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thegambit
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no ethernet driver inside guest Windows XP OS

I've searched for this inside kb to no avail. I am running a Mac Pro with Vmware Fusion and Windows XP as the guest OS. When Windows boots it finds an ethernet controller, but can't seem to locate a driver for it. When I attempt to install vmware tools it starts normally then when "preparing for install" I get a message saying it cannot continue because Windows is either in safe mode or the Windows Installer is not properly installed. The message says it cannot access the Windows Installer Service. The windows installer I replaced with the latest one from Microsoft, 3.1 and Windows is not booted into safe mode. Any thoughts?

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rcardona2k
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Check to make sure your VM has a virtual network adapter configured under Virtual Machine > Settings > Removable Devices > Network. The virtual network card should be "connected". If there are no network adapters, you have to shutdown Windows XP and add one under Removable Devices by clicking on the + on the lower left of that screen, choose Add Network...

Next, in Windows XP try opening the Device Manager (Start > Run > devmgmt.msc), look under Network Adapters and see if you have any listed. If there are none, go to View > Show Hidden devices to be thorough. If you see any devices with a yellow mark (?) or any starting with "VMware ..." delete them. Don't delete anything else. Next run Action > Scan for hardware changes. WIth the VMware Tools installed, it should find your virtual network adapter and install it successfully.

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thegambit
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Ok. Managed to fix one issue. I was able to successfully install Vmware Tools on the host machine. However when rebooted Windows still has no driver available for the Ethernet controller.

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rcardona2k
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Check to make sure your VM has a virtual network adapter configured under Virtual Machine > Settings > Removable Devices > Network. The virtual network card should be "connected". If there are no network adapters, you have to shutdown Windows XP and add one under Removable Devices by clicking on the + on the lower left of that screen, choose Add Network...

Next, in Windows XP try opening the Device Manager (Start > Run > devmgmt.msc), look under Network Adapters and see if you have any listed. If there are none, go to View > Show Hidden devices to be thorough. If you see any devices with a yellow mark (?) or any starting with "VMware ..." delete them. Don't delete anything else. Next run Action > Scan for hardware changes. WIth the VMware Tools installed, it should find your virtual network adapter and install it successfully.

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j8zzyb3ll5
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I realize this isn't quite the right place to be posting this, but I figured you might be able to help (I've got the same problem as the person above me). I'm running Ubuntu 8.04 as a host with Win XP Pro as the guest with VMware Server 2.0 Release Candidate 2. I followed the instructions you gave but windows is still unable to find the applicable ethernet drivers. I have vmware tools installed and mounted. Any suggestions?

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WoodyZ
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Considering this is the Fusion Forum and your Host is not an Intel Based Mac running OS X or running Fusion you're not in the right place!

If you're using VMware Server 2.0 Release Candidate 2 try posting over in the VMware Server Forum

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KLeach
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I have this exact same issue... even with the tools installed the driver will no work inside XP.

I am running 2.0

Is there another driver I can try? even when I point the driver installer to the exact location of the files it will not take..

It is like the nic does not have a name and can not be matched to the driver??? sounds weird I know..

I have tried everything and just need a working driver....

ANY help would be great.. thanks

-Ken

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Technogeezer
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When you configured your virtual machine, what type of operating system did you choose, and what version of Windows XP did you install (including whether it's 32- or 64-bit). Sometimes the virtual machine type does matter, and influences the types of emulated hardware available to the VM. For example, the virtual machine type for a 64-bit Windows XP Professional install should be "Windows XP Professional x64 Edition" not "Windows XP Professional".

If you could also post a copy of your VM's vmx file, that might help us.

- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides
earukan
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Hi,

I have also ran into the exact same issue, was anybody able to solve this problem, NIC not getting detected in Windows guest OS ?

FYI, this is my vmx file

#!/usr/bin/vmplayer

.encoding = "windows-1252"

  1. Filename: WindowsXP.vmx

  2. Generated 2008-12-10;08:42:41 by EasyVMX! 2.0 (beta)

  3. http://www.easyvmx.com

  1. This is a Workstation 6 config file

  2. It can be used with Player

config.version = "8"

virtualHW.version = "6"

  1. Selected operating system for your virtual machine

guestOS = "winvista"

  1. displayName is your own name for the virtual machine

displayName = "WindowsXP"

  1. These fields are free text description fields

guestinfo.vmware.product.url = "http://www.easyvmx.com/"

guestinfo.vmware.product.class = "virtual machine"

  1. Number of virtual CPUs. Your virtual machine will not

  2. work if this number is higher than the number of your physical CPUs

numvcpus = "2"

  1. Memory size and other memory settings

memsize = "512"

MemAllowAutoScaleDown = "FALSE"

MemTrimRate = "-1"

  1. PowerOn/Off options

gui.powerOnAtStartup = "FALSE"

gui.fullScreenAtPowerOn = "FALSE"

gui.exitAtPowerOff = "FALSE"

