How can I assign a static IP address in Microsoft Virtual PC 2004 if I've selected the "Shared Networking (NAT)" networking option?

A. When you select the "Shared Networking (NAT)" option, Virtual PC 2004 clients by default obtains an IP address (in the 192.168.131.0/24 subnet) from the DHCP server that Virtual PC 2004 emulates. If you want to create a static IP address, you must use the following details:

IP address range: 192.168.131.175 - 192.168.131.200 
Subnet mask: 255.255.255.0 
Gateway: 192.168.131.254 

After you configure these networking settings, Virtual PC 2004 will have full Network Address Translation (NAT) access. If you encounter problems, try setting the TCP/IP properties to DHCP to ensure that the networking settings work as a DHCP client.