Tracking cookie!

[Twinkle]

This little nasty tracking cookie, is doing my head in. atdmt[2].txt
I have to scan and re-scan all the time! Quarantine does not help and adding it to restricted sites does not help.

Pleas does anyone no of a solution?

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

From a quick search, there are numerous mentions of atdmt.txt being Spyware, which in all probability it is, the atdmt.txt cookie is from http://www.atlassolutions.com/ and http://www.atdmt.com also redirects to the Atlas Solutions website.

This is one of those intrusive advertising agents that collects data from you and passes it on to a Third party advertiser.

And guess what!, its a subsidiary of Microsoft Advertising.

On their Privacy page, this is what the first sentence says and I was rolling on the floor with laughter....

Atlas, a Microsoft Corporation Subsidiary, considers Internet user privacy to be of paramount importance.

Total B/S.

My first thoughts were before reading further into the site, was to add www.atlassolutions.com and www.atdmt.com to your restricted sites.

This may or may not work, but worth a try.

Reading deeper into their so called Privacy page, there are numerous suggestions about blocking cookies and the effects on Anti-Spyware programs, Spybot was also mentioned.

It gives various suggestions, including blocking 3rd party cookies, which I had previously set in Firefox when I changed over from Maxthon, many months ago.

Here is the Privacy page and below that, the page about cookies/anti-spyware, etc.

http://www.atlassolutions.com/privacy.aspx

http://www.atlassolutions.com/privac...x#anti-spyware

You can block 3rd party cookies in IE, via the suggestion mentioned there and/or try adding the sites to the restricted sites option in IE as I mentioned above.

*.atlassolutions.com *.atdmt.com

There is also mention of an opt-out cookie ?? Why on earth would you want an op-out cookie on your PC, that would probably get zapped when you clean out your cookies, then have to install it again every time you did a clear out, thats if you remember. And why should a person have to go through all this rigmorole of preventing some money grabbing scummy company placing an unwanted, intrusive, data collecting cookie on your PC anyway. So much for their Privacy statement, heh.

Anyway, see if any of these suggestions work. :D

[Twinkle]

Trying all above. Fingers crossed it will work. I will post back as I have to go DR now.

[Twinkle]

Done all of the above Johnny, but its still bothering me. Spybot does not find it only super antispyware and I have to keep ruining it all day, flaming cookie is spoiling my fun. :( Thanks for your help, appreciated.

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

I believe this cookie is a 3rd party cookie, which should be blockable.

Are you using IE7 or IE8 ?

Have you tried looking for the cookie on the PC and is it in the same location reported by SAS, or does SuperAntiSpyware report it in the Registry for example.

Click on Start and type in shell:cookies Press Enter.

You should be in the Cookie folder, is there a atdmt cookie in there ??

Or the long way is.....

C:\Users\ your user name\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Cookies

[Twinkle]

IE8 Johnny, adtm not in cookies, but I just guaranteed it again! As soon as I go on web it will be back again! This first site I had better scan right now!!!!

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

I dont think that cookie is from this forum, well its not mentioned in the Source page of the forum index.

When you open SASpyware, click on the Settings button and then click on the Statistics/Logs tab, in there you should see the logs from previous scans. Look for the latest date and double click on that entry to open it.

Look in that log, to see where the cookie is being located EG. C:\User\Username\ blah blah blah, or is it a Registry entry like HKEY_Current_User\ blah blah blah.

[Twinkle]

This is the first place I came to this time and thats when I pick it up! Wherever the first place I go to. Have to scan again now!
SASpyware:-sers\Twinkle\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Coo kies\twinkle@atdmt[2].txt

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

Did you try blocking 3rd party cookies in Internet options ??

On the IE toolbar, click Tools > Internet Options > Privacy tab and you should see a button called Advanced, click that and in the next window, put a tick in the Override Automatic Cookie Handling box, which will ungrey the options available.

Dot the Accept box in the First Party Cookies section.

Dot the Block box in the Third Party Cookies section.

Leave the Always Allow Session Cookies box at the bottom of the window unticked.

OK out and close IE. Not forgetting to Zap the atdmt cookie before you open IE again and browse the Internet. Then see if it has returned or not.

[Twinkle]

Yes I have done that. Nothing seems to work! Driving me insane, spoiling my fun, get strange messages that I know aren't true!

[JohnnyReb51]

get strange messages that I know aren't true!

Originally Posted by Twinkle

Eh!

[Twinkle]

Yes like go page to previous page etc

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

Yes like go page to previous page etc

Sorry, I dont understand a word you are saying.

Back to the atdmt cookie.

Go back to the Privacy settings page in Internet Options and at the bottom you should see a section called Web Sites, which displays an Edit... button.

Click that Edit... button and in the next window, you have a Text box called Address of Web site.

Type atdmt.com into that text box and then click the Block button on the right.

Now type in atlassolutions.com and again click on the Block button.

OK out and close your browser.

Do your SASpyware scan and zap the cookie if its there.

Now open your browser and go to a Different website, DO NOT come here, then see if the cookie is back, if yes, its not us.

[Twinkle]

Done the above Johnny, SASpyware just quarantines it but as soon as I go to another site or continue browsing it returns! Just trying private browsing and as yet nothing picked up.

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

OK, let us know how it goes, lol.

[Twinkle]

Will do. Thank you. The hard bit is logging in all sites again, just doing you and one other at the moment to see how it goes.

