What mechanism can be used to prevent packet loss due to excessive data transmission speed between two computers?

Flow control is the correct mechanism to prevent packet loss that can occur due to excessive data transmission speed between two computers. This process involves managing the rate at which data is sent across the network. If one device is sending data faster than the receiving device can process it, flow control helps to temporarily halt or slow down the transmission until the receiving device is ready to accept more data. This prevents the buffer of the receiving device from overflowing, which would lead to packet loss.

In contrast, packet switching refers to a method used to transmit data in packets over a network, which optimizes bandwidth but does not specifically address the issue of controlling data transmission speeds. Error correction is focused on detecting and correcting errors during data transmission rather than managing the flow of data itself. Data buffering helps with temporarily storing data during transmission, but it does not inherently manage the speed at which data is sent; it is more of a supportive mechanism rather than a direct solution to prevent packet loss due to speed issues. Thus, flow control is specifically designed to handle the speed of data transmission, making it the most appropriate mechanism in this context.