Email Scanning?

[Jilduh]

Hi,  I am brand new and using a trial version I just downloaded of Avast Internet Security 7.  I am admittedly not real saavy and need some help in configuring.  Especially with my email.  I don't understand the whole SSL, POP3, IMAP,  Port requirements and where Hotmail figures in all that....or gmail for that matter.  (I do not have Outlook or Outlook Express that I know of).  I usually sign in via the internet, but have Windows Live Hotmail option as well, but they seem to be one and the same?  It appears my hotmail account is NOT being scanned, as best I can tell!  I have one gmail account that I rarely access and not even sure if it is configured correctly.  Most of the help online seems outdated and relates to older versions of hotmail etc.  So confused now.  Does this program even scan hotmail at all??  Is Hotmail an SSL type?  Is it encrypted, or unencryped??  The settings page says to determine if it is an SSL type, and if not SSL (unencrypted) it isn't necessary to list.  OYVEY!  Please help...can someone walk me through this or something?  So sorry for my ignorance on this........also, this is my first time ever participating on a forum, so I apologize in advance if doing something incorrectly!    Thanks for any help.......   

[bob3160]

Welcome to the forum.
For your gmail account if accessed on-line, this might make you feel a little more at ease:
http://www.askdavetaylor.com/does_gmail_scan_email_for_viruses.html


Here's the information on accessing hotmail on-line:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/hotmail/security


If you're accessing your emails through Livemail,
then avast has you covered. (provided you make the required changes for your gmail account)
(I personally do my hotmail and gmail account online and only get the emails from my ISP server through Livemail.)
Anything that you download from your emails, would automatically be checked by avast! before you get to use it.


Hope that helps.

[Jilduh]

Well, I appreciate your attempt to help me, but I am still confused.  Not tech saavy and unfamiliar with a lot of the "lingo".  So, a lot of what I read, I may not understand because I don't know the "language"  It is like reading Greek.  So the articles don't necessarily make sense to me and I was hoping someone could give me more simple and direct instructions I guess.  I am not familiar with Livemail that you mention, unless it is the same as Windows Live Hotmail.  And, I have still to determine what the difference is between Hotmail and Windows Live Hotmail or if that is just two labels for the same thing?!  Maybe they are one and the same?  If I access my hotmail (which is what I mostly always use) thru the web, then do I even have to configure SSL settings in Avast program?  Is it Hotmail's server that they are responsible for and Avast doesn't even figure in to the picture??  Is Avast email scanning only for other email accounts and not the ones I have?  I am sure I am probably overwhelming you with my questions, but I hope you can see my dilemma?  If you can't understand at my lower level, I guess I can wait for another response.....don't want to frustrate you....just don't know what else to do.   Thanks

[bob3160]

Maybe this will make things simpler.
Windows Live Mail is the replacement for Outlook Express and is used when accessing your emails on your computer.
What you're using Windows Live Hotmail is when you read your email on line.
Microsoft protects you when you read your email on-line  and avast! will check anything you download from within those emails.
The same goes for your gmail account when you check you gmail on-line.
You're protected and don't need to make any changes as long as you read your email using either Windows Live Hotmail or Gmail on-line.

[Jilduh]

MUCH BETTER!  Thank you!  Here is what I think I am hearing you say.....Free email versions of Hotmail and Windows Live Hotmail are both web based servers thru Microsoft.  Gmail is also web based.   So, unless I acquire or purchase an email program that is accessed from my own computer,  I do not need to configure the SSL settings on my Avast program.....correct?   And my Avast program won't be showing any scans unless I download something from an email, correct?   As long as I access via web, the security protection & control is on their end.  All the changes in Microsoft's Hotmail terminology has only served to confuse.......I did some more googling to try and find answers to my questions, and found I am not the only one confused!  I had to read and re-read in order to try and make sense of it all.  Just one example:  http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19169_102-376801/username-live-com-username-hotmail-com-what-difference/  OYVEY!  I may not have been so ignorant if I had been the one to originally set up my email account, but my son did it for me and never had the patience to explain anything to me and didn't think I needed to know.  I am learning slowly, but surely .... and painfully sometimes!  Thanks for your help and patience.  If I have misunderstood anything, please let me know.....  Appreciatively,   Jill

