Problem with MRU-Blaster cookie plugin

If the cookie plugin is enabled, it is of little use to specify any cookies to be "ignored". This is because even if MRU-Blaster saves the actual cookie TXT file, it will blow away the Cookies\INDEX.DAT file upon reboot. And without a valid corresponding reference in Cookies\INDEX.DAT, the cookie TXT files themselves are useless.

This behavior nabbed me recently on my WinXP system. Restoring a copy of Cookies\INDEX.DAT solved the problem, but then I had to disable the cookie plugin in MRU-Blaster, which I really didn't want to do.

To reproduce this issue, follow the steps below. You may first want to backup your cookies (in Internet Explorer, go to File > "Import and Export..." > Next > "Export Cookies" > Next > "Export to a File" [supply path and file name] > Next). After testing, you can import your cookies to have things as they were before.

1) In MRU-Blaster, ensure that the cookie plugin is not enabled. Also, make sure that the MRU-Blaster "RunOnce" registry value does not exist (important!).

2) Log into a site that requires an ID and password, and which also allows you to log in automatically with a cookie. This forum is a good choice.

3) Reboot.

4) Visit the site you logged into in step (2), and note that you are logged in automatically, due to the presence of the cookie.

5) In MRU-Blaster, configure to cookie plugin so that ALL cookies present on your system are in the "ignore list", or at least all cookies for the site in step (2). Enable the cookie plugin so that it is run whenever you perform a clean with MRU-Blaster.

6) Run a clean with MRU-Blaster, and ensure that the MRU-Blaster "RunOnce" registry value is set afterward.

7) Reboot.

Open an Explorer window, and note that the cookie TXT file for the site you told MRU-Blaster to "ignore" is still present.

9) Again, visit the site you logged into in step (2), and note that you are NOT logged in automatically, despite the presence of the cookie TXT file.

 

That's interesting - I'll add an option in the next version to toggle the cookie index.dat file cleaning.

Windows should rebuild the index.dat file so it contains data about the cookies that are still present. (Or at least, it did this in several test runs of mine.) At least a toggle option will allow users to get around this issue, if it affects them.

Best regards,

-Javacool

 

Thanks so much for the reply. Like so many (many, many..) other things in Windows, what "should" happen often... doesn't! Sorry to report trouble.

 

No problem - the faster people report these quirks, the faster workarounds can be created.

Best regards,

-Javacool