2124 is an unmanaged switch.

They are plug and play.  There is no user interface.  There is no IP address.  They just work.

Here is a simple setup for your laptops:

Set PC1 to 192.168.2.101 mask 255.255.255.0

Set PC2 to 192.168.2.102 mask 255.255.255.0

Connect them to the switch and they should be able to ping eachother.

This didn't necessarily answer my questions.  What is the IP address of the device?  If I hook up two laptops to it on their own small, private network, how do those two laptops communicate to each other.  What IP's do I give them?  Do I program them statically in the adapter settings?

Obviously I know that a managed switch gives you hundreds of settings that you can "manage".  But aren't there a minimum, base amount of settings that can be programmed in a "unmanaged" switch?  Doesn't this switch have some kind a minimal web interface that you log into?  If so, how would you get to it?  What is the IP?  What would the username and password be?  If one doesn't know what the username and password is, can you reset it to factory default settings?  If so, how do you do that?  If you can reset it, then what is the default username and password?

Thank you.  I will try doing this tonight.  I'm so used to working with managed switches and routers, that it's hard to regress back to something as simple as plug 'n play.

Shouldn't this work no matter what IP address I give them, as long as their on the same subnet.  I tried two different times, using a Class A IP (10.10.10.1 & 2), and using a Class C IP (192.168.0.1 & 2).  Neither one of them worked.  The laptops could not ping each other.

Should have worked.  Does the switch show link on both ports connected to the laptops?

Post the output of the DOS command 'ipconfig' from both laptops.  Also post the output of the 'ping' from both laptops.