Since I read email in plain text, and don’t open attachments I don’t see how email scanning is needed. Also since I scan all downloads after I save them I can’t see a need for resident protection. Am I wrong in my thinking? I have never had a virus yet even though at times some are emailed to me.
Johanna
Your habits are very secury. Congratulations. 
But, there are some ‘leak’ points that the resident protection could solve:
The preview panel of Outlook Express, for instance, can allow trojans to be installed. You do not need to ‘open’ the email, just preview it.
When downloading, after saving a file could be so late (for non archive files, for instance, .exe .com)
If you are receiving virus from email, why do you want to disable the Internet Mail provider?
I have Outlook Express set as such:
Security tab.
Virus Protection
==> Restricted sites zone (More secure)
==> Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could
potentially be a virus.
Read tab.
==> Read all messages in plain text
Outpost firewall set to rename all types of dangerous files.
How can anything be installed or run?
Preview pane turned off.
If I ever receive an email from someone I don’t know with a unrequested attachment, I would be a fool to rename the attachment, and then open it.
If I receive an email from a friend and it has an attachment they will tell me what it is. I’ll save it, scan it, and track what it does to my PC with software. If it changes my PC in a way I don’t like I’ll restore my PC from an image backup that I keep updated…that would take 6 minutes.
I have two email accounts, one only my friends have. The other account is for a web site I have…this is the only one that I would get a virus sent to if any.
I have been downloading programs for years to test and so far never had one with a virus or trojan. Could be I’m more careful that most people.
I sometimes think people have a false sense of security just because they have an antivirus program running. I get the impression that if the antivirus program doesn’t show that an attachment has a virus they will think nothing of running the attachment.
Johanna
If you ask Waldo he will tell you about layered defense…
You could have, some day, another user in your computer, you can have a ActiveX controler running by some web site…
Who knows?
I do not open unknown attachments but I trust in avast and layered defense (spam killer, trojan and spyware fighters, firewall, av, and so on…).
Good luck
I think that avast! will protect you, and if someone sends you a virus yuo’ll be informed by avast! and it’ll give futher instructions what to do. And I can recommend you to use Microsoft outlook (not express) email program, as avast! has spesific plug-in for it, and you don’t have to configure your accounts. I’m using this, and don’t had a problems at all. And don’t be so nervous about viruses, yuo are protected, just update you avast! every time update is available. So good luck and few viruses. 8)