After downloading the MS SharePoint preconfigured VM (demo2010a and demo2010b), I started them up on my network and noticed they would not load the SharePoint sites.
Here is the VM I downloaded from Microsoft: 2010 Information Worker Demonstration and Evaluation Virtual Machine (RTM):
After trying the site http://intranet.contoso.com in the Demo2010A machines internet browser and getting a Page cannot be displayed error, I checked my app pools, IIS web site, central admin (which worked on http://demo2010a:2010 btw), alternate access mappings, and DNS.
I noticed some funny settings with my vm’s DNS manager on Demo2010A machine.
The IP’s I was seeing were 192.168.150.0 and 192.168.150.1, which I am on the 10.6.0.x network, so this was alarming to me.
I called over our new IT guy and put him to work, explaining that I can access one of the applications by hostname (http://demo2010a:2010), but all of the alternate access mappings and DNS entries were not working.
After some troubleshooting and changing the DNS entry for demo2010a and demo2010b (SEE PICTURE ABOVE) to 10.6.0.164 and 10.6.0.169 (The new 10.6.0.x IP’s were the IPs machines were both assigned from TCIP set to automatic).
After I modified the DNS, I did a Command prompt ipconfig /flushdns
Following this,my coworker set the DNS under TCP/IP v4 to the IP of demo2010a machine (the dns server- 10.6.0.169).
The issue was that the DNS server was inheriting from my companys DNS on the same 10.6.0.x network, instead of the contoso DNS entries on demo2010a machine.
After setting Demo2010A and Demo2010B’s DNS to the local IP of demo2010a (10.6.0.169), this fixed the site. I can now access http://intranet.contoso.com from the demo2010a machine. I CANNOT access this on any computer who’s DNS is not set to 10.6.0.169, as the DNS automatically obtains my company’s DNS server and settings.
Solving SharePoint Issues - Eric Schrader 
Hi, Thanks. i was having a similar issue.
i first connected the NIC port to my Company network. once it received an IP from DHCP. every thing started worked. then i gave the VM server an IP of different range, installed DHCP on it catering for the dev setp box, connected that NIC port to dedicated switch with the dev box. bingo. everything works now.
Thanks for the quide.
Thanks! Glad you got it working.
I’m running the same vhd on my home Win7 machine via Virtualbox, so I thought my troubles were VirtualBox related. I had the exact same symptoms you describe and your post pointed me in the right direction. Many, many, MANY thanks!
Thanks, was your issue DNS related?
Thank u very very much . i was stuck with this issue , i was creating site collection on the Central administration 😦
Hi Eric,
Great post. However I have encountered some problems here. I am running the SharePoint virtual machine over VMware Player and after installation I was unable to access (http://demo2010a:2010). I changed the IP address of demo2010a to the ip address of the vm which enabled me to access (http://demo2010a:2010) however I still can’t access anything with *.contoso.com. I changed IP adress for all these to the ip address of the vm but still unable to access any of the sites such as intranet.contoso.com and the rest that come with this demo virtual machine. any ideas?
Ahsan,
Since you changed the up, be sure to update the DNS record. Ping intranet.contoso.com and contoso.com and make sure they resolve to the New ip. Check the DNS portion in my above post, that should help.