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I have a LAN with seven comps connected through antenna via satellite and am using 8 switch port 1st port is uplink port for the antenna and the 2nd port is I don’t know (every time I plug internet connection I get 10MB whereas im supposed to get 100MB, therefore im using other ports from 2 till 8.. so my problem is that whenever I wanna get something from one computer to the other through sharing I cannot coz my comp cannot see each other.. neither pinging..

I have disabled firewall and they are in the same workgroup.. im using XP – porf. OS and I don’t have a clue what is going on..

Switch is not a brand name is regular 8 port switch.. so anybody has any idea what could the problem be..

thank you for your help folks

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Dani AI

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Good call by to question addressing, and useful followup from pointing at third‑party security as the culprit. This combination—addressing problems plus a network‑filtering AV/firewall—explains why machines can get onto the Internet but not see each other. The checklist below helps reproduce the fault and fix it safely so others can follow the same steps.

Run these quick checks on two machines to isolate the problem:

  • ipconfig /all — confirm each PC has an IP in the same subnet and the same netmask.
  • ping <other-IP> and arp -a — test basic layer‑3 reachability and ARP entries.
  • nbtstat -n and net view \\<other-hostname> — verify NetBIOS name resolution and share visibility.
  • netstat -an | find "139" (or check port 445) — see whether file‑sharing ports are listening/accessible.

If basic IP tests pass but browsing/sharing fails, focus on security software and bindings. Many Internet‑security suites install NDIS filter drivers or their own firewall that block SMB/NetBIOS even when a “firewall” appears off. Temporarily uninstall the suite (don’t just disable) or boot Safe Mode with Networking to test. In Network Connections -> Properties, confirm “Client for Microsoft Networks” and “File and Printer Sharing” are bound to the adapter and that NetBIOS over TCP/IP is enabled.

For the 10/100 speed issue: check cable and NIC negotiation. Swap to a known good Cat5/5e cable, set both NICs to auto‑negotiate (or force 100 Mbps full duplex on both ends while testing), and try a different switch port or a direct link. Faulty cables, mismatched duplex, or an uplink port configured differently can force 10 Mbps.

Cautions: don’t leave protection uninstalled long term—reconfigure the security product to allow local traffic (TCP 139/445, UDP 137/138) or use host firewall rules. Updating NIC drivers and the security suite often prevents repeat problems.

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Member Avatar for DMR

How are the computers getting their IP, gateway, DNS, etc. info? Are you assigning that info manually on each machine, or they obtaining it via DHCP or somesuch from your ISP.

Judging from the initial info you've given, it sounds like you need a router, not switch. However, if you could give us the make/model of the switch and a bit more specific info concerning your network setup overall, that would help.

Member Avatar for UNE

Thnx Guys have sort it out .. it was the Antiviruse Internet Security 2004 problem

Member Avatar for DMR

Grrr! I stopped counting the number of times that Norton or McAfee's firewall software has caused these kinds of problems!

However- in your first post you said that you had already disabled the firewall; what gives there?

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