The disconnect problem resurfaced after a few days.
I viewed "hidden" devices in device manager and found a duplicate MS
Broadband Adapter. I uninstalled all of them and started anew.
So far [3 days] all if fine even with WPA enabled.
Possible WinXP was confused by the other "hidden" adapter or there was some
legacy settings I was unable to change without a complete reinstallation.

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