Help with bridged networking.

[XSteve]

Hi, I have some problems to configure Bridged networking with Virtualbox. At this moment I have always used it in nat mode with no problems, but I would begin to use also it in Bridged mode. I use Windows 7 as host and Windows XP as guest.
1. In Virtualbox settings what I should set, dhcp or fixed ip? In host machine (and router of course) I don't use dhcp, I use fixed ip for every pc connected to the router. At this time with nat mode Virtualbox is using dhcp (with ip 192.168.56.1). My host network ip range is 192.168.1.x. Do I must change this parameter in bridged mode? In this case what ip do I have to set, default (192.168.56.1) or one in my network range (for example 192.168.1.20)?
2. Do I have to tick on the Virtualbox Bridged Networking Driver setting in my network adapter property? And in the Virtualbox Host-Only Network Adapter?
3. How do I configure system guest? I have to configure it like a real pc on my network? Therefore 192.168.1.x ip (the same chosen in Virtualbox network adapter or another?) and as gateway my router's ip, right?
I did some tests but I'm not able to navigate correctly, no web pages loaded at all.
Thanks in advance.

[BillG]

If you configure bridged networking, the guest will behave as if it was connected directly the physical network. So you configure it to look just like the other machines on the physical network - same netmask, same DNS address and the same gateway, just as it would get from DHCP it you used it. The host only network is completely separate from the bridged network.

The bridged networking driver box in the host's NIC properties should be checked by default. If it wasn't, you need to check it before bridged networking will work on that NIC.

[XSteve]

What Virtualbox adapter ip address I should set? The same range of my network? And the ip of Windows guest? The same of the Virtualbox adapter or another one?

[BillG]

What else can I say? I told you that the adapter in the vm should be configured as if it was a physical machine connected to the physical network. What part of that do you not understand?

[XSteve]

I understand what have you said, I was just asking about ip address of Virtualbox adapter on the host (it can be setted also in Virtualbox settings). Maybe is that setting about just for host-only network? So do I have to leave it as is, as default? Keep in mind that I don't use DHCP in the host network. So the only thing that I have to do is to configure the network on the guest...?
I had already tried in this way but internet didn't work, no connection.

[BillG]

The VirtualBox adapter on the host is the host only adapter. Its only use is to connect to the guest using the host only network. If you don't use the host only adapter it doesn't matter what IP address it has - in fact you can remove it (or not even install it in the first place. There is an option in the installer for that). I never install it myself because I always run my vms in bridged mode.