Q: I thought I had the Google Redirect Virus but I couldn't get rid of it. I took my computer to a pro who found no such virus and suggested it was a problem in the router. I did a hard reset of the router and that solved my problem!
Randy Kimmel
A: Randy is right, nowadays there are ugly little programs that go beyond messing with your computer, these critters can change settings in your router. To make sense of all this, we need to back up a bit and talk both about the Google Redirect Virus and this new problem with routers.
The virus we are talking about is used by computer criminals to redirect the results you get when you do a Google search. So, instead of taking you to legitimate sites you are sent to places crammed with malicious software used to further compromise your computer. Or, in some cases, you'll be taken to sites that try to sell you products that are either loaded with viruses and spyware or -- at best -- don't work.
In the beginning this virus worked in the usual way, infecting your computer's software. But there's a dangerous and very sophisticated twist now: malicious computer code that changes settings on the router you use to connect your computers. As you'd guess, all this gets a bit complicated -- too much to cover here. You can read about the problem in detail here: http://tinyurl.com/4xyyhbg.
It's a frightening peek into how sophisticated computer criminals are these days. Luckily, in this case, you can fix the problem by resetting the router to its factory defaults and then reprogramming it. You'll learn about all that on the site I mentioned.
Q: Have you heard of how HDMI cables are not transmitting closed-caption data? When an AT&T installer set up my television, he switched out the RCA cables for HDMI ones. When I could no longer get the closed captioning I assumed AT&T was not re-transmitting the data. Then I found that closed captioning was available with the RCA cables. What's the fix for this?
Richard Fiedel
A: Man, this is a day for complicated problems. Richard is correct, changing to a HDMI connection can sometimes trigger just what he described. If this has happened to you, start by contacting the company that made the changes. In some cases there are work-arounds that will return closed captioning even when using HDMI cables. In other cases, a switch back to the older cabling system may be necessary.
This mess started with the switch from analog television service to digital. Before that time, the responsibility for maintaining closed captioning rested solely with the television manufacturer. Now that duty is shared by the manufacturers of the digital boxes used by cable and satellite television providers. In many cases, when closed captioning fails as it did for Richard, the set-top box can be reprogrammed to provide closed captioning while using an HDMI connection. That's why contacting the provider is the first and easiest step.
Consumers who want to try fixing things for themselves can try a Google search such as this:
hdmi closed captioning
That search will provide what is (to me, at least) a bewildering and confusing gaggle of instructions for regaining closed captioning. My guess is that many of those fixes work and some do not. So it would take a determined and energetic person to plow through all that. That's why, since the change made by the provider created the problem, it's best to put the responsibility for fixing things in its hands. Closed captioning is an important service for those who are hearing impaired and responsible providers should provide the help needed.
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