You will never get the properties to work with the protocol. Every time you click the protocol the properties box goes gray. I have used the Netbeui and it just seems to work if you install it right. I just did it yesterday on 5 machines and it worked fine.
Install NetBEUI on Windows XP
The files necessary for installing the NetBEUI protocol on Windows XP are Netnbf.inf and Nbf.sys. Complete the following steps to install NetBEUI:
Insert your Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive and browse to the Valueadd\MSFT\Net\NetBEUI folder.
Copy Nbf.sys to the %SYSTEMROOT%\System32\Drivers directory.
Copy Netnbf.inf to the %SYSTEMROOT%\Inf hidden directory.
NOTE: To make a hidden folder viewable, perform the following steps:
Click Start, click Run, type Explorer, and then press ENTER.
Click Tools, click Folder Options, and then click the View tab.
Under Advanced Settings, click Show hidden files and folders under the Hidden files and folders Folder.
Click Start, click Control Panel, and then double-click Network Connections.
Right-click the adapter you want to add NetBEUI to, and then click Properties.
On the General tab, click Install.
Click Protocol, and then click Add.
Click to select NetBEUI Protocol from the list and then click OK.
Restart your computer if you receive a prompt to complete the installation.
The NetBEUI protocol should now be installed and working.