I can't find my wireless network icon and can't activate windows 8 on my new Lenovo laptop?

You have to install the wireless driver for your laptop for it to pop up. Go to lenovo's website on another computer find their drivers page and enter your laptops info and it should display all the drivers you need for the laptop. Download them on a usb and transfer them to your laptop and install them. Should work after that. Don't forget to restart after you install each driver so there's not problems. Yes it is time consuming.

There's one thing you must know about Laptops… They are Integrated parts made specifically for a Make & Model… Meaning very unique. Meaning they don't have Drivers for every Operating System… Especially for an OS that wasn't out when it was manufactured…

Now I'm not sure if you Lenovo was out by the time Windows 8 came out… But i can tell you that they have no Drivers for Windows 8 for Wi-Fi.

Your not completely out of you luck as you can cross your fingers and try to download these Windows 7 drivers…

http://support.lenovo.com/...s/ds000981

It may work or may not… And if they do work it won't be at full Servers because your Operating System doesn't know how to Drive that Wireless Device without the correct Drivers.

Not sure if you wasted your money on Win 8 but you can bring it back to Windows 7 and then use the Windows 10 upgrade which will be more supported from the 1,000s of other Lenovo user like yourself upgrading to Windows 10.

Check your laptop for a button to turn on Wi-Fi sometimes it will be one the sides of the laptop, a F button or a alternate button on the keyboard. It sound it hasn't been activated (Turned On) so it can't detect wireless networks.