« Network Connections » sluggish

I have great difficulty in accessing the Properties option of Network Connections under XP-SP2.

When I open Network connections and right-click on the active connection I am interested in, I run into a semi-freeze. After a few minutes, either I get a message telling me I should allow Windows to manage the network or the Properties window is displayed.

I can access the rest of the system during that freeze. Furthermore, there is no network access problem per se.

I am using Surecom EP-9001-g wireless USB Adapter which operates perfectly. I uninstalled and reinstalled it.

I ran Ad-Aware and Spybot. Then, I ran an sfc /purgecache command followed by an sfc /scannow. At one point in time, it asked me to insert an XP Pro SP2 cd ( !) although I am running an XP Home SP2 on the pc. In My Computer, it confirms that XP Home SP2 is actually installed.