I recently had to configure a virtual machine on Virtual Server 2005 R2 for Commerce Server 2007.  While setting it up, I only had access to the Internet via my wireless adapter.  Consequently, I had to do the following in order to get the virtual machine to connect to the Internet:

1. Install the Virtual Machine Additions.
2. On the host machine, go to "Add Hardware" in Control Panel.  Click next, wait for it to search for hardware, then select "Yes" on the screen that follows.  Scroll all the way down to the bottom of the "Installed Hardware" list and select "Add a new hardware device".  Choose "Install the hardware that I manually select from a list (Advanced)".  Choose "Network adapters" on the screen that follows.
3. Now you're presented with a list of network card manufacturers and network adapters.  Choose "Microsoft" as the manufacturer and choose "Microsoft Loopback Adapter" as the network card.  Click next and complete the wizard.
4. You should now see an additional network connection in the Network Connections control panel.  It will be called something to the effect of "Local Area Connection 2", but you can determine which adapter is the one you just added either using the ToolTip or the details view (it should show up as Microsoft Loopback Adapter).
5. Now you need to share your internet connection with the network adapter you just added.  Right click your real network card and click Properties.  Go to the Advanced tab and check "Allow other network users to connect through this computer's internet connection".  Choose your Loopback Adapter in the dropdown list, if applicable. Then click OK.
6. Make sure your virtual machine is shutdown.
7. Create a new "Virtual Network".  Choose your Loopback Adapter.  Rename the virtual network to "Loopback Adapter".
8. Change the "Network adapters" for your virtual server, and select the new "Loopback Adapter".
9. Click OK and start the virtual machine up.  You shouldn't have to do any work inside the virtual machine, so just wait for a while (it may take a while for it to get a connection).

You should now be able to connect to the internet!

Update: I have recently joined Microsoft as an Architect Evangelist.  This bio will soon change.

I am a technical lead and application architect, specializing in Enterprise Application Integration (EAI), custom .NET applications, and data warehousing solutions.  I am largely focused on Microsoft products, including Commerce Server, BizTalk Server, ASP.NET (well, all things .NET), Team Foundation Server (TFS), but I also try to actively participate in the open source community.  I am a director for Statera, a Microsoft Gold partner headquartered in Denver, CO.

I have achieved the following professional certifications over the years:

• Microsoft Certified Technical Specialist, (MCTS), BizTalk Server 2006
• Microsoft Certified Solutions Developer, (MCSD), .NET 1.1 platform (C#)
• Microsoft Certified Application Developer, (MCAD), .NET 1.1 platform (C#)
• Microsoft Certified Database Administrator, (MCDBA), SQL Server 2000

I have experience with the following technologies:

• Languages: C#, Visual Basic.NET, C/C++, Visual Basic 6.0, T-SQL, XML, JavaScript, VBScript, Perl, XHTML, CSS, VBA, XPath
• Databases: Microsoft SQL Server (all versions), Oracle 9i, MySQL (5.0, 5.1), Microsoft Access (all versions), PostgreSQL (8+)
• Operating Systems: Windows (Vista, Server 2003 32-bit and 64-bit, XP, Server 2000, NT)
• Technologies: .NET Framework (1.0, 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.5), ASP.NET, ASP, XML Web Services, ADO.NET, Active Directory (ADSI), Crystal Reports, Microsoft SQL Reporting Services, Windows Communication Foundation (WCF), Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF)
• Products/Toolkits: Microsoft Commerce Server 2007, SharePoint Portal Server (2007, 2003), BizTalk Server 2006, Virtual Server 2005 R2, Internet Information Services (all versions)
• Developer Tools: Microsoft Team Foundation Server, Microsoft Visual Studio (all versions), SQL Server Management Studio, Microsoft Visual SourceSafe (6+, 2005)

Please feel free to send me a friendly e-mail, or leave a comment.  Thanks for stopping by!