Starting with Windows 7, Microsoft replaced the Internet activity monitors with a static one. I'm referring to the two monitor icon that flashed blue to show network activity. One incoming, one outgoing. It displayed down in the notification or system area, down by the clock. But Microsoft, in their great wisdom, did away with it.
But you can use a third-party program like Network Activity Indicator to bring it back.
Go here: www.itsamples.com
You can download either it in zip format or install. Your choice. I downloaded the zip file for 64bit and just uncompressed it on my computer. I have a folder called Utilities where I keep my portable apps (the ones that can be used without installing).
When I first started using this, I don't remember changing any of the settings except for the display icon that I set at classic. Right-click on the activity icon to get to the settings menu. Feel free to experiment as you see fit. The following image shows my current settings.
