How to reinstall the host-only network adapter in VMware 7

It seems that few people have needed to reinstall the host virtual adapters (or at least if they did, they just resorted to reinstalling VMWare instead of just the adapters), so it’s no surprise that there are very few references to fixing it. Fortunately, it has come up and a solution does exist.

What you need to do is to use the vnetlib utility (it should be in the VMWare installation directory).

Someone on the VMWare forums has attempted to document the vnetlib command and another tried to use it to add the host virtual adapters.

Ulli Hankeln has done an even more through job of documenting vnetlib at his Sanbarrow site (which basically, is the online VMWare bible). He also lists a few other ways to manage the network settings.

Anyway, what you can do is to manually reinstall the adapters by using the add adapter argument to vmnetlib, and then managing all the settings, but it’s much easier to just reinstall the VMWare network services:

> vnetlib.exe -- install devices

Stop the VMware services first, then run the following command...

32-bit Windows:

vnetlib.exe -- install devices

64-bit Windows:

vnetlib64.exe -- install devices

Run vmnetcfg.exe and just press "Restore Default".. :)

Generally, clicking "restore default" restores basic connectivity. You can then configure additional options as needed. Essentially, this reruns the initial network configuration setup and reinstalls all adapters/resets all network settings.

I came across the same issue. After pocking around VMware i found a way.

On the workstation click:

• Edit

• Virtual Network Editor

• Add Network and choose the network to add ( VMnet1,2,3 and so on)

• Click 'OK' twice and you should be good to go...

I disabled my VMware network adaptor in Windows 7.

After enabling it in Windows 7, it also works again in VMware.

See if that works for you.