Windows 8 Hyper-V - how to give VM internet access?

Question

I've got Windows 8 Pro on my home machine. I want to have a Windows 7 Professional VM running under Hyper-V, and I want the VM to have full internet access. My physical machine has a wireless network adapter I use to connect to a router.

Here's what I've done so far:

• In Hyper-V Manager, I've created a new External Virtual Switch, which is connected to my wireless network adapter. If I look in Windows 8's Network Connections page, I can see it's created a virtual ethernet adapter and a network bridge, and my wireless adapter is now bridged.

• I've created a Windows 7 VM, and in the Hyper-V settings I've set it to use the virtual switch.

When I log into the VM, I have a network, but it's "unidentified" and has no internet access. What am I missing? Is it something to do with the "VLAN identification" settings? I'm not quite sure what these are about.

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Answer 1

In order to get the VM connected to the internet you have to tie it to the Ethernet/Wireless NIC Card. In order to do this you have to create a "Virtual Switch".

1. Open your Hyper-V Manager

2. Select Action --> Virtual Switch Manager

   

3. Select External and then Create Virtual Switch

   

4. Give the Switch a Name and then select the External Controller you use to connect to the internet (Ethernet, or Wireless NIC, etc,.)

   

5. Select Apply and then OK

6. Right click on the Virtual Machine you want to connect and select Settings

   

7. Under the Network Adapter Setting select the newly created Virtual Switch

This should enable the connection you use to connect to the internet to be accessible to the VM

Answer 2

I had to disable and then re-enable the Allow management operating system to share this network adapter under the Virtual Switch Manager.

If this isn't checked the host machine will not be able to use the chosen adapter. It had been checked in my case, for some reason I had to flip it back and forth again.

Answer 3

Another trick as detailed in this question Windows 8 Hyper-V network not working on host is that this may not work over wireless... re did the setting several times nothing - set up an ethernet adapter - worked straight away. [quick edit to say of course I'd set up separate virtual switches for the two physical adapters...]

Answer 4

In my case, while the VM was running I changed the virtual Switch settings to “Not Connected” and then back to my newly created virtual switch. Worked.