email protection in AOL?

[SCORPIONINBLUE]

I told a friend of mine about Avast since he just got a new p.c. and he's using the home version.  Now my question pertains to his email coverage, he has AOL as his service, and from what I understand they provide automatic email protection (probably through one of the big two) since he just uses AOL mail service and doesn't use an outside mail client, am I correct in assuming he doesn't have full Avast protection (individual mail scanning).  When I asked him to check the provider it said it was running, and not waiting for a subsystem to start.  How is this possible?  Everyone knows that you can't have two viruses programs covering your email.  Is this something new with the updated program (he updated to the latest version) please clairfy because I was going to advise him to use Outlook Express for his email and have Avast scanning his messages as I have recently done.  

[Lisandro]

avast can only be used with pop3/smtp/imap email servers.
I'm not sure you will get AOL mail service without an outside mail client...

Besides this, waiting for a subsystem to start is the message of Outlook plugin (not Outlook Express). It's waiting for MS Outlook to be started as it is a plugin: the main program must be running to the plugin be active.

You can have two viruses programs covering your email. I have!  

[toadbee]

Not only is AOL using non-standard ports when fetching mail via AOL - but the messages are not in standard format. I've tried adding the ports for Avast to watch, but it doesn't seem that they recognize the email - so whatever Avast is keying on - (headers / protocol handshakes etc) to recognize email, AOL doesn't use it or its encrypted  

If your friend uses a standard client for his AOL email (IMAP and SMTP), Avast will work fine. Either way that he gets his mail, they will have already been scanned by mcafee before they hit his inbox.

[Eddy]

What OS is he using?
What exact version of Avast?
What are the settings in Avast's mail providers?
What are the settings under the mailscanner section in the avast4.ini?

[SCORPIONINBLUE]

You know I would have to go over and watch him open his email, I don't have the details of his system other than its standard WindowsXP for home.  I'm with Yahoo but when I go over I'll investigate.  I do have a question about that subsystem message, after I updated Avast on the 15th, I noticed the following day when I open Outlook that messages were being listed without Avast scanning taking place, I immediately halted the process and closed the window.  I then cliked on the blue ball and saw that my mail provider had that very same message of "waiting for subsystem to start, " this didn't occur prior to the update.  I then teminated and restarted it and it indicated that it was running.  Why would that occur I've changed none of the settings before updating?  Since about five messages got through without scanning I deleted them (better safe than sorry especially with Yahoo) now I find myself checking to see if the mail provider is working before opening Outlook.