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hi frenz i tried makin use of my moderm so as for it to connect in bothe my main OS WHICH is intalled on my computer an the guest os (vmware windowserever 2008) to connect simultaneously, but isnt working. when i pluge in my moderm an if am in the vmware eniroment it connects only to the vmware enviroment alone...and if i unplug the moderm from the usb port, and pluge it back again, and if am in the main OS which is installed on my computer it only connect to the main OS which is installed on my computer....i need ur help pls pls

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by JorgeM

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Short diagnosis: USB modems are treated as a physical device and can be grabbed by only one OS at a time. When you use VMware’s USB passthrough to attach the modem to the guest, the host loses the device — which matches what you reported, . ’s hardware suggestion is the cleanest long‑term fix, but you can usually avoid buying anything.

Two practical approaches:

  • Hardware: use a router or a modem-router (or a travel router that accepts USB modems). That lets every machine and VM share the connection at once.
  • Software: keep the modem connected to the Windows 7 host and share the host’s Internet to the VM. In most cases the simplest setting is to leave the VM’s virtual NIC set to NAT so the guest routes out through the host automatically. Do not use VMware’s “Connect USB device to VM” option if you want the host to keep the modem.

If NAT doesn’t work, use Windows Internet Connection Sharing (ICS):

  1. On the Win7 host open Control Panel > Network and Sharing Center > Change adapter settings.
  2. Right‑click the modem connection > Properties > Sharing tab.
  3. Enable “Allow other network users to connect through this computer’s Internet connection” and choose the VMware virtual adapter (usually “VMware Network Adapter VMnet8” for NAT or VMnet1 for host‑only).
  4. In the VM settings set the NIC to the corresponding network mode (NAT -> VMnet8, Host‑only -> VMnet1).

Troubleshooting notes: don’t attach the USB modem to the VM from VMware’s Devices menu (that will remove it from the host). If the modem exposes only a COM/dial‑up interface rather than a network interface, ICS/NAT may need extra tweaks or a router will be easier. Check firewall rules and that VMware Tools and virtual NIC drivers are installed in the guest.

Member Avatar for JorgeM

You may consider buying a router that you can connect directly to the modem so that you remove this layer of connectivity from each computer. A router with switch ports will allow you to have multiple VM guests on the network and each with access to the network and Internet at the same time.

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