Network adapter disappears from a Windows XP virtual machine

 

ESX/ESXi 4.x and later version included a feature called HotPlug. In some deployments virtual NICs can appear as removable devices on the System Tray in Windows guest operating systems. Problems can occur if you mistake this device for one that you can safely remove

Disable HotPlug capability using the vSphere Client:

1. Connect to the ESXi/ESX host or vCenter Server using the vSphere Client.
2. Power off the virtual machine.
3. Right-click the virtual machine and click Edit Settings.
4. Click the Options tab.
5. Click General > Configuration Parameters > Add Row.
6. Insert a new row with the name devices.hotplug and a value of false.
7. Power on the virtual machine.

To disable HotPlug capability by editing the .vmx file:

1. Power off the virtual machine.
2. Access the ESXi/ESX service console using an SSH client.
3. Open the virtual machine configuration file (.vmx) in a text editor. The default location is:
   /vmfs/volumes/datastore_name/vm_name/vm_name.vmx
4. Add the line:
   devices.hotplug = "false"
   Note: This setting does not interfere with HotPlug CPU/memory.
5. Save and close the file.
6. Power on the virtual machine.