ActiveX
Too bad about your Google Earth. Same happened to the Mrs. P's computer a few year back. Never could figure it out. But, something you can try, is go to the start menu, then all programs, find the Google Earth folder, and try DirectX or OpenGL mode.
Or Uninstall and start over again, but use Ccleaner, or something else to scrub your registry, the bug might be there. But caution, always set a restore point before altering, because it's the registry.