I tried reinstalling VMware Tools, but nothing worked. Nothing, that is, until I tried this handy tip I found on Dave Taylor's Web site. The problem is in a VMware configuration file. Let me show you how to find and modify it to make your Ethernet work.

Shut down the virtual machine. Even if it's suspended, I recommend firing it up and shutting it all the way down.

Now you need to find the virtual image of Windows 7.

It's likely in Documents, in a folder called Virtual Machines.

The image for your Windows 7 is likely called something like Windows 7.

Whatever your image is called, if you're sure it's the right one, control or right click and choose "Show package contents."

Now find the file that ends in .vmx.

Right or control click on that file and choose "Open with." Then choose Text Edit, or whichever text editor you prefer.

Once the file opens in your editor, scroll down until you find these four lines that start ethernet0.

You're going to add a fifth line.

Type ethernet0.virtualDev = "e1000"

Now save that file and close it.

Go restart the virtual machine.

You should now have the ability to surf the Internet.

Rafe and Tom answer tech questions about getting Microsoft software for cheap, the security of bank apps and more.

Paul Kocher from Cryptography Research gives us the lowdown on botnets and just what we need to be afraid of.

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Mark in Albuquerque, N.M. wants to know why Windows update isn't working fro him in Parallels. A tough one to do without followup questions, but most likely he needs to have Parallels tools installed. If that's not it, a bridged connection instead of a NAT might help. If he's virtualising off a Bootcamp partition, try doing the updates in boot camp. If none of that helps, take a look at this forum thread on Macworld.com.

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For the caller with the DVD drive that disappeared when he plugged in an external hard drive, we suggested some troubleshooting steps. Look to see if the drive still shows in BIOS. If it doesn't, the drive is likely toast and it's all a coincidence. If it does show up there, then try booting off it, say with a live Linux CD like Ubuntu, just to make sure it works. If that works, try upgrading the drivers in Windows. More ideas can be found here.

For underwater digital cameras, Brian Tong pointed out, you can get waterproof enclosures for any camera. This is good enough for poolside and snorkeling. There are also some heavier duty cameras meant for underwater use. There's a good forum thread about this at CNET forums.

The MSI gaming series laptop is a decent gaming laptop, but if you only want light gaming, a cheaper Netbook and desktop combo might cost you the same or a little cheaper.

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Brian Cooley and I lose our jobs, but before we do, we answer questions on wireless TV streaming, VirtualBox, and more.

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Alexander in Brazil wanted to know about PC gaming in Boot Camp on a Mac, and how to change the middle-click button option so it doesn't bring up the Dashboard in OS X. Windows games play pretty well, but you have to take in account the Mac hardware. It's not up to what a good PC gaming rig would be. As for the middle-click, go to System Prefs pane choose expose and spaces and look for Dashboard. There's a setting there for turning of the middle-click to bring up Dashboard.

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I didn't have an answer for our caller from Mumbai about port forwarding in VirtualBoxc, but Tales in the #cnetfans chat room suggested looking at this posting.

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Whether it's a regular text note, or a recorded video question, you can send it to cnetlive@cnet.com. Keep your videos to 15 seconds or less, post them to a Web site like YouTube, and then e-mail us the link.

What if you could run all your Windows programs inside OS X? It's very handy if you're making "the switch," or just want flexibility. Watch the video on CNET TV to see how it's done. Then read on for the details in print.

I've previously showed you how to run Windows on your Mac in Boot Camp. What we have here today is slightly different. It's called virtualization. Virtualization software actually pretends to be a computer and, in this case, it runs the whole Windows operating system as a program in OS X.

The first thing you need on the road to Windows virtualization is a legal copy of Windows XP or Windows Vista. Next, you need to download a virtualization program. Two of the most popular are VMware Fusion and Parallels. Since I shot the video, I've also been made aware of VirtualBox, an open-source virtualization machine.

Download your choice and install it in OS X.

The next step is to install Windows into the virtual machine. But, as I mentioned earlier, I already installed Windows on a Boot Camp partition on my machine. If you have done this, too, you need do nothing! Your virtual machine can run Windows off the Boot Camp partition giving you the option of booting solely into Windows if you wish.

You lose a few features if you use Boot Camp as your virtual machine. So you have to decide whether the extra trouble of Boot Camp is worth the flexibility to boot solely into Windows. For me it was. It saved my life on CNET Live a couple times.

Whether you're installing Windows as a virtual machine or running it off the Boot Camp partition, you will need to go through Windows Activation, because Windows sees the virtual machine as a whole new set of hardware.

If you've only installed Windows once, or never, activation should happen seamlessly online. But if you, like me, have played with more than one virtual machine plus Boot Camp, you may have used up your activations. Which means you may have to call Microsoft to activate.

The automated system will ask you a few questions. You don't need to lie, just answer as if you've rebuilt the computer, replacing everything but the motherboard.

Another note here for Boot Camp lovers: Make sure to install the tools provided by your virtualization software before you boot into Windows directly from Boot Camp. Otherwise you may end up in an activation loop. You may still have to activate online, but it should only happen once if at all. Also, Boot Camp or not, be prepared to reactivate Microsoft Office as well.

OK! We finally have Windows rolling on our Mac. Kind of cool but it's all trapped inside a little window. Let's set it free, shall we?

In Parallels there's something called "Coherence Mode." In VMware Fusion it's Called "Unity mode." Whichever one you're using, turn it on, and watch the magic. The Windows taskbar shows up on the bottom of your screen! I moved my OS X dock to the side so they don't compete. Programs you run from Windows show up in their own Windows just like an OS X application.

You can even cut and paste between Windows and OS X programs! Essentially, you have Windows and OS X running side by side.

A few notes, though: The Windows programs do a run a tad slower than the OS X programs. They're also limited to being in one monitor even if you have two monitors going, although the beta of the new VMware Fusion has added multiple monitor support. Also, if you're running off the Boot Camp partition, you have to shut down Windows from the Start menu before you close the virtualization program.

If you're not using Boot Camp, you can take snapshots of the system and start from the same place next time you run it. That's just the tip of the iceberg, of course, but enough to get you going. Don't forget that neither VMware Fusion nor Parallels is free. You can get free trials, but they each cost about $80 to keep.

Oh and Windows isn't the only OS you can virtualize. You can also do Linux and other OSes. And no activation issues!

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