In Vista Home Premium there is no "cookies" folder that the typical user can access directly for any useful purpose. You cannot "go to the cookies folder and delete everything."

Anyone using Vista and Internet Explorer should be using Internet Explorer version 7. It is unlikely that most people would find a way to have an earlier version of IE on a machine running Vista, but it can be done. In IE, "Help|About Internet Explorer" will show what version you have, and if it's not Version 7.0.6001.18000 now you should visit the Microsoft update site and get current.

Users of older versions may find some functions hidden in strange places. It may be helpful to know that you can click the "Tools" button and click to put a check mark by "Menu Bar" to display the more familiar File/Edit/View/Favorites/Tools/Help bar you know from earlier versions.

In IE, at Tools|Internet Options on the Privacy tab, if the "slider" is set at maximum all cookies are blocked regardless of any other settings. If the slider is set at minimum, all cookies are accepted regardless of any other settings.

If the Privacy slider is at any intermediate point IE will follow whatever instructions you set.

The most common setting for the slider is at "Medium," and this is the setting recommended by most knowledgeable (and mostly rational) advisors as the least secure setting that still gives reasonable security. A lower setting does expose you to some cookie types that can be harmful and/or "unacceptably annoying," and a higher setting may interfere with access to some sites.

If the privacy slider is set to "Medium" and the "Sites" button shows "mudcat.org - Always allow," then it is unlikely that IE is at fault if your cookie gets lost, although the cookie itself can be at fault.

It is possible to have a "corrupted cookie" that is retained but doesn't work right. Usually such a cookie can be cleared simply by "Logging Out" at the site, verifying/setting the "always allow" property for the site, and then logging back in.

You may, of course, have to "Log In" in order to "Log Out," but the log out step should clear all cookies from that site that contain "identity" information (correct or incorrect) for you.

Regardless of the settings in IE, other programs that you may have on your computer may block and/or remove cookies. One example that may not be obvious is the Google toolbar. If you have other programs that provide satisfactory security (i.e. a real AntiVirus/AntiPhishing/AntiSpyware program) turning off the "security helps" in the Google Toolbar (Settings|Options|More) - especially the Google "Popup Blocker" - may help. Vista itself incorporates a "mostly satisfactory" popup blocker, and most reasonably capable "AntiMalware" programs already add other layers of "protection" that you can more easily control. There is no good reason to have additional redundant layers of the same "features" in multiple other programs.

I have Vista Home Premium and Internet Explorer ver 7 running on a laptop, and have not had problems similar to yours. I've seen no indication that either Vista or IE7 have produced any such difficulties in reports from credible users.

My Norton Internet Security does a satisfactory job of cleaning out questionable cookies, so I rarely bother to run AdAware. It (the free version) has not caused loss of cookies for which I've set permissions in IE on the rare occasions when I've run it on either of my Vista machines.

I haven't seen (that I recall) any information on Virgin PC Guard. It has not appeared in reviews of security programs (free and other) in sources I've consulted and (mostly) trust. This in itself doesn't mean there's anything wrong with it, but you're on your own with whether it might be part of your problem.

Some "free toolbars" and "free security programs" (often found via "popups" on the net) are themselves common sources of infection. You can get free "remote scans" of your computer from numerous reliable and well-credentialled AV suppliers' web sites if there's any question about the capabilities of what you're using. No "security program" is infallible, so it is sometimes a good idea to get a scan from a different source if "mysterious problems" crop up.

John