No more internet connection on guest windows 7

[martin123]

Hello,

I have the connection on the host operating system. I also have connection on all guest VMs.

The network is set to "NAT".

But, recently when I moved VMs to external storage or cloned them, some Windows 7 guest VMs don't have access to the internet anymore, which was accessing it before.

I haven't touched the network or internet settings.

Where can the problem come from, and how to restore the access to the Host internet?

Thank you,

[scottgus1]

Does the internet come and go on the failing VMs, or is it gone all the time now?

For one VM that is still working and one VM that has the problem, please provide the following:

1. Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose "Show in Explorer/Finder/File Manager". In the window that opens, zip the VM's .vbox file (not the .vbox-prev file), and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab. (Please make sure all file extensions are shown, so you will be able to see the .vbox extension easier.)

2. Start the VM from full power off, not save-state. If it is the failing VM. run until you see the problem happen. If it is the good VM, run until you can access the internet. Then shut down the VM from within the VM OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip the log file, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

[martin123]

Thank you Scottgus for your reply,

The internet not come and go on the failing VMs, it's gone all the time now.

Notice that I moved VMs to external storage or cloned them. When I turned VM on, the access to the host internet is lost.

I will provide you with the files demanded immediately.

[scottgus1]

OK, thanks.

Re the clone & external drive info, are all the VMs that fail internet the ones you cloned and/or moved to external storage? Are any cloned or 'externaled' VMs still able to get internet? Are any original VMs on the original drive failing internet?

[martin123]

Hi Scottgus,

After searching, it seems like the reason was a VPN and precisely a "kill switch" feature. I installed a VPN on the Host OS and works fine.
But recently, perhaps after updates, turning off a kill switch feature doesn't work properly, so the internet connection to the Guest VM is blocked.

Thank you for your support, I appreciate.
Have a nice day.

[scottgus1]

Excellent, glad you found the problem!

[martin123]

Hi,

I apologize for coming back to you again, I was a bit hasty in my conclusions.

Because I already had this kind of incident before, and when I deactivate "kill switch", the connection and the access to internet are restored on the VMs.

Now, I completely uninstalled the VPN on the Host machine. But the internet access is still not working.

I would like to inform you that I moved the VMs to an external hard drive.
It's after moving the VMs that the internet access problem occurred. Previously, it worked fine in the location where they were originally.

I kept only one VM that I did not move. That one kept the internet access. All the others that were moved lost it.

Thank you very much.

[scottgus1]

I moved the VMs to an external hard drive.
It's after moving the VMs that the internet access problem occurred.

Normally, simply moving the VM files from one drive to another will not damage anything in the VM.

However, if only the VM's drive file is moved, and a new VM is built around the drive file, the network setup may not match what the VM had originally.

How exactly did you move your VMs? And if you move a broken VM back to where it was before, does internet come back?

Also, let's look at the VM setup:

For one VM that is still working and one VM that has the problem, please provide the following:

1. Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose "Show in Explorer/Finder/File Manager". In the window that opens, zip the VM's .vbox file (not the .vbox-prev file), and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab. (Please make sure all file extensions are shown, so you will be able to see the .vbox extension easier.)

2. Start the VM from full power off, not save-state. If it is the failing VM. run until you see the problem happen. If it is the good VM, run until you can access the internet. Then shut down the VM from within the VM OS if possible. If not possible, close the Virtualbox window for the VM with the Power Off option set.

Please right-click the VM in the main Virtualbox window's VM list, choose Show Log. Save the far left tab's log, zip the log file, and post the zip file, using the forum's Upload Attachment tab.

Further, please run and post the output of this on the host:

if Windows:
ipconfig /all
if Mac, Linux:
ifconfig or ip address

Run and post this in both working and failing Windows VMs:
ipconfig /all
ping 8.8.8.8

[martin123]

Hi Scottgus,
Please find here the files you requested.

Thank You,

[scottgus1]

Thanks for the files & commands!

This one is easy: the failing "Mars" VM's network is set to an Internal network, not NAT. See Virtualbox Networks: In Pictures

Internal, by itself, does not connect with the host so cannot pass internet to the VM. The only way to get internet through Internal is to have a "Sandbox"-style setup (also explained in the Pictures tutorial).

Moving or cloning the VM does not change the network. And switching from one network type to another cannot be caused by a cosmic-ray bit flip: the XML in the .vbox file is wordy, not numbery, so a failed bit would result in a failed .vbox setting, not a valid network change.

In this case it's a pebcak change: the network was manually changed at some time by a human.

[martin123]

In fact, all VMs are set to “NAT” at installation. I had tested the other connection possibilities, and it stayed on “Internal network” by mistake. I put NAT back on, but it's still the same case: no internet access.

I'm sending you the screenshot of the “Network and Sharing Center” of the control panel and also the one of the icons of the taskbar showing the yellow warning that there is no access to the internet.

How can I set up Windows 7 to access the Internet?

[scottgus1]

I put NAT back on

Please repeat the diagnostic tests you did earlier, on the Mars VM now set to NAT, and on the host again.

[martin123]

I selected the VM, clicked on settings. On the Network tab, I set “Attached to” NAT, and clicked “Ok”.
I didn't touch the host.

[scottgus1]

Please repeat the diagnostic tests

Also, let's look at the VM setup:........

like you did here viewtopic.php?f=2&t=104484&p=509592#p509549

[martin123]

Hi Scottgus,

I sent you the command output for both Windows 7 VM guests, the one failing and the other working.
Is this a DNS issue or something else?
Could you please help me to sort this out?

Thank you very much.