Follow up. Windows 7, even more so that Vista, attempts to keep users from having full administrative control of their own comps. I've learned a few tricks such as changing ownership of large directory trees and file systems underneath them which will let me mess with what MS doesn't want mere customers messing with.

However, screwing with ownership properties on a large scale scan screw up Win7. Basically it is war between the computer's owner and the MS OS and MS is throwing a lot of resources at making it more and more difficult for end users to really control their own machines effectively , the communications that those machines can and cannot engage in, and even the nature of the software that will properly install and run on their machines.

It somehow doesn't surprise me much that cookies, "phone home "Authentic Windows proggies", and the general complexity of Windows are getting worse, all for the benefit of Monopolist Microsoft and much to the woe of most users.

Go Linux!

Do you have an extension like TACO (Abine) that maintains a set of OPT-OUT cookies?

Targeted Advertising Cookie Opt-Out (TACO): https://addons.mozilla.org/firefox/addon/11073

If you have then you can only remove those cookies by disabling that extension.

I do use the most current version of BetterPrivacy "Super-Cookie Safeguard". Does this addon also make use of permanent opt-out Cookies?