VMWare Player missing Vmnetcfg.exe

Finding vmnetcfg.exe in VMware Player 3.1.4

Posted on 2011/07/20 by rednectar

 

Rate This

vmnetcfg.exe is an essential tool if you want to manage a Windows host computer’s virtual interfaces (like VMnet1 and VMnet8). If comes with VMware Player, but is buried very deep and you need to know where to look to find it. Thanks mostly to this post, based on an earlier version, I was able to find vmnetcfg.exe in VMware Player v3.1.4. Here’s how I did it:

Preparation

On my first attempt, I found my TEMP directory was so clogged with junk that I couldn’t find the file I needed, so I cleaned it out:

C:\>cd %TEMP%
C:\Users\CHRISW~1\AppData\Local\Temp>del /F /S /Q *.*

Or for the GUI junkies – enter the location %TEMP% in the address bar of a Windows Explorer window and clean away.

Some files will be skipped of course as they will be in use.

Next I had to find the VMware Player install file – so I searched my drive for VMware-player*.*. I found Firefox had put it in my Downloads directory.

Step by step

Task 1: Get a window open of your %TEMP% directory

1. Make sure VMware player is NOT running.
2. Open a Windows Explorer window. Or in layperson speak ‘Open your “Computer” or “My Computer” folder’
3. Type %temp% in the address bar; hit <Enter>. Keep this folder open and visible while you continue with the next task,

Task 2: Run VMware-player-3.1.4-385536.exe

1. In another Windows Explorer window, locate the VMware-player-3.1.4-385536.exe (or similar name) file you downloaded form vmware.com
2. Run this program, and as it loads, notice that a directory appears in your %temp% directory – in my case it was called vmware_1311110184
3. When the installer program has got to the Welcome screen, just leave it sit there.

Task 3: Locate network.cab

1. Open the vmware_1311110184 directory folder in your %temp% folder.
2. Locate the file called network.cab (Note: you will only see the .cab part if you have enabled Windows Explorer to show extensions)
3. Open the network.cab and find vmnetcfg.exe (Again, you will only see the .exe part if you have enabled Windows Explorer to show extensions)

Task 4: Relocate vmnetcfg.exe

1. Copy the vmnetcfg.exe file to your VMware Player’s install directory in my case C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Player\
2. Cancel the install
3. Right-click and drag the icon for vmetcfg.exe from C:\Program Files\VMware\VMware Player\ to your desktop to create a shortcut

End of lesson