LAN connection lost

My desktop LAN connection on Windows XP SP2 has suddenly stopped working and I cannot access internet through the DSL LAN connection. I even cannot view the network connections when I click on the ‘view network connections’ link. I also checked my desktop network adapter through the device manager and it works fine but for some reason the network connection cannot be viewed and internet is not accessible. My router works fine and i can access internet on my laptop with a wireless network connection. Any tips on how could i make internet work on my desktop through the wired LAN connection?