here’s one of the crash reports. I got loads before uninstalling Avast (Home).
I tried reinstalling and repairing - no joy.
Copy of report follows:

avast! has generated unhandled exception (crash report follows).
Program version: Jan2004 (4.1.342)
User Info: opened IE 6

Crash list of Avast Antivirus, v.4.1.342


------------------
System Information
------------------
Time of this report: 20/02/04, 15:16:25
      Computer name: M6K9J4
   Operating System: Microsoft Windows 98 
          Processor: AMD Duron(tm) Processor, MMX, ~897Mhz
      System memory: 196092 KB (installed), 8388 KB (available), 2093056 KB (virtual)
           Language: 0809-0809-0809-0809 (SLangID, SLCID, ULangID, ULCID)


----------------
Avast Components
----------------
 ashChest.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:17:08  26112 bytes
   Aavm4h.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  15:13:28  151552 bytes
 AavmGuih.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:30:22  192512 bytes
 AavmRpch.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:56:56  19968 bytes
 AhResMai.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:57:40  18432 bytes
 ahResMes.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:59:12  18432 bytes
 AhResOut.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  08:03:36  19968 bytes
 ahResP2P.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:58:44  17920 bytes
 AhResStd.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  12:06:32  30208 bytes
 AhRuiMai.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  08:01:02  61440 bytes
 ahRuiMes.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:59:02  19968 bytes
 AhRuiOut.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  08:01:58  94208 bytes
 ahRuiP2P.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:58:36  19456 bytes
 AhRuiStd.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  12:07:00  57344 bytes
 ashAvast.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:20:14  278576 bytes
  ashBase.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:07:34  212992 bytes
   ashBug.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:16:20  143360 bytes
  ashCfgP.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:15:58  81920 bytes
  ashCfgT.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  16:08:20  118784 bytes
  ashDisp.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  15:13:32  94256 bytes
 ashChest.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:13:58  135168 bytes
 ashChest.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:17:08  26112 bytes
  ashLogV.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:19:08  20992 bytes
 ashMaiSv.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:27:50  192560 bytes
 ashOutXt.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:28:16  176128 bytes
 ashPopWz.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:29:46  192512 bytes
 ashQuick.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:19:46  241664 bytes
  ashServ.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  15:08:54  69680 bytes
 ashShell.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:55:16  9728 bytes
 ashSimpl.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:21:18  176176 bytes
 ashSkPcc.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:17:22  18944 bytes
 ashSkPck.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:16:44  61440 bytes
 ashSODBC.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:43:44  36352 bytes
  ashSXML.dll: 4.1.304.0  21/01/2004  07:44:52  12800 bytes
  ashTask.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:08:24  94208 bytes
  ashUInt.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  16:07:18  253952 bytes
   aswAux.dll: 4.1.304.0  21/01/2004  07:43:52  20480 bytes
  aswBoot.exe: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:34:54  258560 bytes
  aswCmnB.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:00:22  102400 bytes
 aswCmnOS.dll: 4.1.304.0  21/01/2004  07:35:54  34816 bytes
  aswCmnS.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:00:08  147456 bytes
 aswEngin.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:06:48  679936 bytes
  aswIdle.dll: 4.0.142.0  21/01/2004  07:45:08  4608 bytes
 aswInteg.dll: 4.1.304.0  21/01/2004  07:42:04  20480 bytes
   aswRes.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:35:12  126976 bytes
  aswScan.dll: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:04:38  77824 bytes
 AVSSHOOK.dll: 4.1.332.0  21/01/2004  07:50:46  6656 bytes
  unacev2.dll: 2.5.0.0  28/11/2003  10:55:00  75776 bytes
   xerces.dll: 1.5.2.0  27/08/2003  13:40:36  1048576 bytes
   XT1922.dll: 1.9.4.0  21/01/2004  07:47:26  897024 bytes
 avastss.scr: 4.1.334.0  29/01/2004  10:20:24  90112 bytes
actskin4.ocx: 4.2.7.3  25/12/2002  07:44:44  380928 bytes

-------------
Using modules
-------------


------------
Fault source
------------
C:\PROGRAM FILES\ALWIL SOFTWARE\AVAST4\ASHPOPWZ.EXE caused an Access Violation at location 69682e33 Reading from location 69682e33.

-----------
Crash place
-----------


   don't have read access to the specified range of memory

----------------
Register content
----------------
EAX=004375A8 EBX=00434E94 ECX=000000B0 EDX=0065EE0D ESI=0043738C EDI=004327AC
EIP=69682E33 ESP=0065EE68 EBP=00000001 IOPL=0         NV UP EI PL NZ NA PO NC
CS=0177  SS=017F  DS=017F  ES=017F  FS=3B7F  GS=0000             FLG=00010206

SymInitialize: 126
----------
Call stack
----------
AddrPC     AddrReturn AddrFrame  AddrStack  Params
69682E33   16000000   00000001   0065EE68   6509C900   65007004   54007004   79F000FF
69682E33

