to quit afterward.

6. That's all! Now your VM should automatically check Windows Update


and Windows Store Updates to make sure they are off on each log in.

8
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Hyper-V / Virtualization Errors
Troubleshooting & Fixes
Introduction
Virtualization Problems may occur depending on the host Hardware and
Software settings and how they interact with the ADHD VM. The following
directions are to be followed if you are experiencing Hyper-V or virtualization
errors on your ADHD VM.

Symptoms This Guide Addresses


• A message when trying to open the VM stating “Virtualized Intel VT-
x/EPT is not supported on this platform.”

• Once the VM is running there is an error in Ubuntu in the Windows


Terminal stating, “Please enable the Virtual Machine Platform Windows
feature and ensure virtualization is enabled in BIOS.”

• Other messages related to Virtualized Intel VT, Hyper-V, Virtualization,


etc. may also be resolved by the below.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Remediation
A Quick Overview
Addressing Virtualization errors has a couple of components
1. Adjust VMWare Settings
2. Adjust OS settings (and Windows features)
a. Scripted or
b. Manual
3. Optional: Toggle VMWare settings back
In some cases, simply adjusting VMWare settings may be sufficient, in others,
the latter steps may be required. The overall flow is as below:

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
1. Adjust VMWare Settings
The below changes will need to be made on your host machine, not the VM.
Ensure you have administrator rights before you begin.

WARNING

Retain records of your current system settings as you proceed,


you may need to revert these changes in the future for other
projects.

1. If you are running VMware Workstation Player, skip these first steps
and start by checking Memory Integrity.

2. First, with your VM shutdown, click on Edit virtual machine settings.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
3. Select the Options Tab.

4. Select Advanced from the Options menu.

5. If your version of VMware Workstation has an option to Enable VBS


(Virtualization Based Security) Support, ensure the box is NOT
checked. Not all versions of VMware will have the VBS as an option.

6. Next, on the Hardware tab, select Processors.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
7. Currently, it is likely that Virtualize Intel VT-x/EPT or AMD-V/RVI is
checked. Uncheck the box.

Click Okay and attempt to start your VM. For some users, this is sufficient

8. If changing the VM Virtualization settings did not successfully resolve


the virtualization problem, continue to the following section to adjust OS
Features.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
2a. Adjust OS Settings: Scripted (Preferred Path)
The below changes will need to be made on your host machine, not the VM.
Ensure you have administrator rights before you begin.

WARNING

It is advisable to create a System Restore point and/or back up


your registry before making changes.

Similarly, retain records of your current system settings as you


proceed, you may need to revert these changes in the future for
other projects.

1. Ensure your VM class is powered off, ideally exit VMWare altogether.

2. Start a PowerShell window in Admin mode on your host / desktop

a. Select Yes that you will allow this program to make changes to
your device when prompted to continue.

3. Run the below command to pull down the scripts that will automatically
adjust your system settings for VM compatibility.
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/krooth/Antisyphon_la
b_scripts/main/WinADHD/Disable_Hyper_V_and_Device_Guar
d.ps1 -OutFile C:\Disable_Hyper_V_and_Device_Guard.ps1

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
4. Change directory to C:\ with the following command.
Cd C:\

5. Execute this command whilst in the administrator PowerShell session to


remove the execution policy:
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy Unrestricted -
Scope Process

6. Run the actual script. When prompted, choose “Y” to disable settings.
.\Disable_Hyper_V_And_Device_Guard.ps1

7. Reboot your host machine when prompted.

8. Restart the VM and confirm Hyper-V errors are no longer present

9. If errors remain, check the below manual settings / troubleshooting


guide.

10. If all else fails, contact the tech-support Discord channel for the
class.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
2b. Adjust OS Settings: Manual (Backup play)
Check Memory Integrity Settings
1. In Core Isolation Settings, verify Memory Integrity is set to Off.
a. Start menu → search “Core Isolation” → open the settings menu

b. Ensure memory integrity is toggled “off”, toggle it if not.

c. Please remember that if your Memory Integrity is set to On, and


you switch it Off to use this VM, you should undo your changes
when you are finished using the ADHD VM

Disabling select Virtualization related Windows Feature


1. After ensuring Memory Integrity is off, please open your Windows
Optional features.
a. On Windows 11: In your search bar type in Windows Features.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
2. Select Turn Windows Features on or off from the Windows Start menu
that appears.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
3. Locate the Hyper-V, Windows Hypervisor Platform, and if present
Windows Subsystem for Linux settings.
a. Turn these features off by clearing the checkbox if they are
currently enabled.

4. Some users may also need to turn off Virtual Machine Platform, located
above the Windows Hypervisor Platform.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
5. Restart your host machine.

6. Next, open PowerShell with administrator privileges.

a. Select Yes that you will allow this program to make changes to
your device when prompted to continue.

7. At the prompt type systeminfo and press enter.

8. If you see the following for Hyper-V settings, then success! You may
now return to attempt to start your ADHD.

9. If you receive any other message next to the Hyper-V Requirements,


please continue to the following directions.

