When I initially started using avast! I encountered the same scenario. The manner in which the ‘Start avast! Antivirus’ window/application is opened could be improved. Avast functions is a bit backwards in this regard. Double clicking on the Avast icon should display the ‘Start avast! Antivirus’ window. ‘On-Access Protection Control’ should be secondary.

Quite sometime ago I made this suggestion for change in the ‘New features for next major release of avast!’. My suggestion fell on deaf ears; does anyone have a rock I can drop on someones head? He… he… ;D