Selecting "preferred networks" window hangs Explorer.exe

[The late XV105]

Home PC running XP SP3 Media Center Edition 2005
Work Laptop running XP Pro SP3
Home Laptop running XP Home SP3

All are set with Wireless Zero Configuration enabled (so XP takes care of managing WiFi connections) and all exhibit the same problem since I switched the home network to WPA-PSK from WEP 64 bit yesterday (having retired an old laptop that only supported the latter level of encryption)

Wireless router is a Home Hub v1 running 6.2.6.E firmware

1. Double click WiFi icon in System Tray
2. Observe connected status
3. Click "View Available Networks" button
4. Click "Change the order of preferred networks" button
5. Observe that the wireless dialogue box disappears entirely and Explorer hangs; nothing what so ever is "clickable" to do anything
6. Press CTRL-ALT-DEL and open Task Manager
7. Observe nothing has state "Not Responding"
8. Observe CPU is 0% to 1% so nothing is running away with itself
9. Kill the Explorer process via the Processes tab
10. Restart the Explorer process via "New Task" Explorer in the Applications tab
11. Observe that everything comes back to life and the wireless connection still exists
12. Repeat initial steps
13. Observe that this time the preferred networks window DOES display

Regular as clockwork
Every time

Que?!?!?