Notebooks not connecting to wired LAN

Hello everybody. I have problem with notebooks not connecting to wired LAN at home. So, here is the story:

I have a Desktop PC with XP SP2 and HP dv6500 with Vista, both connected to the Internet and to each other, via switch and Cable Modem for the Internet. I have friends who come home frequently with their notebooks. And the problem is that I cannot connect them to the network, in the way I do with my dv6500 and Sempron (desktop machine).

I tried everything, I am sure of that. On the other hand, I suppose that there is something I did not try yet. So please, help me with this.

P.S.: How could I connect dv6500 to the network? Simply, I tried everything, and when I got hungry, I turned the notebook off and went to the local shop to get something to eat. Then I got back and turned it on, and it was working!!! No jokes!!!

P.P.S.: Notebooks failed connection to the network: HP dv6000, Toshiba Satellite Unknown Model, Acer Aspire 5572Z.

 

Well you do not have a router in the situation described. This is what is happening...

Your Laptop and Desktop are fighting over the 1 External IP address that gets assigned to you by your cable company, sometimes your laptop wins and gets the IP and sometimes your desktop wins and gets the IP (most likely when one or the other is turned off). What you need is a router that Shares this one IP address to your other computers. You would plug the Cable Modem into the Internet port of this newly purchased router then you plug (into one of the 4 switch ports on the router) or connect wirelessly every other computer to the router. You can also plug the switch you currently have into the Router's switch port then plug your PC's into the switch.

Hope this helps.

 

Look krik011, I have no problem with my computers connecting to the net. The problem is that my friends notebooks are unable to connect to the network and Internet via switch, which is used by my computers (Laptop and Desktop) to connect to each other AND Internet at the same time.

 

Possible problems:

1. You have MAC filtering enabled on your router.
2. You have wireless security enabled on your router and you did not give the security keys to the guest systems.

Also, when you say "switch", that does not mean a router. Switches do not assign IP addresses; only a DHCP server (which is what a router is) can do that. So, kirk011's reply is correct.

 

Well also, your ISP could allow 2 simultaneous extenal IP addresses; my cable provider does. This is why 2 computers work with a switch and not more than that. You need a router plain and simple, that is as long as you are explaining it correctly.