The Solution
The solution is to run a Microsoft OS inside a virtual machine with a TAP network adapter / host adapter. This way, the virtual machine will be just like a real computer as far as the network is concerned. It will have a unique IP address.
I picked Windows 98 because its not such a fat waste-of-a-system OS as XP or Vista, and of course MyEnTunnel only works on Windows.
VirtualBox? Hell no.
I initially tried running Windows 98 on XVM VirtualBox, but it was a nightmare. Network was OK, but the CPU load was very high so you have to use Dosidle or RAIN. Even with a CPU idling program, the performance was crap and it seemed to be using a lot of system resources. There are supposedly video solutions out there including DisplayDoctor 7’s built in driver, and some homebrew vesa driver. I didn’t ever get either of those to work, and frankly, I wasn’t willing to put the time in.
Ok, so what IS the solution then?
Well, it’s no surprise that Sun doesn’t support Windows 98, a legacy Microsoft project mind you… Obviously for all of your Microsoft needs, VirtualPC 2007 is the way to go. VirtualPC is Microsoft’s very own VM and it of course requires a Microsoft host (XP or Vista, either 32 or 64 bit).
Virtual PC is awesome for Microsoft OS’s. All of the drivers work out of the box provided you choose the right OS when setting up the VM.
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Microsoft’s equivalent to the VirtualBox TAP adapter is the MAC Bridge Miniport.
Install MyEntunnel the way you normally would, but forward the ports to your other computer.
Great video and CPU performance, plus mouse integration and other cool things with the guest additions installed.
