[SOLVED] Host OS connectivity problems

[RipNujabes]

Hi everyone, i was wondering if anyone here could help point me in the right direction here;
I started using a virtual machine a few weeks ago, the host OS is windows 7 (service pack 1 i think) and the guest OS is windows XP. In order to connect to the internet wirelessly whilst using the guest OS i bridged the connection to the real wireless adapter. This worked fine for about a week until quite suddenly the host OS stopped connecting to the internet.
Network connections claims that the laptop is connected to the network (be it home, work or anywhere else) but that the network is not connected to the internet. This is not correct, as i can still connect to the internet (via the same networks) even in the guest OS or other laptops. As far as i can tell there is no IP conflicts and the adapter itself must work OK otherwise the guest OS wouldnt be able to use it. When i try to automatically fix the problem it says that no solution can be found.
I have no idea why my host OS seems to think all networks are down when i know for a fact that they are not. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated, even if i could just get suggestions. Thanks.

[this-IT-guy]

So you can't access the internet via the host OS but you can access internet from within the guest OS? That's strange, have you try to unbridge the network interfaces and reconnect to the internet (from the host)? Disable it from the program, and then try to reconnect.

[RipNujabes]

Thanks for the reply - i have tried to connect from the host with both the network option disabled in the sandbox OS and with the virtual machine not running and the host will still not connect. The only way i can connec to the internet is still only through the bridged connection in the guest OS. Also, this problem occured about a week, maybe two, after i had the virtual machine up and running, and both worked fine for that time period, it is very strange.
Could firewall settings in the guest OS affect connectivity in the host OS?

[this-IT-guy]

Just so we're clear, Host OS cannot go online, at all? While the Guest OS can?

How many network connections on the Host?

Provide an ipconfig /all please.

[RipNujabes]

Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]
(C) Copyright 1985-2001 Microsoft Corp.

C:\Documents and Settings\GITS>ipconfig

Windows IP Configuration


Ethernet adapter Local Area Connection:

Connection-specific DNS Suffix . :
IP Address. . . . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.22
Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . : 255.255.255.0
Default Gateway . . . . . . . . . : 192.168.1.1

That is all that comes up for ipconfig in the guest OS.

There is only one network connection actually connected on the host, host is connected to the network but the access type is "no internet access". I have noticed that the guest OS is bridged using a LAC and that the subnet mask and default gateway are the same as the wireless adapter ones in the host OS, the IP is different though.

Could the problem be that it is a mix of LAC and wireless LAN between the two OS's? But then why was this not a problem initially and why would the problem persist when the virtual machine is offline?...

[this-IT-guy]

From the Host OS, run the cmd prompt as an administrator and input the following ipconfig /all >c:\ipconfig.txt

Post that txt file here for review.

And what virtual machine program are you using?

[RipNujabes]

I get "access is denied" but i have done each separately and got the info. Is it safe to post such information on a public forum though? I'm using virtualbox but i may use another or not use any at all in a week or so; i only used a virtual machine in the first place out of curiosity but i continue to use it now as it's the only way i can connect to the internet from my laptop now.

[this-IT-guy]

Yes it should be fine but that's entirely up to you.

[RipNujabes]

Hi, i forgot to say that i figured out what the problem was but it's embarrassing! Turns out that when i installed a different firewall on the host OS (the reason why i set up the virtual machine was because the windows firewall on the host OS is broken and i cant get it fixed) the settings hadnt saved when i set it up... so yeah, it was just incorrect firewall settings! I spent ages messing around with network settings etc. nevermind, its all learning i suppose!

[this-IT-guy]

Well good to hear you sorted out