I'm being patient. Several months ago I began using Avast successfully. Last month I got the red/orange popups saying I couldn't get the updates. Trying to do so manually got the message that it couldn't connect to the server. The friend who recommended Avast said his problems with it were usually solved by un- then re-installing. I did this, and am having the same problem. I have Windows 98SE, my server is Earthlink, and my browser is Firefox. None of this has changed from when I first installed. Please help. Closing 5 boxes when first connecting (dialup) is annoying enough, but I want the protection. Thanks.