I got a network hub tonight to try to hook a desktop and a laptop to my cable modem together. They each connect into the hub, which then hooks into the modem. Now the problem is that my desktop, which in in slot 1, works fine, but the laptop, which is in slot 2, doesn't. The lights come on the hub for that slot as normal, but the laptop will either sit on acquiring network connection, or will finally come up with limited or no network connection.

With a piece of hardware that has no software and that is connected right, what could be the problem?

HI welcome to the forum did you configure the network connection for your laptop?

OK, I need to make sure I understand you.

You are connecting your computers to a hub, not a router, correct?

In that case, the equipment you have chosen is not capable of creating a LAN. All a hub does is make two connections into one, it has no ability to assign IP addresses or route data like a router does.

Not strictly true.

A hub is perfectly capable of creating a LAN but you are right in that it won't issue IP's - one can only presume from the original post that his modem is actually a router or that they have manually configured the IP setup on the PC that is working.