PLEASE HELP!!! - After Upgrade intermittent problem

Hi Guys,

This problem I just can't get my head around....

A little bit of background.
I use my mac for my business and try to run most of the software I need on the mac , although the main program we use in the business for accounts, orders, stock etc. is windows based. This program connects to an FTP server to update other computers within the business over two sites. I previously had problems with this software connecting to this FTP server until i changed the network settings to Bridged>Airport, from host only. (I am lead to believe it is something to do with the IP address etc. I have Parallels Desktop 5 (build 5.0.9310, revision 546799) running windows 7 professional 64 bit and everything has been running brilliantly until recently. Parallels 5 ran and installed an update and since then the internet connection on the virtual machine isn't working properly.

It hardly ever connects anymore. Most of the time it shows the network but shows "no internet access". Occasionally it just connects without any intervention and stays connected for between 20 seconds and 10 minutes then disconnects again. Most of the time though it only stays connected for a very short period of time (2 sec's to a minute)

On the windows side in command prompt i ran ipconfig/release & ipconfig/renew and got the following message:

"an error occurred while renewing interface Local Area Connection : unable to contact your DHCP server. Request has timed out"

Then 20 minutes later it just connected on its own (then disconnected after 15 minutes).

It has only been doing this for the last 24/36 hours.

Here is the strange thing though. It doesn't do it when I am at home, It connects every time and stays connected. Nothing has been changed at the office, the only thing that has changed is the update.

The broadband service at the office is 5mb through the telephone line with BT with a business hub (http://business.bt.com/broadband-and-internet/internet-access/broadband/more-about-routers) and the broadband at home is cable with Virgin media with a netgear router plugged into their own modem.

If anyone can help with this i would be so so grateful, I can't do anything for my business until I get home in the evening, I can't take orders, raise purchase orders etc.

Thank you in advance.

Regards,

Simon.

 

Do you see the same behaviour on your Mac? Ie if you don't start Parallels and use your Mac as a Mac in the office, does it still have these connectivity issues?

 

Hi Shaddam,

Sorry for the late reply, I have been away at a trade show.

The mac side doesn't show any issues at all. Airport is always connected and always works.
I am running parallels at the moment and on the windows side it wont connect to the internet, however on the mac side I am on the forum posting this reply to you.

I've never had any issues on the mac side, whether running parallels or not.

Any ideas?

 

do you have a dhcp server running within parallels (parallels settings (not VM settings) -> network)? If so, try turning it off...

 

I've turned that setting off in Preferences> Network> and de-ticked the "enable DCHP Server".
I don't know whether it has made any difference yet as it is currently connected but didn't connect immediately after i changed the setting. It was about 20 minutes after that it connected. The trouble is that it was connecting intermittently before this change. I'll have to keep an eye on it. Thanks Shaddam.

Have you seen this problem before?

 

Hi Simon Moulds,

no, I haven't seen this problem ever.

Good luck!