weesie,

Hornus provided an outstanding explanation of the Avast workings, but I think we need to simplify things a bit.

The “blue box” you are referring to is the Update information box. If this does not pop up, then Updating is an entirely different problem.

The “blue ball” is the Avast On-Access protection icon which usually spins whenever Avast is checking email.

Open up the On-Access Protection Control and see if Standard Shield, Internet Mail and Outlook Exhange are shown as running.
If you use Oulook Express, this is protected by the Internet Mail module.

Go into the Program menu, find Avast…and run the Mail Protection Wizard again to make sure the settings are correct especially the SMTP and POP3 addresses. If you see the server address listed as 127.0.0.1, this is correct. Avast sets in the “local computer” address so that it can sit between the email client and the internet.

Try to provide at least some of the information Hornus requested so that the problem can be better examined.

I apologize if I have repeated anything Hornus has stated in his post, but I have trouble reading, thinking and typing at the same time. ;D

We’ll fix it…don’t worry.

techie