Outlook no Messages when Start

Hello - I have Avast Home, Win XP, and Outlook 2003. When Avast is running, and I start Outlook, it does not initially get my email messages. If I manually do Send/Receive, then from then on I will get messages every 5 min (this is what I have it set to do). But if I disable Avast, then start Outlook, it will get my messages initially and every 5 min afterwards. Why does Avast cause Outlook to perform in this way? What can I do to allow Outlook to initially get messages when Avast is running?

Thanks,
Tony

Are you using the avast Outlook/Exchange provider?

When you Start Outlook 2003 are you seeing an avast splash screen?

I do not see a splash screen when I start Outlook.

I am using the Avast Outlook provider, vers 4.8.1296.

The provider level is set to High.

Tony

Please see if this thread gives you any help.

That thread does not help. In Avast I have 7 of 7 providers running. In Outlook there are no disabled add-ins. In Outlook in Tools, etc, Add-In Manager, Avast is not disabled.

The add-ins manager is of no interest here.

Did you follow the path:

Outlook 2003 > Help > About > Disabled items

When you go to the avast Outlook/Exchange provider what does it report as its status?

There are no disabled add-ins, and the Avast Outlook provider is running.

One additional comment that I just remembered that might help to solve this problem. I notice that I get the Avast splash screen when I close Outlook not when I start it. I always thought that was odd but maybe that’s a clue of why it is not working for me?

Tony

Any ideas how to solve this problem?

Yeah, you should have a splash screen on startup of outlook, not termination.

I guess you could try a netstat -a when you open outlook, and see if your computer is trying to make a connection to your POP server when Avast is running. I don’t see why it wouldn’t though.

You could also press F9 to do a send / receive too, but I know that’s not the answer to your problem. Guess you’ll have to wait for some better suggestions, I’m kinda stumped…

Does anyone have any ideas how top solve this problem?

Thinking about this I have a very hard time seeing how avast is involved in the problem which you are encountering.

The avast Outlook/Exchange provider is totally passive. It is simply invoked by Outlook to scan any email received or sent as a plain simple plugin. It plays no role at all in when or the way Outlook accesses the email accounts.

Certainly the splash screen experience is most odd … I think we will have to defer to the avast team to see if their greater experience can come up with an explanation.

Do you use a PocketPC that is synchronizing your Outlook messages with the device?
This could invoke the avast plugin and the splash screen will be shown.

Well, what I know is that when I disable Avast then start Outlook, that I get my initial messages normally. Sure there might be some other interaction but I do not know what that might be.

I do not use PocketPC.

BTW, I just completely uninstalled Avast, rebooted my machine, downloaded the latest version of Avast (1296, although that is what I was running before), then tried Outlook again. Still no initial messages.

Did you have another antivirus before avast? Specially AVG, Norton or NOD32?

Thanks anyway for your help. I have not solved this problem yet, but in working on this, I have found a few other weird things happening, like when I start Task Manager I see that Outlook is running even though I have not started it. I now suspect Firefox might be doing something. It is also possible MS Messenger is also somehow involved. Although I still do not understand why all works OK if I disable Avast. For now I will just press the Send/Receive button to get Outlook initially started until I have more time to solve this puzzle.

Thanks,
Tony