OUTLOOK PROVIDER INVALID BEHAVIOR

Avast Free Antivirus / Premium Security
1

Hello,

I detected a problem using the OUTLOOK PROVIDER. If I check the option “scan message bodies” for every message AVAST scans it also deliver a NOT READ RETURN RECEIPT. Of course, this gave me a lot of problems people thinking I was deleting their email without reading it.

There is any workaround for this? a chance to improve the provider? :slight_smile:

2

Hi, isn’t there something special in your Outlook configuration? I cannot imagine how “scan message bodies” can invoke such behaviour, because it only scans body of email. Nothing more. Is it in “scan message bodies” option only? If you disable it, is everything working fine? If you send me email to sedina@avast.com I would like to test it - i.e. what "automatic| response I will get after sending message to you. Many thanks!

3

Hi Sedina,

There is nothing special with my Outlook. In fact, in the RECEIPT RESPONSE configuration I have NEVER SEND, so my Outlook never delivers a read recepit or not read recepit.

I just turn on the “scan message bodies” and the behavior starts. I turned it off, and disappears. I tested using my other email accounts.

I will send you an email now.

4

I end up DISABLING the Outlook Provider. I’m using the INTERNET MAIL PROVIDER instead. Since then, nobody received a NOT READ report from me. I tested my own accounts. From 50 emails I get 0 not read…

Is there any SIGNIFICAT difference between the outlook provider and the internet mail provider?

5
Is there any SIGNIFICAT difference between the outlook provider and the internet mail provider?
Yes, the Internet Mail provider is for pop3 email clients and the Outlook/Exchange is a plug-in designed specifically for use with MS Outlook (not express) or MS Exchange clients. If you are only using MS Outlok then you shouldn't need to use the Internet mail provider.
[b]Outlook/Exchange - Provider Settings[/b]

This setting affects MS Outlook and MS Exchange mail clients only. For setting up the other mail clients, such as Outlook Express, Eudora etc., see Internet Mail Provider.

Normal. Default setting.
High. In addition to the default setting, even read messages are scanned on open and the heuristic sensitivity is set to High.

6

Oka, I understand, but as you can read in this thread, I’m unable to use the outlook provider due to a INCORRECT recepeit delivery. So, Am I safe with the INTERNET MAIL provider or I should consider another option?

So far, the Internet Mail provider is monitoring the smtp traffic with no problems.

7

I have never used return receipts in my emails and don’t much like people sending me emails where I have to confirm some popup that I am reading their mail.

But if you have no ISP scanning service, you can test your email protection by ordering a test virus to you by this site among many others:
http://www.norman.com/Virus/Antivirus_testfile/en

EDIT
That site will not send you any spam emails if afraid of giving your email address.
Avast does not have a service like that yet?

8

Yes it will monitor the usual smtp, pop3 and imap ports you use in MS Outlook so you should be safe the only problem some have had was when both provider and plug-in are enabled together as they would both be trying to scan content and I can’t remember if you had the outlook/exchange plug-in enabled it disabled the other.

So without the outlook/exchange plug-in you should be OK but you will lose some of the functionality associated with the plug-in. If you can live with that no problem, although it is very strange what is happening with the plug-in and I haven’t seen it in the forums before.

What version of Outlook are you using ?

9

Hi,

I’m using OUTLOOK 2003. The problem started with the last AVAST program update a couple of weeks ago. Before that, everything was perfect.

I uninstall the provider, installed it again but no look.

Any ideas?

10

There were some issues with 2003 and MSN Desktop/Tool Bar search but not related to this but I just wonder if there could be any interaction as it tries to index the email, don’t know if you have this. I’m sorry I’m not an MS Outpost user so I can’t be much help in that direction, just recounting what I see on the forums.

I would try a clean reinstall not just the provider.

It would probably be best to download the latest version of avast and save it to your HDD, somewhere you can find it again. Use that when you reinstall.

Download the avast! Uninstall Utility, find it here

Uninstall, reboot, run the Uninstall Utility,reboot, install the latest version, reboot.

11

Ok, I’ll try this weekend. In the other hand… you mention ‘lost of some features’. Which features exactly are we talking about?

Regards,
Hernán.

12

You will have to check out the two providers/plug-in to compare (or the avast help file) as I said I don’t use MS Outlook, so don’t use the Plug-in. But a major one is the handling of SSL email the Internet Mail provider requires a third party interface like Stunnel to be able to scan the SSL email. With the Outlook plug-in it is integral to MS Outlook so it can handle SSL email. There are other ones such as how infected emails are handled, sending them to a different email folder, etc. These are seen inside the Customize… Resident task Settings.

13

I UNINSTALL Avast. I deleted the avast folder in PROGRAM FILES, I clean all remaining avast references in the registry. Reboot then reinstall. The same thing happened. People randomly get NOT READ receipts for their message… Is strange, only happen with message I left unread for a while in the inbox. If I read it the momento they arrived, the don’t get the NOT READ.

For now, I switched to INTERNET MAIL PROVIDER… :frowning: