Outlook Express error.... will now close

[welopez]

Have only been using AVAST! Home for a week now, all too frequently I open Outlook Express and have dozens of emails (SPAM), a Windows error message pops up... "Outlook Express has generated an error and will now close."  The messages are not deleted from server and the next time I open OEX, they are downloaded again, until the error message pops up again.  Finally, I check my mail on the web and delete all spam, then OEX functions normally.

I have AVAST! security settings configured to HIGH.

I cannot find any reference to this in help or in the forum.  Has anyone else encounterd this problem?  I've never experienced this in the previous 10 years.  I ran the email configuration wizard, but it changes nothing.

Win XP Home
Pentium IV 2.8 Gig/Hz
512 MB Ram
Starband satellite ISP (3 years)
Zone Alarm Pro
Ad Aware
All updates and SP's

[Lisandro]

Are you sure that your email account settings are not check to 'leave messages in the server' (I think this setting is in the 'Advanced' tab of email account properties).

Do you use any spam killer application?
It seems not related to avast... I use OE and avast and do not see a reason for avast to keep the messages in the server and do not allow the download of it...  

[welopez]

Nope, not leaving messages on server... I learned that trick a decade ago.  The problem appears to be when the Outlook Express error is generated, it doesn't have time to close out the mail server and log the messages as having been downloaded.

I tried a spam filter once (doesn't everyone get tired of more than 100 spam mails when booting in the morning?), but since I run a small business from home, I still had to review ALL the deleted messages to be sure a legitimate message from a customer had not been deleted.  I do not use a spam filter any more.

I've been through the upgrades from Win3.x to 95, 98, ME and XP, and I've never had this problem until I installed AVAST!  I like the program and assume there is a simple setting a newbie like me has overlooked.  I've never experienced this sort of error with Outlook Express.

Win XP Home
Pentium IV 2.8 Gig/Hz
512 MB Ram
Starband satellite ISP (3 years)
Zone Alarm Pro
Ad Aware
All updates and SP's

[Lisandro]

Did you update your Windows? Maybe some patch of OE can change its behavior. Sorry, I cannot figure out how could this happen.
Last suggestion, try to use a higher 'timeout' in avast settings for checking emails  

[welopez]

Thanks..... setting the time out delay to 2 minutes for each of my mail accounts seems to have cured the problem.  Haven't received the error message again.

Win XP Home
Pentium IV 2.8 Gig/Hz
512 MB Ram
Starband satellite ISP (3 years)
Zone Alarm Pro
Ad Aware
All updates and SP's

[bob3160]

Dear welopez,
I assume you have no other way of getting highspeed internet access than using Starband satellite.
I know for a fact that they do not really support pop3 e-mail.
That's why you are probably having the e-mail problen.  
Hopefully you will eventually get access to cable and then you'll really find out what highspeed is.
And, on cable, there is no fair user access penalty to worry about.

[welopez]

Yeah, Starband has it's faults, but not as many as DirectWay.  I live so far out in the boonies we don't get Monday until Wednesday, and our little town of 65 persons will likely never get cable or DSL.  Our coop power company announced they were going to begin offering Broadband Service, and I was in hope of broadband over power lines, but it seems they will offer WildBlue (soon after those people launch a satellite.  ROFL!)  Starband may not be DSL, but I've never had a problem with pop email and only occasionally with web mail.  It's way better than a 16K dialup with throughput lower than 2kbps.  600k down/30k up, rockon!

Win XP Home
Pentium IV 2.8 Gig/Hz
512 MB Ram
Starband satellite ISP (3 years)
Zone Alarm Pro
Ad Aware
All updates and SP's

[bob3160]

welopez,
I'm glad to hear that your isp is better that Direcway which is actually Hughs. I can tell you some horror stories....
The expense was outrageous.  Thank god it's over. Comcast has a max throu put of 3meg so everything is grease lightning.