[Pondus]

there are two ways of reading mail..... webmail, using your browser...
.or a mail client that will download the mail to your computer....this is probably how you do it at work?
and this is when avast mail shield comes in...
SSL/TLS is a secure encrypted connection.....not always used.....but if used on your accont, then avast must be sett up in a special way to be able to scan the incomming mail


since you use webmail, you dont have to understand didly about the above 
gmail and hotmail have there own spam/virus scan on the mail server so you dont have to worry...and all incoming web traffic is scanned by avast webshield

[bob3160]

MUCH BETTER!  Thank you!  Here is what I think I am hearing you say.....Free email versions of Hotmail and Windows Live Hotmail are both web based servers thru Microsoft.  Gmail is also web based.   So, unless I acquire or purchase an email program that is accessed from my own computer,  I do not need to configure the SSL settings on my Avast program.....correct?   And my Avast program won't be showing any scans unless I download something from an email, correct?   As long as I access via web, the security protection & control is on their end.  All the changes in Microsoft's Hotmail terminology has only served to confuse.......I did some more googling to try and find answers to my questions, and found I am not the only one confused!  I had to read and re-read in order to try and make sense of it all.  Just one example:  http://forums.cnet.com/7723-19169_102-376801/username-live-com-username-hotmail-com-what-difference/  OYVEY!  I may not have been so ignorant if I had been the one to originally set up my email account, but my son did it for me and never had the patience to explain anything to me and didn't think I needed to know.  I am learning slowly, but surely .... and painfully sometimes!  Thanks for your help and patience.  If I have misunderstood anything, please let me know.....   Appreciatively,   Jill

Microsoft is actually now releasing something called Outlook.com which will replace your current hotmail.
I'm already using it and it's actually very good.
You can see some more information in one of my other posts here on the forum:
http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=19387.msg819610#msg819610

[Jilduh]

Well, here we go again then!  At least thanks for the heads up!  Now another name in the mix to confuse everyone.  I guess I am not understanding why they have to keep changing the name every time they make a change for heaven's sake! 

[Jilduh]

Now more questions come to mind.  Is there a significant advantage as far as security goes if I were to purchase vs free email?   If I decide to purchase Hotmail Plus, is that also web based, or on my system?  If it is on my system, then that would then require all the configuration knowledge of SSL etc.?  (Is the new Outlook.com a free web based w/ option for an "Outlook Plus".)  Just when I think I am starting to "get it", I start to get confused again.    CRAP

[Jilduh]

OH NO!  I clicked on your link you provided for the new Outlook because I thought it was just to see more info about it.........It CHANGED me to Outlook!!!!  I didn't want to do that!!!  I wanted to keep My Hotmail!  This has now added to my frustrations.........great.  So now am I stuck with it?  I don't need to adjust to something else at the same time I am trying to figure out my Avast Internet Security program......sigh....of which I am still struggling with on configuring it all.  This is a trial version I was trying to decide on before we leave town in 2 days and never dreamed it would be taking up so much of my time and energy.  I don't want to give up on it after all I've invested so far, but wondering if this is not for me?  I could sure use some more help.....  

  UPDATE:  Never mind, I finally found a way to go back to my Hotmail - what a day.

[bob3160]

There is no advantage to changing to the paid version unless spending the money brings you joy. 

[CharleyO]

***

Whatever your other decisions might be, it is a good idea to leave the Avast mail scanner active as it could alert you of spam being sent from your computer. Since you are already using Avast, this is an unlikely situation to happen but there is a remote possibility.


***

[Pondus]

If I decide to purchase Hotmail Plus, is that also web based, or on my system?

yes and no......it is web based but you can also use a mail program with it....just like hotmail standard

hotmail plus info. 
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/hotmail/hotmail-plus