No internet connection in Starbucks

I specifically need to access various online service from within QuickBooks Pro 2006 running on Windows XP Pro within Parallels on my Macbook, but it just won't see the internet while in Starbucks.

Here are the places I CAN connect to the internet wirelessly while running Windows XP from within Parallels:

Anonymous networks I can access while at home
Washington State Ferry wireless system
Various non-Starbucks coffee shops in and around Seattle

And the places I CANNOT:

Starbucks
Home (via old Airport Base Station)

Needless to say I won't be renewing my monthly Starbucks wirless account if I can't get QuickBooks to connect while running on Windows XP in Parallels on my Macbook.

System info:

Parallels Desktop for Mac Build 1862 Beta (and also production versino before the beta was released)
Network Adaptor Options:
Enable
Connect cable at startup
Bridged Ethernet - en1: AirPort/Wireless Adaptor (tried all pulldown options and also Host-only networking)

Quickbooks Pro 2006
Windows XP Pro
Auto DHCP
Mac OS X 10.4.7
Macbook 1.83 Ghz Core Duo 1.25 GB SDRAM

 

I've never used Starbucks but if you have a paid subscription with a user ID and password they are not going to let you grab two IP addresses. You will have to use host only networking with sharing enabled. That should work if Starbucks isn't issuing IP addresses in the 192.168.2.x subnet. If they are, then it won't work until Parallels fixes their Host networking DHCP software which ignores the configured subnet, which is in the 10.x.x.x range, and issues addresses in the 192.168.2.x subnet. I reported this problem via their built-in support several weeks ago but never even received the courtesy of a reply.

 

I think that's the root of the problem, the Starbucks wireless system not issuing two IP addresses.

That would also explain why I can't access the web through my old Airport Base Station.

Its most likely just a case of clicking a radio box or whatever in the Airport Admin utility, but which one it would be is beyond my tiny monkey brain.

What do I make Sharing Enabled? Something in Parallels or the Sharing options in the Mac OS X Sys Prefs?

 

System Preferences -> Sharing -> Internet tab
Share your connection from Airport
Select the Ethernet Adapter (en2) check box (and none of the others)
Click Start.
Accept the warning.

Do this before you start Parallels.

Sometimes it survives through a reboot / shutdown and sometimes it doesn't.
I now check it before I start Parallels.

As I said above, when my router was issuing IP addresses in the 192.168.2.x subnet it did not work at all. After I reconfigured my router to issue IP addresses in the 192.168.5.x subnet it worked the first time and every time after that.

 

addresses in the 192.168.2.x are issued by OSX

The IP address range is assigned via OS X's DHCP server that is used for the internet sharing feature. You can change the IPaddress range in the Apple utility "Netinfo Manager"
The path to change the IP address in the Netinfo Manager is:-

config->dhcp->subnets->192.168.2

John

 

Basehart,

The title of your message just got me laughing... Have we come to this where our gripes involve not being able to use a certain thing while we enjoy our morning Latte?

I know your problem is real and I'm not making light of that. I hope the host only networking solves it. But still sit back and read your thread title... If you are in the right frame of mind it really is quite funny.

Thanks for a good laugh. Let us know if the host only networking solves it.

M

 

I'll be visiting a couple of Starbuck on my travels today so I'll let you guys know if the most welcpme suggestions above end up working.

As for the title, I'm finding that in order to get your problem/comment/gripe even noticed, never mind addressed, you have to think along the same lines as a newspaper editor thinking up an attention grabbing headline.

Titles like "problem with recent updates" just don't cut it anymore. Instead, something like "Critical Update Starts House Fire" work a lot better.

Thanks again for the advice everyone. If it works I get to do some bookkeeping everytime I stop for a break. Woo Hoo.

 

I went online from within XP in Parallels for the first time at home using my old Airport Base Station using the fix above, so I'm guessing it'll work in Starbucks as well

Set the Sharing prefs in System Prefs as directed and then selected Host Sharing in the Parallels sys prefs.

There were a couple of warning boxes about IP conflict popped up from OS X as XP was booting within Parallels, but that was about it.

I'd tried a similar fix before but did NOT select Ethernet Adapter (en2) because I never selected Airport in the pulldown.

Many thanks for all your help.

 

No DHCP

I followed this but my VM is not even getting a DHCP address. I get the limited or no conectivity in the Windows VM. I setup the Internet Connection shareing and I can see the IP range in Netinfo util but the VM when set to host only mode does not get an IP.


Any ideas?

Thanks

 

I'm having the same problem Basehart had at a starbucks, similar to Basehart I'm using a MacbookPro and trying get online with Parallels via Windows XP.

I followed the directions kindly provided above and did the following:

- changed system Preferences -> Sharing->Internet->seleceted 'Ethernert Adoptor (en2)

- changed via Apple's NetInfo Manager ->config-> dhcp->subnets-> changes form "192.168.2..." to "192.168.5 ..."

- changes Parallels Network Adapter to"host -only"



Any idea why I still cannot get online from Starbucks? ..

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

The recommendation was to change the DHCP server in your router to 192.168.5.x.
You don't change anything in the laptop.

If Starbucks is issuing 192.168.2.x addresses, I currently don't know of a way to get around that problem (I've never been to Starbucks).


Did you set "Share your connection from:" to Airport in addition to selecting (en2)?
Did you click the Start button?

Sharing will sometimes stop on it's own. Verify that it is still running if you have a problem.

 

I have to do this at Starbucks and the reverse to use my Blackberry 8700 as a modem.. the issue is that the parallels VM DHCP does not set a default gateway... so you need to set the Mac IP as the default gateway in the VM when using that connection and the VM's IP as the gateway for the Mac if you are using the VMs connection....

annoying but..... would be a nice added feature if the parallels DHCP server could act as a router for host-only networking...

 

I just happend to talk with T-mobile hotspot and they told me they were very aware of the issue with Parallels and the bottom line is that it doesn't work, in other words noone can get online from parellels as of today 10-14-06. T-mobile said they were very aware that they were working on the problem (I don't want to know how much priority they are giving to this issue). .......... anyway, i appreciate all inputs above. were very helpful. ................. any future tip is more than welcome.

 

Problem resolved with Parallels 1970.

 

It is? Do tell cause it's not working for me...

 

I am having similar problems, except at work. Our routers do not handle the DHCP, but one of the servers (Apple Xserves) handle the DHCP for the network. For some reason my virtual machines do not receive the DHCP address, but they will work if I assign a static IP address.

At home my consumer grade Linksys router hands out IP addresses to the virtual machines though. Oh well, I only need WIn2K at work and I guess I will play with Vista at home.

 

in 1970, use the Shared Networking option. This sets up OSX to be a NAT gateway for you VM. That way only OSX gets the IP from the wireless network and your VM has a non routeable IP address that uses NAT to connect to the network.