Guest can't access host windows network share

Question

HI folks,

I've recently run into a strange problem after upgrading to VMware player 3.

Certain virtual machines (currently an XP and a VIsta VM) seem to have lost the ability to access the host (XP) network shared folders (SMB). Both VM machines are bridged networking, firewall is up. Host firewall is up. Host and guests use DHCP. All OS are workgroup connected. The Vista VM I am not completely sure, but the XP VM did have access to the host's network shared folders after the player upgrade. Then today it wouldn't work, network path can't be found.

Now here's the wierd part. The host's network shared folders can be accessed properly by other PC's on the network (and as far as I know, no settings have been changed). The host is pingable from the guests, and name resolution works. The guests can access network shares on other PC's in the network, and access the internet. My Network Places shows the host PC, but double clicking on it takes a long time before it finally times out with an error. Doing a wireshark packet capture, the guest is sending out the protocol negotiation, and the host is sending a response, but after that the guest behaves like it didn't receive anything and is doing TCP retransmissions.

Anybody have any idea what could be wrong? Yes I know I can drag and drop files or setup the special VMware shared folders, but I want to access the host just like any other network accessible shared folder. It just seems really odd when any other computer works, just not between the guest and host.

Answer 1

I'm not sure if this will help you, but I've found in the past that if network settings change (which they can do when upgrading from player 2 to player 3, according to the release notes) and I have mapped shares, I need to un-map those shares and re-map them before they could be accessed again.

There may be other ways to get the same effect, but this is the way which worked for me.

Answer 2

I was stumped by this too. Your observation that the guest is able to ping the host by name sparked the solution. On a new XP install, file & printer sharing is disabled by default. Goto Network Places and "Set up a home or small office network" to initialize it. Not sure if this applies to you since it sounds like you have existing VMs. Maybe the upgrade breaks it and you need to re-run the network initialization?

Answer 3

Sorry I dont have an answer for you but I am experiencing the same issues on a windows 2003 system.

Oddly enough my Windows 2008 VM can access the host files after switching to nat.