-----------
Stack frame
-----------
[0065EE68]: 6D6F632E 00416500 00000003 46206D61 73656C69 776C415C 53206C69 7774666F     moc..Ae.....F.maseliwlA\S.liwtfo
[0065EE88]: 5C657261 73617641 445C3474 5C415441 73617641 692E3474 4500696E 696C676E     \erasavAD\4t\ATAsavAi.4tE.inilgn
[0065EEA8]: 6C5C6873 6D676E61 642E6961 00006C6C 00000000 00000000 280F0000 51B6BFF7     l\hsmgnad.ia..ll........(...Q¶¿÷
[0065EEC8]: 00287F24 000001AF 01004C0F 435F0000 4CDF0000 55870000 BFF9AD37 00000000     .(.$...¯..L.C_..Lß..U‡..¿ù­7....
[0065EEE8]: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 BFF9AD1B 00657000     ........................¿ù­..ep.
[0065EF08]: 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 00000000 FFFFFFFF 64530758 0065EF50     ....................ÿÿÿÿdS.X.eïP
[0065EF28]: BFF8AB2D 8000A7F8 80009580 80008CD8 80008358 00000100 80008C08 BFF5412E     ¿ø«-€.§ø€.•€€.ŒØ€.ƒX....€.Œ.¿õA.
[0065EF48]: 00403204 0065FC64 00000001 0065F338 00EA24C0 BFF5412E FFFFFFFF 00000000     .@2..eüd.....eó8.ê$À¿õA.ÿÿÿÿ....
[0065EF68]: BFF9B2A8 0065EF70 00000030 6C69616D 616D692E 65732E70 72657672 706F702E     ¿ù²¨.eïp...0liamami.es.prevrpop.
[0065EF88]: 69682E33 74736867 6D616572 6D6F632E 6573752E 6D614E72 5C650065 7263694D     ih.3tshgmaermoc.esu.maNr\e.erciM
[0065EFA8]: 666F736F 6E495C74 6E726574 41207465 756F6363 4D20746E 67616E61 415C7265     fosonI\tnretA.teuoccM.tnganaA\re
[0065EFC8]: 756F6363 0073746E 00000000 0065F014 BFF713E2 00000177 BFF741ED 0001DCE4     uocc.stn.....eð.¿÷.â...w¿÷Aí..Üä
[0065EFE8]: 0000001F 5587DCE4 15FF017F 804C0000 01AF0028 55870000 558F0000 435F0000     ....U‡Üä.ÿ..€L...¯.(U‡..U...C_..
[0065F008]: BFF9AD77 0043A188 000F5E7C 00000000 0043000C BFF713E2 00000177 BFF7A175     ¿ù­w.C¡ˆ..^|.....C..¿÷.â...w¿÷¡u
[0065F028]: 00000435 00000002 20000000 0065F068 818AF7CC 00434EBC D5C7CF20 0065F068     ...5.........eðh.Š÷Ì.CN¼ÕÇÏ..eðh
[0065F048]: BFF7A0FE BFF7B317 00430000 00000000 00434E94 00436A54 00437388 00434EB4     ¿÷.þ¿÷³..C.......CN”.CjT.Csˆ.CN´
[0065F068]: 00434E98 BFF7B9B6 818C4FB8 00408F52 0043738C 00000001 00000001 0043738C     .CN˜¿÷¹¶.ŒO¸.@.R.CsŒ.........CsŒ
[0065F088]: 00402020 0043738C 00000001 00000001 00416C20 00416C20 0065FD84 FFFFFFFF     .@...CsŒ.........Al..Al..eý„ÿÿÿÿ
[0065F0A8]: 575C3A43 00EA24C0 C29A54F0 00434E70 00000001 00000001 00000000 00000000     W\:C.ê$ÀšTð.CNp................
[0065F0C8]: 00000000 00434E94 02460157 00000001 00000000 0065F200 00000000 00000002     .....CN”.F.W.........eò.........
[0065F0E8]: 00000001 00000002 0065F31F 00000001 00EA24C0 00000000 BFF9AF1D 0065F674     .........eó......ê$À....¿ù¯..eöt
[0065F108]: 0065F674 000000E6 BFF712C5 BFF7E1C9 BFF70000 0065F1D0 0065F21C 000000FF     .eöt...æ¿÷.Å¿÷áÉ¿÷...eñÐ.eò....ÿ
[0065F128]: 8187ADDC 0065F1D0 BFF80976 00000409 BFFCD000 BFFCE1C8 0065F21C 000000FF     .‡­Ü.eñпø.v....¿üÐ.¿üáÈ.eò....ÿ
[0065F148]: 8187ADDC 00000000 00015740 00000000 0065F210 81D0F4D4 00000000 00000003     .‡­Ü......W@.....eò..ÐôÔ........
[0065F168]: 00000000 00000001 81D0F4D4 00000006 BFFCE1C8 0000003C 00002700 00000000     .........ÐôÔ....¿üáÈ...<..'.....
[0065F188]: 00430000 BFFCE1B8 00000409 BFFCD378 BFFCF700 BFF7E1C9 BFF70000 0065F1F8     .C..¿üá¸....¿üÓx¿ü÷.¿÷áÉ¿÷...eñø
[0065F1A8]: BFF70000 BFF70000 8187ADDC BFF80525 BFF70000 BFF70001 00000002 0065F1D4     ¿÷..¿÷...‡­Ü¿ø.%¿÷..¿÷.......eñÔ
[0065F1C8]: 00000000 000000FF 8187ADDC 00015740 BFF70000 0065F194 0065F1C8 00000000     .......ÿ.‡­Ü..W@¿÷...eñ”.eñÈ....
[0065F1E8]: 0065F248 BFFBFE14 BFF794E8 FFFFFFFF 0065F210 BFF80BA6 BFF70000 BFFCF700     .eòH¿ûþ.¿÷”èÿÿÿÿ.eò.¿ø.¦¿÷..¿ü÷.
[0065F208]: 0065F238 00000000 0065F258 BFF80B4E BFF70000 BFFCF700 0065F238 00000000     .eò8.....eòX¿ø.N¿÷..¿ü÷..eò8....
[0065F228]: 00000000 00000060 70746D73 682E3031 73686769 61657274 6F632E6D 8180006D     .......`ptmsh.01shgiaertoc.m.€.m
[0065F248]: 818C7850 00000000 00000000 81808050 8180800C D5C7CF20 0065F284 BFF7A0FE