anim,
I now understand what banner you are talking about.
When you refer to MS Outlook, please realize that to Avast it is not the same as Outlook EXPRESS. Avast uses a special module (provider) for MS Outlook/Exchange.
Yes, you will see a mini-Avast splash appear with the notation MS Outllook/Exchange plug in.
This is ok in that Avast does use a plug in so that the On Access Protection can work correctly with it.
It has not caused my system any problems. I have MS installed, but stick with OE6.
The On Access Protection module for MS Outlook/Exchange is only active when the subsystem is actually running as opposed to Outlook Express.
I hope I am making sense out of this for you.
Check your On Access Protection screen to insure that ALL the modules are running. You can access the OAP by right clicking on the A ball in the tray and going to On Access Protection Control. You will see the 5 modules (or providers) listed on the left side of the window. Select each one and then on the right you should see that the provider is running. If not, click Start.
Let's see if that helps you.