Computer help forum: Very Annoying and persistent ATDMT tracking/spying cookie!

How do you accept cookies. You should never blindly accept cookies from any site. In Tools, Internet options, Click the Privacy tab. Click the Advanced button. Put a check in Override automatic cookie handling. Then, First party cookies, prompt. Third party cookies, block. Click OK.

Back to the General tab. Under Browsing history, put a check in Delete history on exit, then click the Delete button to remove everything right now. Click apply then OK.

Restart IE.

Now, when you go to any site, IE will prompt you to accept or deny a cookie. Unless it's for a trusted site like your bank, or whatever, deny them all.

I'll tell you something else. Internet Explorer Instant Messaging is one of the most vile programs ever used. It can cause pop-ups on the desktop even when you're not using your browser.

Thank you, Coryphaeus and Jimmy Greystone. I configured the cookie permissions as suggested, but the atdmt cookie still continues to intrude without asking permission as now do all the other normal cookies. At 1st it seemed to have worked, but just now as I was navigating to the CNet forums, there it jumped up again -- no permission asked, only detected and stopped by AVG.
I still didn't try firefox or other alternative browsers, I'll try that later as soon as I have the time to download and install it. But I suspect it will not solve the problem, because I suspect that if this atdmt cookie pops up bypassing the ask permissions settings, then it probably means that it's being generated by some malware inside my own computer... or is it any other explanation?
Thanks for your swuggestions, I'll continue to repor on this.

Hi Axis,
If you look at the bottom of the AVG pop-up which notifies you of this cookie it shows you the path to the file which was run when the cookie was released. I think you will find it will be one of the .exe files contained in the Microsoft Windows Live suite of programs. Delete Windows Live or the program within it that triggers the cookie and it "solves" the problem. Then reinstall that part of Windows Live and everything will be alright for a day or two, then the infection will come back, just with ordinary e-mail usage. I have had the problem on my machines and it has not always been the same .exe file within Windows Live which delivers the atdmt[2].txt "cookie" payload. Also once the .exe file begins to trigger the "cookie" the computer does not have to be connected to the internet for the cookie to be generated - you just run the file and the cookie appears. It would seem as if some kind of worm infects Windows Live, or it already comes with this payload built in.
My solution that works 100% is to get rid of Windows Live completely and replace it with an open source application called "aMSN Messenger" which looks and works the same as Microsoft's product - in fact it can do more than Microsoft's version, but the good thing is it doesn't have the spyware problem. The program allows you to choose the shell that creates the visual appearance of its interface. If you want it to look exactly like Microsoft with thsame icons etc. you choose the shell that is a copy o f Microsoft's choice of icons etc.
It is debateable whether atdmt[2].txt is actually a genuine cookie - try reading it, or copying it, or dragging it to another location on the computer. Most of the time it just dissappears if you try to do anything like that with it. Who knows it it really comes from ATDMT, or what its cababilities are?
If you want to try aMSN you can download it at www.amsn-project.net

Well I read most of the answers then simply went to control panel/add or remove programs and removed all Windows Live related programmes. Result? No more atd what's-it.

Try it. It is bliss.