19
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Troubleshooting / Manual Resolution
The below instructions are alternate methods to manually disable relevant
windows features that may be negatively impacting virtualization

1. In PowerShell, with administrative rights, run the following, in order,


and afterwards restart your host. You may choose to copy and paste
directly from this document, if you do so do line by line. You may notice
>> characters if you copy and paste as a group. Do not be alarmed.
They should not interfere with this process.
Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName
Microsoft-Hyper-V-All
bcdedit /set hypervisorlaunchtype off
bcdedit /set vsmlaunchtype off

a. You should now receive a message that the operation was


completed successfully and you need to restart the computer to
complete the operation.

2. Restart your host machine, then attempt to start your VM.

3. If the ADHD VM gives a Hyper-V or virtualization error continue with the


following directions. (At this point you may want to establish the restore
point, or back up your Registry, the following edits will be done in
PowerShell but they are registry edits.)

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
4. Open PowerShell with administrative privileges.

5. Enter the following into PowerShell, copy and paste is recommended,


then press Enter to run. You may notice >> characters if you copy &
paste; that is okay, run anyway.
Set-ItemProperty -Path
“HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Sc
enarios\HypervisorEnforcedCodeIntegrity" -Name
"Enabled" -Value "0"

Set-ItemProperty -Path
"HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard\Sc
enarios\SystemGuard" -Name "Enabled" -Value "0"

Set-ItemProperty -Path
"HKLM:\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Control\DeviceGuard" -
Name "EnableVirtualizationBasedSecurity" -Value "0"

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
a. Note: As not all host machines are identical, you may receive an
error message with one or more of the above PowerShell scripts
depending on your setup.

6. Restart your host machine and test. If still not resolved,


continue to section 3.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
3. Optional: Toggle VMWare settings back
After you restart, if there is still an error you may need to toggle the processor
hardware setting for virtualization in your VM - something you may have
already unchecked - back on. For some machines it must be off, for others it
must be on.

**Remember once you get the ADHD VM setup, do not allow it to run updates
or you may need to setup your VM fresh. See previous directions to stop
updates for Microsoft Windows and Windows Store.**

4. A Final Note
One last note, some users may need to Enable or Disable Virtualization in their
BIOS. These settings are usually found in an Advanced tab in the BIOS
settings. These settings may vary by manufacturer.

23
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Password Cracking Lab Errors out with
“CL_DEVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE” error
Background / Symptoms

Some users have seen the below error when trying to run HashCat during
the Password Cracking lab:

clCreateContext(): CL_DEVICE_NOT_AVAILABLE.

The problem appears for some, but not all, users, with no discernable pattern
in terms of operating system, processor make, model or any other discerned
metadata.

The solution is to update the OpenCL software from Intel.

24
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Remediation
Preferred: Scripted Remediation
1. Log into the ADHD VM using the usual adhd username & password

2. Open a PowerShell window as admin

a. Select Yes that you will allow this program to make changes to
your device when prompted to continue.

3. Run the below command to pull down the CLI version updating script.

Invoke-WebRequest -Uri
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/deterministicj/AntiS
yphonTraining-VM-Fix-Menu/refs/heads/main/ADHD-Fix-
Menu.ps1 C:\ADHD-Fix-Menu.ps1

4. In the same PowerShell window, type the line below and press enter:

C:\ADHD-Fix-Menu.ps1

5. A simple menu should pop up and ask whether you’d like to disable
updates (Option 1) or Fix the Hashcat lab (Option 2)

25
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
a. Select Option 2, and if prompted, “Q” to quit afterward.

6. Go back to your Command Prompt and attempt to continue the lab, it


should now move forward without error.

7. In the event you are still having issues, you can also try the manual install
below to see if that works.

26
Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Backup: Manual Remediation
These steps must be completed within the VM.
1. In an internet browser (ex. Edge) copy and paste, or type, in the
following in the address bar:
a. http://registrationcenter-
download.intel.com/akdlm/irc_nas/12512/opencl_runtime_
16.1.2_x64_setup.msi

2. Open File Explorer, C:\ drive, and then Click Downloads.


a. Double click on the opencl_runtime_16.1.2_x64_setup file to run.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
3. Click Run when prompted by the Security Warning

4. Click Next to begin installation.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
5. Check the box to accept agreement and click Install.

6. If prompted by User Account Control, select Yes for it to make changes


to the device.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
7. Click the Finish button to exit the setup Wizard

8. Go back to your Command Prompt and attempt to continue the lab, it


should now move forward without error.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM
Credits
This unified ADHD VM How-To Guide, Common Errors, and How to Fix Them document was
created from the experience of many users.
To all those who came to the Tech Support Channel, thank you for letting us help you. May
the trials we all faced in the past help those in the future.
Sincere thanks to the Discord users .lokihakanin, deterministicj, krooth,
childofalliance, HaircutFish, and Lavender for contributing time, code, and
screenshots into this document.
Many thanks to all the NerdHerders who contributed their time to Antisyphon Tech Support,
and who at one point we all had to learn from.

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Getting Started with the ADHD VM

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