  1. Unique ID for the virtual machine will be created

uuid.action = "create"

  1. Settings for VMware Tools

tools.remindInstall = "FALSE"

tools.upgrade.policy = "upgradeAtPowerCycle"

  1. Startup hints interfers with automatic startup of a virtual machine

  2. This setting has no effect in VMware Player

hints.hideAll = "TRUE"

  1. Enable time synchronization between computer

  2. and virtual machine

tools.syncTime = "TRUE"

  1. USB settings

  2. This config activates USB

usb.present = "TRUE"

usb.generic.autoconnect = "FALSE"

  1. First serial port, physical COM1 is available

serial0.present = "TRUE"

serial0.fileName = "Auto Detect"

serial0.autodetect = "TRUE"

serial0.hardwareFlowControl = "TRUE"

  1. Optional second serial port, physical COM2 is not available

serial1.present = "FALSE"

  1. First parallell port, physical LPT1 is available

parallel0.present = "TRUE"

parallel0.fileName = "Auto Detect"

parallel0.autodetect = "TRUE"

parallel0.bidirectional = "TRUE"

  1. Sound settings

sound.present = "TRUE"

sound.fileName = "-1"

sound.autodetect = "TRUE"

  1. Logging

  2. This config activates logging, and keeps last log

logging = "TRUE"

log.fileName = "WindowsXP.log"

log.append = "TRUE"

log.keepOld = "3"

  1. These settings decides interaction between your

  2. computer and the virtual machine

isolation.tools.hgfs.disable = "FALSE"

isolation.tools.dnd.disable = "FALSE"

isolation.tools.copy.enable = "TRUE"

isolation.tools.paste.enabled = "TRUE"

  1. Other default settings

svga.autodetect = "TRUE"

mks.keyboardFilter = "allow"

snapshot.action = "autoCommit"

  1. First network interface card

ethernet0.present = "TRUE"

ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

ethernet0.connectionType = "bridged"

ethernet0.addressType = "generated"

ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"

  1. Settings for physical floppy drive

floppy0.present = "FALSE"

  1. Settings for physical CDROM drive

ide1:0.present = "TRUE"

ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"

ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"

ide1:0.fileName = "C:\Users\earukan\Downloads\Windows XP Professional SP3\VRMPVOL_EN.iso"

ide1:0.autodetect = "TRUE"

  1. Settings for the optional virtual CDROM, ISO-image

ide1:1.present = "TRUE"

ide1:1.fileName = "F:"

ide1:1.deviceType = "cdrom-raw"

ide1:1.mode = "persistent"

ide1:1.startConnected = "FALSE"

  1. LsiLogic SCSI card

scsi0.present = "TRUE"

scsi0.virtualDev = "lsilogic"

  1. First IDE disk, size 4800Mb

ide0:0.present = "TRUE"

ide0:0.fileName = "WindowsXP.vmdk"

ide0:0.mode = "persistent"

ide0:0.startConnected = "TRUE"

ide0:0.writeThrough = "TRUE"

  1. Second SCSI disk image, size 3Gb

scsi0:1.present = "TRUE"

scsi0:1.fileName = "WindowsXP-2.vmdk"

scsi0:1.mode = "persistent"

scsi0:1.startConnected = "TRUE"

scsi0:1.writeThrough = "TRUE"

  1. END OF EasyVMX! CONFIG

extendedConfigFile = "WindowsXP.vmxf"

virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"

ethernet0.generatedAddress = "00:0c:29:c0:e2:2a"

uuid.location = "56 4d dc 18 bd 7a 30 d2-3c ba 2b 2f a8 c0 e2 2a"

uuid.bios = "56 4d dc 18 bd 7a 30 d2-3c ba 2b 2f a8 c0 e2 2a"

ide0:0.redo = ""

scsi0:1.redo = ""

vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "16777216"

scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "16"

ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "17"

sound.pciSlotNumber = "18"

hgfs.mapRootShare = "TRUE"

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Technogeezer
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Two deviations I see from a Fusion (or even Workstation) created vmx file that may be relevant:

The guestOS string should read "winxppro", not "winvista"

The emulated network card for XP in a Fusion-created VM is an AMD pcnet NIC (indicated by the absence of an ethernetx.virtualDev entry), not an Intel e1000. I'm not sure if XP has a native e1000 driver.

Shut down the VM, exit Fusion, and edit the vmx.file. Change the guestOS string and remove or comment out the line containing ethernet0.virtualDev, and restart Fusion and your VM. See if you can now configure your network.

- Paul (Technogeezer)
Editor of the Unofficial Fusion Companion Guides
KLeach
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That was it!!

Fat fingered the dropdown to select theOS when I built the VM..never noticed...

I rebuilt with the proper OS chosen and amazingly everything worked once I installed the tools..

Thanks... I needed another pair of eyes..

