Outlook Express and antivirus checking

I've often seen advice from Microsoft MVPs on one or both of these
newsgroups that the email scanning facility of one's antivirus program
should be turned off, because it can cause problems in OE and does not serve
any useful purpose.

I've just installed WinXP, OE6 and AVG Free on my wife's computer. When
looking to turn off the AVG email scanning, I went to the AVG Free Forum,
quoted the MVP advice referred to above, and asked whether email scanning
should be turned off while using OE as our email client. The AVG reply was:

"In my opinion this isn't a good idea. For one, if the email scanner is
setup properly there will be no issues. The default settings already support
the majority of the users with the main ones that it requires changes for
being the SSL type of email which that you setup manually.

"While most ISPs also scan email now.. not all do and not all antivirus
scanners are made equal so I prefer to scan my own. I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program. "

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice? Thank you in anticipation.

Lindsay Graham

E-mail scanning is a redundant option that wreaks havoc with OE, regardless
if it is Norton. McAfee, AVG or any other.

Turning off e-mail scanning is safe. See:

Viral Irony: The Most Common Cause of Corruption.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...ion.mspx#EOAAC

And this is from Symantec, but applies to all anti-virus programs.

From:
http://snipurl.com/bmf6

Is my computer still protected against viruses if I disable Email Scanning?

Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.

BTY, I have used AVG for some time now.

Reinstall AVG and choose Custom Mode. Uncheck E-mail Scanning when you see
that option. For some reason, just unchecking it in the security center
causes a conflict with the Windows Security Center.

Make sure you reboot when you're done.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
I've often seen advice from Microsoft MVPs on one or both of these
newsgroups that the email scanning facility of one's antivirus program
should be turned off, because it can cause problems in OE and does not
serve any useful purpose.

I've just installed WinXP, OE6 and AVG Free on my wife's computer. When
looking to turn off the AVG email scanning, I went to the AVG Free Forum,
quoted the MVP advice referred to above, and asked whether email scanning
should be turned off while using OE as our email client. The AVG reply
was:

"In my opinion this isn't a good idea. For one, if the email scanner is
setup properly there will be no issues. The default settings already
support the majority of the users with the main ones that it requires
changes for being the SSL type of email which that you setup manually.

"While most ISPs also scan email now.. not all do and not all antivirus
scanners are made equal so I prefer to scan my own. I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program. "

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice? Thank you in anticipation.

Lindsay Graham

Lindsay

I cannot echo strong enough what Bruce has posted to your question. Email scanning by any AV can and will cause issues in OE no matter how perfectly it is set up.

Keep in mind that some that never had any problems is because this issue is like a Russian Roulette. They got lucky and only until they get hit which is inevitable.

--
Peter

Please Reply to Newsgroup for the benefit of others
Requests for assistance by email can not and will not be acknowledged.

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message ...
I've often seen advice from Microsoft MVPs on one or both of these
newsgroups that the email scanning facility of one's antivirus program
should be turned off, because it can cause problems in OE and does not serve
any useful purpose.

I've just installed WinXP, OE6 and AVG Free on my wife's computer. When
looking to turn off the AVG email scanning, I went to the AVG Free Forum,
quoted the MVP advice referred to above, and asked whether email scanning
should be turned off while using OE as our email client. The AVG reply was:

"In my opinion this isn't a good idea. For one, if the email scanner is
setup properly there will be no issues. The default settings already support
the majority of the users with the main ones that it requires changes for
being the SSL type of email which that you setup manually.

"While most ISPs also scan email now.. not all do and not all antivirus
scanners are made equal so I prefer to scan my own. I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program. "

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice? Thank you in anticipation.

Lindsay Graham

QP
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".
/QP

Well said, Norman.
--
~Bruce

"N. Miller" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 14:14:04 +1100, Lindsay Graham wrote:

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice?

I am not an MVP, nor do I wish to be one. I have some comments of my own
to
add. The guy who says, "I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program.", clearly does not understand what he is
saying. An AV scanner acts as a proxy, accessing the email account, and
writing the email to a local temporary file, then running the scan. So you
are downloading the email from the server anyway. But what happens if
something goes awry while the message is in this limbo? And it is the same
scanning engine, the same definitions, that will be in play whether you
scan, or don't scan.

As the MVPs keep pointing out, client side anti virus scanning is
redundant.
What they haven't pointed out is that it violates the "KISS" principle. By
creating a Rube Goldberg contraption, AV email scanning is anything but
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".

