Depending on how elaborate they are, home networks can be complicated. Unfortunately, because of this complexity, problems occasionally happen. Fortunately, you can usually solve these problems yourself. In most cases, finding the problem is a matter of going through a series of steps to eliminate potential issues one by one until you find the source of the problem. This article walks you through isolating your problem, troubleshooting the problem, and, if necessary, contacting the right organization for support.
If you are setting up your home network for the first time, refer to Set up a wired network or Set up a wireless network. The guidance in this article assumes that you were previously able to use your network, although the information here might be useful for troubleshooting setup problems, too.
People who work with networks think of them in terms of layers. These layers include the Internet, your modem and router, and the computer (or computers) on your network. To troubleshoot a problem effectively, you must first identify which network layer is causing the problem. The following diagram shows the different layers that might be the cause of a problem.

TIP #1: How to Create a Network Desktop Icon
Unlike Windows XP, which by default offered a My Network Places icon on the desktop, to get to Network in Vista, if you make no changes from the default installation, you’ll need to maneuver through six different windows. If you start with the Control Panel. It may not be apparent at first but you actually can access Network directly from the Vista Start Orb (Start Menu), or you can create and add a Network icon on the desktop yourself.