The issue is my parents have a speedtouch thomson modem and my father decided to plug a router in because he wanted to run his other computer off it. He never got to program anything because within that hour of plugging in the router the modem shut down. Now the only lights that come on the modem is the power and Ethernet light, but the internet and DSL light will no long come on. My parents called tech support through their internet provider and they sent them a new modem. This still did not solve the issue, the same problem was happening with the new modem as well. They tried to soft boot the modem and still nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions for this? It would greatly be appreciated.

My parents operating system is windows Vista and the router was a prendnet

If your original modem has multiple ports on it, it is already a router/modem. A second router/modem is not necessary and will lead to a software war between the two modems for control of the DSL line.

Steps to try

1. remove router
2. connect one and only one PC to the modem (the one that worked before)
3. click start
4. click run
5. type cmd in run text box and hit enter
6. type ipconfig in the cmd window and hit enter
7. note the ip address for the local area connection if it is 192.169.xxx.xxx the modem is not properly providing an IP address and needs to be replaced again
8. fine the line that says default gateway
9. enter ping nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn where nnn.nnn.nnn.nnn is the default gateway
10. If there is a response (the messages returned say that packets received are greater than 0 contact your ISP for instructions on how to get connected to the internet
11. If received packets are 0 you will probably need to get a new modem.
12. When you have one PC properly hooked up to the internet it is time to add another
13. Return the router to wherever you bought it and get a switch.
14. Unplug the PC that works from the switch and plug it into the switch, plug the switch into the modem.
15. Test to see that everything still works. If it does not check your cables and if necessary return to step 1.
16. After you get the first PC working, and all of there others one at a time testing each one as you go, this should give you the connection that you need without much ado

It's a line issue or a cord issue.

Take a cord from a good phone. Take to modem outside to the NID and plug it in there. See if you can get the DSL light up. Nothing else needs to be plugged in except power.

The modem/router problem is another one. The modem may have to be set up in bridge mode. Not an obvious configuration.

Just a quick thought here.
The OP mentions DSL, so is the client computer dealing with the connection via DUN's.
If so then the router would need to control the connection.
Bear in mind, if the connection IS via DUN's then the modem is NOT always connected.

This is one reason I always suggest replacing separate modem and routers with an all in one device that does ensure the connection is always on.