Windows 7 - XP VM in Windows 7

Hello,
I have Windows XP running in VMWARE on Windows 7 to allow access to my work network. In the XP network connection I have a static IP address added. This is bridged to my host connection where my IP address is assigned.

The issue I am having is that my Virtual XP is unable to access the gateway.
If I remove the static IP address, I can access the intenet so there are no firewall
issues. I need to have a static address on the VM to enter the network...

Any ideas or suggestions?

Thank you for any help.

If static addresses are assigned, you will need to manually assign another static IP address to the virtual machine if you wish to use bridged mode. You may have to get your IT Department to authorize an IP Address for this XP Virtual Machine or if you already can use up to 2, then just assign the second one to it and you should be fine (provided it's on the same network).

Alternatively, you can set the Network mode for the XP Virtual Machine to "NAT" and have VMware run its own little router to assign it IPs based off that to the virtual machine.