After researching error 800ccc90 I found I got my email to work by turning off inbound mail scanning. I am using XP Home and Outlook Express - why does Avast not allow me to check the inbound mail?
Also I cannot download virus updates - I get “cannot connect to server” messages. At one point I had no firewall (temporarily) and then I installed Sygate - it wouldn’t work under either condition. Any suggestions? - oh yes, I’m a techie type!