ESX Server 3.0.3: e1000 Driver not Detected on Windows Vista Ultimate 32-Bit Guest Operating System in ESX Server 3.0.3
Details
Summary
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit guest operating systems in ESX Server 3.0.3 should use e1000 driver as the default network adapter. However, after VMware Tools is installed, vlance driver is the default network adapter instead of e1000 driver.
Symptom
Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit guest operating system detects the network card, and prompts for drivers required for Ethernet controllers.
To verify the driver used by the guest operating system, the steps are as follows:
1. Click Start > Control Panel > System and Maintenance > System > Device Manager > Network adapter. 2. Right-click Network adapter and choose Properties. 3. In the Driver tab, click Driver Properties.
The driver file is located at: c:\Windows\system32\DRIVERS\E1G60I32.sys .
Solution
To work around this issue, add [ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"] to the vmx file manually and restart the virtual machine. The e1000 module is displayed properly and the network functions correctly.
Note: Windows Vista Ultimate 32-bit guest operating system is unsupported in ESX Server 3.0.3.
