VMware and avast! Internet Security Network Problem

Just in case I am not the only one to run into this, I thought I would post the answer to a problem that vexed me for a while.  I run avast! Internet Security for my software host based firewall and anti-virus on my Windows boxes.  On some of those I also have VMware Workstation installed.  I noticed that when all of the protection settings or “shields” as they are called were turned on, my virtual machines couldn’t talk to anything else on the network when in bridged mode.  If I went to NAT mode or turned the avast! shields off, it would work, but neither of these solutions was satisfactory to me.  So, I kept on digging, even checked in with tech support to no avail.  Finally I found it, something so simple and trivial I wanted to scream, but my family is asleep right now so I didn’t.  In avast! Internet Security, there is an option to tell the firewall to allow Internet Sharing.  I guess multiple computers communicating in a shared manner like that looks bad if you didn’t plan it that way.  Well, when your virtual machines are running, it looks just like Internet Sharing, at least it does to avast! anyway.  Simply open up the main window, go to the firewall section and hit the “Expert Settings” button.  On the dialog that pops up there is a check box about in the middle (maybe a little lower) of the page to enable Internet Sharing.  Turn that on and your virtual machines will be talking like teenage girls with unlimited text plans.  Hope that helps someone out there, enjoy!

19 thoughts on “VMware and avast! Internet Security Network Problem

  1. Wow, who would have thought that Internet Sharing was the solution?
    I thought of it, but didn’t enable it… ’till I saw your blog entry.

    Now I can do bridge on VMware, just as before installing Avast Internet Security, and there’s no need to open or forward any ports, or mess with any firewall rules.

    Thanks!!!

  2. you did not save my afternoon but you did save my evening!

    I installed a new vmware linux (running on top of windows) and the darn thing did not get network right. I had another vmware linux open and everything fine here. I could do non http stuff like ping and even vpn but no http port.

    Reinstalled, no fun until I see your post . –thxs.

  3. Thanks for the tip. I had narrowed it down to Avast but hadn’t found the actual setting yet. A simple search led me here and a simple checkbox solved the problem. Who would have thought that the solution would be so simple as well? LOL @ your scream comment. I felt the same way.

  4. I nearly broke my PC trying to sort this out. Thanks for the assistance. Without it I would have been reloading my host by now!

  5. Thanks for this hint. It screwed me up that I needed to leave my host bare to the www if I was willing to run my VMs and just because I’m not a pro on firewalls.

  6. Excellent job! i was setting all kinds of application rules trying to get vmware to work right. Thanks for the solution, hate reinventing the wheel.

  7. Oh man, I have been battling this problem for weeks, when I finally tried to bind a new adapter to the bridged connection, I saw that the only available one on the system was the Avast NDIS attached to my network card, I searched avast vmware network and BAM – you saved the day!

  8. Woot! Woot! That’s awesome! I am glad this post is helping people, and I am glad that people are sharing their comments!!

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