having done a search from the Linux command line, there where no directory or executable reference of the Gnome desktop that was supposed to be installed. My understanding by the installation instructions was that the .iso image I downloaded to install was STAND-ALONE INSTALL, which did not require a live internet connection to successfully install - that is not the case here.

Hi, indeed there's no need for a internet connection if you use the standard installer, that is, the file kali-linux-2026.2-installer-amd64.iso.

I double-checked and installed a Kali in VM without internet connectivity. It worked.

If you want to help us to debug this issue, you need to check the logs of the installer. When it hangs for a while, hit F2 to enter a console, login/pass will be kali and kali. Then check the end of the log files, either /var/log/syslog or /target/var/log/syslog. Please paste the output here. Maybe we can see why the installation is stuck in those logs.

Commands to check log files:

tail -n 30 /var/log/syslog
tail -n 30 /target/var/log/syslog