Emails not being scanned

[beaner]

I just installed Avast! today and my email client is Thunderbird. During the installation, I was asked for my POP3 and SMTP servers, which I entered after double-checking them to be sure I got them right. I was also asked if I wanted a tray icon to indicate that email was being scanned and I said Yes.

But my test emails (sent to myself) are apparently not being scanned. No change occurs in the tray icon, and when I check "Internet Mail" in the On-Access Protection Control, it gives a zero Scanned Count.

What can I do to correct this problem?

[vojtech]

Start the Mail Protection Wizard (menu Start->Programs->avast! Antivirus) and select 'set up the protection manually'. Check if the wizard finds your accounts and displays them at page 'email account selection'.

[beaner]

It found my ISP email accounts, but I am using POP.gmail.com for my incoming server, so I had to change that one to POP.gmail.com.

I might also mention that my Web Shield is said to be "currently running," as well. But the Scanned Count has remained at zero, even after downloading a new version of Ccleaner this morning.

The Standard Shield is the only thing that has a Scanned Count above zero.

[sded]

What OS are you using?  Gmail is an SSL (encrypted) email service when using POP3, and can't be scanned by a virus scanner using normal means.  For avast!, you will need to download support programs Stunnel and OpenSSL to allow the emails to be scanned prior to encryption/after decryption.  See the thread http://forum.avast.com/index.php?topic=13346.0 for setup information.  Also search for other threads on "gmail stunnel".  Gmail smtp will use port 587 instead, but otherwise is just another SSL mail service.  Which browser are you using that is not having the pages scanned by webshield?

[beaner]

Thanks for the info on the Gmail email scanning situation. I will have to consider whether or not the extra bother  is worth the effort for me.

I'm running Win98SE.

And as to the browser that is not getting scanned: It is Firefox 1.04.

[sded]

Email is a major source of viruses, and certainly needs to be scanned.  With an operable Internet Mail provider, you can eliminate viruses before they are actually downloaded and saved by your computer.  Without it, you will still have Standard Shield to protect you from the virus if you try to open  it, and will need to remove it to the chest when you see it. Lots of avast! users are successfully (and transparently) scanning gmail after a one-time setup using Stunnel and OpenSSL.

[Lisandro]

Email is a major source of viruses, and certainly needs to be scanned.  With an operable Internet Mail provider, you can eliminate viruses before they are actually downloaded and saved by your computer.  Without it, you will still have Standard Shield to protect you from the virus if you try to open  it, and will need to remove it to the chest when you see it. Lots of avast! users are successfully (and transparently) scanning gmail after a one-time setup using Stunnel and OpenSSL.

Yeah, me too.Thanks to sded that teached me how 

[beaner]

Thanks for your reply.

But now for the other problem: What about the fact that Web Shield doesn't seem to be working for me? Not only does it not work with my Firefox 1.04, but it doesn't work with my Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1, either. For instance, I just downloaded an installation program (.exe) using my IE and there is no indication that the Web Shield checked it at all. In "On-Access Protection Control," Web Shield still gives a Scan Count of zero.

[sded]

Under tools/options/connection settings for firefox, do you have "manual proxy configuration checked, and http proxy showing 127.0.0.1 and port 12080"?

[beaner]

No, I did not have the IE Connection Settings set up like that, but now I do, and it appears that the Web Shield has begun to work.

Do I need to make similiar changes in my Internet Explorer, as I also use it from time to time?

[sded]

Yes, same thing in IE under LAN settings.  The transparent proxies only work with Windows 2K/XP, but this is equivalent to what they do by redirection.

[beaner]

Excuse me, but, in my previous post, I see I said I'd changed my IE settings when I meant to say Firefox. You obviously understood, anyway.

As to changing the Internet Explorer's LAN settings, I'm a little unsure of what to enter where in the LAN settings window. It says that using Proxy settings will not work for dial-up (which is what I use).

[sded]

If you are on dialup, click on the connection  tab and select "settings" for your dialup connection, then enter the 127.0.0.1/12080 proxy there for http under "advanced".   You will need to do it for each of your dialup connections.

[beaner]

OK, got it.  But no Port # ?

[sded]

yes, ip address 127.0.0.1, port 12080 as before.