-Ken

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earukan
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hi guys,

great work, thanks alot, the commenting out the e1000 driver worked for me...tks heaps for the hint

keep in touch..I will come back with more Qs

cheers

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texnguy
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Cheers to those with the helpful ideas. I know the post is old, but still highly relevant. I installed WinXPPro-64 for my OS, and I was unable to get my NIC working either. The removal of the e1000 device was my cure.

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Stephen_on_The_
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I cant get the nic to show up in xp.  I removed the e1000 line but still no go.  Here is my VMX file:

Any help is appreciated.

---

.encoding = "windows-1252"
config.version = "8"
virtualHW.version = "9"
scsi0.present = "TRUE"
scsi0.virtualDev = "lsisas1068"
memsize = "1024"
mem.hotadd = "TRUE"
ide0:0.present = "TRUE"
ide0:0.fileName = "WinXP.vmdk"
ide1:0.present = "TRUE"
ide1:0.fileName = "c:\rt.iso"
ide1:0.deviceType = "cdrom-image"
floppy0.startConnected = "FALSE"
floppy0.fileName = ""
floppy0.autodetect = "TRUE"
ethernet0.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.connectionType = "nat"
ethernet0.wakeOnPcktRcv = "FALSE"
ethernet0.addressType = "static"
usb.present = "TRUE"
ehci.present = "TRUE"
ehci.pciSlotNumber = "35"
sound.present = "TRUE"
sound.virtualDev = "hdaudio"
sound.fileName = "-1"
sound.autodetect = "TRUE"
mks.enable3d = "TRUE"
serial0.present = "TRUE"
serial0.fileType = "thinprint"
pciBridge0.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge4.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge4.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge4.functions = "8"
pciBridge5.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge5.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge5.functions = "8"
pciBridge6.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge6.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge6.functions = "8"
pciBridge7.present = "TRUE"
pciBridge7.virtualDev = "pcieRootPort"
pciBridge7.functions = "8"
vmci0.present = "TRUE"
hpet0.present = "TRUE"
usb.vbluetooth.startConnected = "TRUE"
displayName = "WinXP"
guestOS = "winxppro"
nvram = "WinXP.nvram"
virtualHW.productCompatibility = "hosted"
gui.exitOnCLIHLT = "FALSE"
powerType.powerOff = "hard"
powerType.powerOn = "hard"
powerType.suspend = "hard"
powerType.reset = "hard"
extendedConfigFile = "WinXP.vmxf"
scsi0.pciSlotNumber = "160"
ethernet0.pciSlotNumber = "33"
usb.pciSlotNumber = "32"
sound.pciSlotNumber = "34"
vmci0.id = "-1970804028"
vmci0.pciSlotNumber = "36"
uuid.location = "56 4d ae d6 55 c2 46 10-76 26 e1 7e 8a 87 ea c4"
uuid.bios = "56 4d ae d6 55 c2 46 10-76 26 e1 7e 8a 87 ea c4"
cleanShutdown = "FALSE"
replay.supported = "FALSE"
replay.filename = ""
scsi0:0.redo = ""
pciBridge0.pciSlotNumber = "17"
pciBridge4.pciSlotNumber = "21"
pciBridge5.pciSlotNumber = "22"
pciBridge6.pciSlotNumber = "23"
pciBridge7.pciSlotNumber = "24"
scsi0.sasWWID = "50 05 05 66 55 c2 46 10"
usb:1.present = "TRUE"
ethernet0.generatedAddressOffset = "0"
tools.remindInstall = "TRUE"
vmotion.checkpointFBSize = "134217728"
softPowerOff = "FALSE"
usb:1.speed = "2"
usb:1.deviceType = "hub"
usb:1.port = "1"
usb:1.parent = "-1"
bios.bootDelay = "10000"
tools.syncTime = "FALSE"
ide0:0.redo = ""
ide1:0.startConnected = "TRUE"
ethernet0.linkStatePropagation.enable = "FALSE"
unity.wasCapable = "FALSE"
ethernet0.address = "00:50:56:24:54:F8"
sound.startConnected = "FALSE"
usb:0.present = "TRUE"
usb:0.deviceType = "hid"
usb:0.port = "0"
usb:0.parent = "-1"

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Stephen_on_The_
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never mind I removed the e1000 line in the VMX, allowed the NIC in the guest os to detect a driver.  works.....

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jimsy1
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how do i get this really annoying stuff working in 2017 and version 12.5.7???? (win7 vmware player)

it just shows that Ethernet Controller is not installed and does not even show how to install it

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csapdani
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This was the root cause of the problem in my case. Thank you for pointing it out. After re-creating the VM and correctly selecting Windows XP instead of Windows XP x64, the problem was resolved.

Edit: this was meant to be a reply to Technogeezer's 12-06-2008 04:05 PM comment.

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celias2000
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"commentd out the line containing ethernet0.virtualDev" this fix my problem.

Thanks buddy

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