Charter Communications Hijacks Windows Live Search Engine

I like to do my searches by just typing search terms in the address bar at the top of the browser. I never actually click on Search or even use the designated Search box in the browser. I used to rely on Google. Prior to installing Windows Vista Ultimate, I would go out and search for the Registry key from Google that would change my default search engine in Internet Explorer from MSN to Google.
When I installed Vista, it defaulted to a new search engine- Windows Live Search. I decided to leave it and play around with it. I like it better than MSN, but I haven't really decided if I like it better than Google. But, while the jury is still out, I have left it as the default search engine and I use it regularly.
Suddenly though, when I type my search terms I am getting redirected to a different search engine. My first thought is that perhaps it is malware- like a good, old-fashioned, browser hijacking. Those tend to go to malicious, or questionable sites though. My search results seemed fairly legitimate. They just weren't from Microsoft Windows Live Search.
I checked my settings in Internet Explorer to see if, perhaps, my default search engine settings had been changed or altered in any way. Nope. They still show Live Search as my default search engine of choice.