I have seen something like this. In my case it was due to a problem with the NIC driver, and was resolved by updating the driver. The PCs that are connected to the ports that fail, are they all the same make/model by any chance?
The other issue that can occur is when a PC is in standby, and the power is removed and re-established - a brown-out. This can cause garbage on the port because the speed/duplex negotiation fails on the port, but the NIC card thinks it is still on standby at the original speed.
Hope this helps
Kevin Dorrell
Luxembourg