I was was testing avast! 4 free - this is back in 2003 / 2004. When avast! would block an infected email in outlook, all the other machines on the network would popup and block the same infection. So, no infection spread at all. But the message was there. This is the function I am discussing. Maybe my terminology of the “network shield” is incorrect. My experience with the Free product was very short lived. I am in the SMB market place. We pay for what we use. I just absolutely don’t believe in Piracy!