Is is a DSL/cable connection or dialup? Or pseudo-dialup?

It should automatically start up and work if it's a DSL or cable connection. can you post the results of these commands performed <i>before</i> you fix the connection:

Click Start > Run, and run "cmd". To copy/paste from cmd, you can click the top menu > mark, and then press enter after it is marked.

Commands:
1. "ipconfig /all"
2. "tracert google.com"
3. "ping google.com"
4. "ping 72.14.207.99"
5. From command #1, there will be one section called "Wireless network connection" (or "Local area connection" if you're using ethernet), or something similar; look for the default gateway and the IP address of the relevant section (they'll be similar to 192.168.*.*, 10.*.*.* or 175.*.*.*), and try "ping <gateway/ip>" replacing the <gateway/ip> with the default gateway address and then again with the IP address.