Ok well thnx for everyone stopping by and reading up but i finally got the problem worked out. I figure it like this. Before i installed the Avast i had uninstalled Norton with Add/Remove and then in the Registry i removed all the files for it - or thought i did. Apparently that still wasnt enough and when i 1st installed the Avast it didnt have a conflicting problem with the left over files of Norton but as soon as i updated Avast is when the 2 AV’s butted heads causing not one but many problems ranging from my Outlook Express to my Yahoo IM and on down to such things as system restore and even the Search not working correctly. What saved me was a Norton uninstall utility i had got here : http://www.mrtech.com/news/messages/4767.html
It was a real life saver considering that when i ran into the troubles i was unable to access the Norton site to get their removal tool. Well i hope my pain and suffering will help someone easily diagnose their problems. See youll later!