browsing in win2k server domains

I am a consultant in the oregon area for over 10 years and the hardest part of my career is troubleshooting browsing in 2k. Is there an easy way to procede in this area or is it always a shotgun approach. I mostly have trouble over a vpn connection,I can set it up perfectly, it will work for a while then break and I have to reconfigure. I usally spend so much time on it that I can not get paid the full amount. For the sake of customer service and my sanity please help.