[Twinkle]

Tried with out private browsing and I got it back!!!!!!!! Not liking Microsoft!Eight times so far.

[tommy t]

If you use firefox 3.5, you can download some extensions that will,block scripts,tracking cookies,super cookies ect,ect,i have used them,and no,cookies after close,unlike ei7,

[Twinkle]

I'm very tempted Tommy, just wish it would not have to come to that. IE8 not sure its better than 7

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

So are you saying that using Private Browsing blocks the cookie ?

Another way that might work is to go back to the Privacy settings and put a dot in block First party and Third party cookies, then go to the Web Sites Edit... button area and add the sites you need cookies for, but use the Allow button instead of blocking them.

This would be similar to the Private Browsing from what I can tell, because you would have to add/allow the sites that you use with cookies to logon to. EG. You would have to re-logon to all the sites you are a member of again and probably have to disable the Private Browsing option for it to work.

I agree with Tommy, I was an ardent fan of the MyIE/Maxthon browser, way back when it was called MyIE and programmed by ChangYou, but it seemed to become too buggy over the years to use at times and became pretty bloated with things I had no use for, so I converted to Firefox.

I had tried Firefox years ago, but it was nothing like Maxthon and so didnt use it again until several months ago. I then spent weeks looking into it and eventually after installing several add-ons, I have it near perfect to Maxthon and how I want it to look and perform, although I still miss some Maxthon functions.

[Twinkle]

I have prompt in first party and block in third party at the moment. It would take forever to allow all the sites I go too! Private browsing does work, but of course opening browser picks up that cookie, so I have to scan and quarantine, before I can go to sites and flaming logging in again everywhere is a pain! also setting up new browser, would be time consuming!

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

Personally, I cant see how this cookie is getting through if its been blocked in several places, there must be something else letting it in or it could possibly be a glitch with SASpyware, like a False Positive sort of thing, I cant really say.

Maybe if you run SASpyware and the cookie is there, DONT zap it there and then, go to the cookie folder as mentioned in a previous reply and see if it is actually in the cookie folder, if it isnt, then SASpyware is messing you about. EG.atdmt.txt or atlassolutions.txt

Setting the First party cookie to Prompt, will get annoying, having to sanction them all the time, it would be best to block them and add the sites you use, to be Allowed in the Web Sites edit area.

Some things are time consuming and tedious, but thats life, nothing is always perfect. It is day 6 since you started this thread, I am sure 6 days is more than adequate to make other arrangements, lol, although it doesnt solve the problem in hand. I have never known a cookie to be so defiant. If I block a site, its blocked until I say otherwise.

I cant think of any other advice to give you at present other than ignore the damned thing, just to give you some peace of mind, now I think I have a headache coming on, so I may have to go lie down for a month, hehahehaheha.

[canta]

Arovax.com anti-spyware (free). Run (30 seconds). Goodbye cookie. (Maybe)

[Twinkle]

I hope headache is better Johnny, I know it does upset things I try to do and I'm sure, Sas finds it as for awhile I can do my own thing. IE add gif without it jumping to top of page! Might get out of this Private browsing go solo and pick up the cookie then try your spyeware Canta, too much to do and not enough time to do has sent blood pressure sky high!

[jacktar]

Hi Twinks, hope you are getting there, JR methinks you have your work cut out here.................... very strange scenario then.

[Twinkle]

Sure was I say in hesitation. downloaded Canta's spyware and I'm going super sonic. It did not say what it caught, but fingers crossed I'm going well tonight. Lets hope it got the blighter. :D Thanks for help everybody.

[Twinkle]

Bleep! Its back and I blocked First and Third party cookies! How do I know well this is what I get:-Transport error (#12152) while retrieving data from endpoint `/ajax/reqs.php': Unknown HTTP error #12152

and SAS only them get it, does not stay quarantined for long, can't fin it in shell or CC cleaner! Elusive hard to get rid of tracking cookie!!!!

[JohnnyReb51]

Hiya.

I dont know what that error has to do with a cookie, but the error message seems to be mostly reported by Facebook users, reportedly going back to this time last year from what I can tell, although some of the second part of the message is different, obviously a bug on their site that hasnt been fixed yet and/or....also saw mention of it only happening since people have upgraded from IE 7 to IE 8, sound familiar ????

http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=Tra...ient=firefox-a

As for the cookie being back (JR shrugs his shoulders) :D

[Twinkle]

Hiya.

also saw mention of it only happening since people have upgraded from IE 7 to IE 8, sound familiar ????

Originally Posted by JohnnyReb51

Yes trouble since IE8
Re the cookie if I run cookie cleaner while loading browser it cures the cookie, but browser crashes and get message from Microsoft trying to fix problem! Its them whom is causing the problem, me thinks! :(

Many thanks for all help.

[JohnnyReb51]

Yes trouble since IE8
Re the cookie if I run cookie cleaner while loading browser it cures the cookie, but browser crashes and get message from Microsoft trying to fix problem! Its them whom is causing the problem, me thinks! :(

Many thanks for all help.

Originally Posted by Twinkle

Maybe changing to Firefox for a while, like it has been already suggested several times by me and others, will cure the problem. I'll be damned if I would put up with all this hassle from a cookie, without me trying a different approach to the problem, if normal procedures failed to eliminate it.

Mental anguish or peace of mind, the choice is yours, even though it may be an inconvenience logging into all the sites again.

MicroSoft, be gone! :D