I have a very strange problem with my web browser. I have no problems whatsoever with my browsing with one big exception.

If I view maps or satellite images in situations such as:
google maps
mapquest
www.realestate.com.au whereby real estate listings have an interactive map window

Any time I do any of these things I suddenly can no longer browse no matter what I do. I can't browse with Firefox or IE. I have tried resetting my connection and disabling my zonealarm firewall. If I reboot my computer and at the same time reset my connection then my connection is fine again.

I never have problems with IM programs. Only with browsing.

This is a very specific and bizarre situation as everything else runs perfectly, it's a brand new computer running Windows XP. could anybody enlighten me about the cause of this problem?