Thank you for the feedback.
I've noticed thru the ZoneAlarm Pro 4.0 firewall program that the Avast e-mail scanner will be "active" (auto launch) when it first sees the initialization of Outlook Express. But when Outlook Express is turned-off, the Avast e-mail scanner still remains active.
Note that the Avast e-mail scanner is not active when I boot/reboot the PC.
I know that with this same computer running Windows 2000 Pro, ZA Pro 4.0, and Norton AV 2001, the Norton e-mail scan utility will shut down when Outlook Express is no longer active.
I remembered that Norton AV also used 127.0.0.1. Let me verify this and post back.
I still believe that there should be a stand-alone program that updates the virus definition (i.e.auto lauch, check for update, then shut down). The virus definition file is the heart and soul of any AV program. Please remember that some PC users DO NOT need the full time protection of AVAST. Please DO NOT integrate the auto virus definition update feature into the main Avast program. The implementation of this feature will make Avast a MUCH better product than Norton AV.
F.