I have a 15 Mbps Broadband connection with 2 PC's connected behind a Linksys Router. On one of these PC's I get a full 15 Mbps speed test. On this one, I'm lucky to get 6 Mbps. I have an Intel PRO/100 network card and I believe I have the latest drivers. I'm not really sure how to go about troubleshooting the reason why I'm experiencing the lower speed. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

May be your router shares speed like that.ALso check card.

HAve you designated a spedd for every computer taht is connected on your router? Want A Weekly Update on Latest System Security Problem http://www.systemsecurityinstitute.org

May be the router is configured to share speed between the two. Which Rotuer is this (the make)? Technology Bytes Plus http://learnitfast.blogspot.com

I really don't believe it is a router issue. I have swapped ports and I have never designated different speed levels for different PC's. The router is a WRT54GS. Is it possible I have a hardware problem with my nic that still allows it to operate but at a reduced speed? I would have thought this would be a software issue.

First, check the connection speed on the network icon in your task bar. If you don't have that icon, go into the property sheet for that NIC and click the box that says to show it in the systray. Chances are your switch has 100 Mbps LAN ports. If your NIC shows it's connected at 100 Mbps, then at least you know you're connecting at the proper rate. That doesn't preclude an issue with the NIC, but it does rule out one issue in particular. If you feel it may be the NIC try another NIC. They're pretty cheap these days so buying one shouldn't break your budget if you don't already have a spare you can use to troubleshoot with. If you try another NIC and get the same result, then it's not likely the NIC is the problem. In that case, try a different port on the router. Since you have a WRT54GS, you could run a 3'd party firmware which may also fix the issue. Or, conversely, if you already are running a 3'd party firmware, that may be the problem. Anyhow, if you're not, and are interested in looking at some 3'd party firmware, here's a link to my favorite 3'd party firmware, Tomato. There are 7 or 8 more 3'd party firmwares listed at the bottom of that page in case you'd like to check a different one out. A lot of people use, and like, the DD-WRT

See perfmon and taskmon to start. "Best Practices", Event viewer, host file, perfmon, antivirus, anti-spyware, Live CD's, backups, are in my top 10