I was planning on trying this av until I saw during the installation that IE is required. I backed out. Why is IE required? I don’t use IE and if I could rip it out of my XP Pro box I would.
Where did you saw that? avast! is totaly independed of IE…
It says that a working copy of IE 4.0 or above is required for avast! This comes up on the screen very early in the install process. I thought it might mean that IE is required for updating…like with McAfee.
Yes, internet explorer 4 or higher is required for avast! to work.
tECHNODROME
You’re wrong 
IE is only needed for display help files and minor features.
I’ll post more as soon I find in the board.
Wellcome back tECHNODROME… 
What exactly does that entail? Does that mean that IE simply must reside on the computer? Will I have to open IE at any time if I use avast!? What of IE does Avast! use? Why can’t it use FF for example for whatever it is it needs IE for?
Exactly, you got the point.
Windows needs some parts of IE integrated into the shell.
These parts are needed from avast too (simply must reside on the computer).
Of course, no need to open IE even to update avast! 8)
You can use and set any other browser in your system.
Wellcome to avast.
Sorry, I can’t find - yet - more information on the board. I’m searching…
Correct. What did I say wrong? You need to have IE installed in order to install avast!.
tECHNODROME
Techno…
Not exactly. You can install Avast without IE on the system, but as Technical stated, the Help files will not work. Minor clarification. ;D
I stand corrected. Thanks for clarifying this Techie101.
tECHNODROME
I am running winxp home w/sp2, using firefox browser with avast! 4.1 home edition and it works great. My avast! updates are set to automatic (virus and program). The updates also work great with no effort on my part. I never open IE and avast! never asks for it. I would recommend avast!
Just recommend ? We live for avast!, especially avast! forums members. We defend avast! and we would go into fire for avast! ;D Everyone knows that !
Right Technical ?
Cheers people !
Ok. Thanks everyone. 
I’'m going to install it today.
After all, Mele20, is avast working for you?
Technodrome, sorry if I misunderstand your first post but, sometimes, the newbies here could think they must have IE and do not install avast, which it’s not truth
As many have said IE is required for displaying help files (IE is an integral part of the windows system), but would still install without it.
Avast doesn’t call IE to display help files, the windows system uses IE to display help files and a number of other things. So if you have managed to cull IE completely (very difficult) the help files in avast may not be displayed.
It can’t use FF because it’s not an entegral part of windows, so can’t be called.
I understand now why IE is required and I am fine with that. I know that IE is core to Windows and that Windows uses IE to display help files.
Technical, I haven’t installed it yet. I will today.
The only reason I asked about IE’s involvement was because I thought it possible that avast! required Active X to do updating and that would bother me. However, needing IE so that Windows can display the help files properly is perfectly acceptable to me.
Again, thanks everyone.
Well, you’re on the right place so… 8)
No need of ActiveX
I have another question though. I see that it installs a lot of protection that I don’t need. Can I disable email, P2P and instant message protection after installing? I need an on demand scanner for scanning floppies and any files I download to disk before executing. I would also need a resident scanner if the only way to detect archives is to unzip first. I don’t do P2P or instant messaging and my ISP scans all incoming and outgoing mail plus I never, ever open an attachment that I am expecting (I delete all others) without first saving to disk and then scanning.
Don’t get me wrong, I think all the extra protection is great if you need it, but I didn’t see a way to exclude any of those things from installing if you don’t need them so I hope there is a way to disable them after the installation. I especially do NOT want an email scanner.
No problems at all… you can disable any of those providers that you don’t use. I don’t use P2P programs either. Instant messaging provider never ran on my machine. Outlook/Exchange - disable it if you don’t use MS Outlook (completely different program than Outlook Express, but of course you already know that).
If you are 100% sure your ISP checks your incoming and outgoing mails of viruses, you can disable Internet mail provider (Outlook Express) as well… why not ?
Script blocking provider is very useful if you use IE… if not, then still it can be very useful if you use Mozilla, because it works with Mozilla too. Unfortunately, Firefox is not supported, and it looks it will never be…
Cheers !
Thanks! I’ll go ahead and install it. As for the script blocking provider I do use Mozilla as well as FF. I have Script Sentry also.
My ISP is Road Runner and they use Symantec Corp to scan all incoming and outgoing mail. I have tested it and it catches and strips any infected attachment that Symantec detects. My other mail provider is dslreports and they use Kaspersky to scan all incoming mail and they just drop all infected mail. I don’t get a lot of mail either so I am not in the situation that many are in where an email scanner is quite necessary.