The Launch Bar must be from the originator of this thread--I for one have no such toolbar..
And as an aside..
I uninstalled avast--AGAIN--and re-installed, only this time I installed the beta--4.6.663--and, you'll never guess--everything works just fine..
Emails in and out, providers left and right--twirling blue ball going like whirling dervish..
I will keep checking this thread out for possible solutions to the earlier problem.
To all those who got involved in my little nightmare--thanks for all the help/suggestions/advice..was fun getting to know my PC a little better--although, I'm still FAR from where I would like to be...here's to the continued progress of the avast product---cheers--be back later, I'm sure!!