virtualbox.org

Hello,

Previously my XP guest on a XP host was setup with bridged networking and worked fine. Last month, I downloaded and ran successfully a Fedora guest for some LAN testing. I did not trouble the XP guest. Today when I try to use the XP guest, the bridged networking doesn't work. Tried out NAT but still the networking doesn't work. Other things I have tried are:

- use a 2nd virtual NIC in both bridged and NAT mode
- tried the Intel NIC instead of the AMD NIC
- reinstalled the Virtualbox LAN devices/drivers as well as the physical NIC in the XP host (even removed an unknown LAN device in the XP host which seem to be a remnant of a VB Host-only adapter from an earlier uninstall)
- uninstalled Virtualbox ver 4.1.8 and installed ver 4.1.10

Yet the guest XP will not communicate with the host or the external LAN. Can anyone offer any help? Thanks.

You don't say what doesn't work, or what the symptoms of not working are. Bridged networking is a means, not an end. What is the end? Are you accessing the internet? accessing host folders and printers? Having the VM act as a server? And which of these no longer works?

As a guide: I can't see how the Fedora guest can be relevant. More likely is that you fiddled with the host somehow in order to get Fedora networking to work, and that has affected your other guests.

Hi mpack,

The networking doesn't work. That is to say I cannot communicate from the XP guest to any other computer via Virtualbox's "virtual LAN". Whether I choose bridged mode or NAT, the XP guest will not "speak" to the XP host or any other computer on the physical LAN (to which the XP host is connected). For example, I cannot ping any computer from the guest. Also in NAT mode the guest can't communicate with my DHCP server (on the physical LAN) to have an IP address assigned.

You asked to what end? All of which you stated....I would like to access the internet from the guest and share files between the guest and any other computer in a simple peer to peer LAN (MS workgroup).

Did I fiddle with the XP host to get the Fedora networking to work? No, I didn't have to. So the XP host is still networking fine with other computers (both physical and virtual) elsewhere on the LAN.

I would appreciate any other suggestions you or any one else may have.