--
Norman
~Shine, bright morning light,
~now in the air the spring is coming.
~Sweet, blowing wind,
~singing down the hills and valleys.

Whoever wrote that did not understand how email scanning works or how AVG
works. Once you disable email scanning and disable the email plugin AVG
will still protect you just as well.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
http://www.fjsmjs.com


"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
I've often seen advice from Microsoft MVPs on one or both of these
newsgroups that the email scanning facility of one's antivirus program
should be turned off, because it can cause problems in OE and does not
serve any useful purpose.

I've just installed WinXP, OE6 and AVG Free on my wife's computer. When
looking to turn off the AVG email scanning, I went to the AVG Free Forum,
quoted the MVP advice referred to above, and asked whether email scanning
should be turned off while using OE as our email client. The AVG reply
was:

"In my opinion this isn't a good idea. For one, if the email scanner is
setup properly there will be no issues. The default settings already
support the majority of the users with the main ones that it requires
changes for being the SSL type of email which that you setup manually.

"While most ISPs also scan email now.. not all do and not all antivirus
scanners are made equal so I prefer to scan my own. I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program. "

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice? Thank you in anticipation.

Lindsay Graham

Did you really think any maker of a product would admit the product causes
as many problems as it fixes
Logic and legal liability precludes an honest answer from av makers

--
-
Adaware http://www.lavasoft.de
spybot http://www.safer-networking.org
AVG free antivirus http://free.grisoft.com/
Etrust/Vet/CA.online Antivirus scan
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/virusinfo/scan.aspx
Super Antispyware http://www.superantispyware.com/
Panda online AntiVirus scan http://www.activescan.com
Panda online AntiSpyware Scan
http://www.pandasoftware.com/virus_info/spyware/test/
Catalog of removal tools (1)
http://www.pandasoftware.com/download/utilities/
Catalog of removal tools (2)
http://www3.ca.com/securityadvisor/n...aspx?CID=40387
Trouble Shooting guide to Windows http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/
Blocking Unwanted Parasites with a Hosts file
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/hosts.htm
links provided as a courtesy, read all instructions on the pages before
use
Grateful thanks to the authors/webmasters
_
"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
I've often seen advice from Microsoft MVPs on one or both of these
newsgroups that the email scanning facility of one's antivirus program
should be turned off, because it can cause problems in OE and does not
serve
any useful purpose.

I've just installed WinXP, OE6 and AVG Free on my wife's computer. When
looking to turn off the AVG email scanning, I went to the AVG Free Forum,
quoted the MVP advice referred to above, and asked whether email scanning
should be turned off while using OE as our email client. The AVG reply
was:

"In my opinion this isn't a good idea. For one, if the email scanner is
setup properly there will be no issues. The default settings already
support
the majority of the users with the main ones that it requires changes for
being the SSL type of email which that you setup manually.

"While most ISPs also scan email now.. not all do and not all antivirus
scanners are made equal so I prefer to scan my own. I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program. "

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice? Thank you in anticipation.

Lindsay Graham

Thanks for all the replies, which certainly confirmed what has been said
before.

I've suggested that the correspondent on the AVG Forum refer to this
exchange of posts and reconsider his/her earlier advice. If anyone wants to
look at the relevant messages on the Forum, see
http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/list.php?3,page=1. I'll post the result
here in due course.

Pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea who Rube Goldberg was. But with the
help of Wikipaedia, I now know who he was and what a Rube Goldberg
contraption was. What a great feller he must have been!

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia


"N. Miller" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 14:14:04 +1100, Lindsay Graham wrote:

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to this
advice?

I am not an MVP, nor do I wish to be one. I have some comments of my own
to
add. The guy who says, "I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program.", clearly does not understand what he is
saying. An AV scanner acts as a proxy, accessing the email account, and
writing the email to a local temporary file, then running the scan. So you
are downloading the email from the server anyway. But what happens if
something goes awry while the message is in this limbo? And it is the same
scanning engine, the same definitions, that will be in play whether you
scan, or don't scan.

As the MVPs keep pointing out, client side anti virus scanning is
redundant.
What they haven't pointed out is that it violates the "KISS" principle. By
creating a Rube Goldberg contraption, AV email scanning is anything but
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".

--
Norman
~Shine, bright morning light,
~now in the air the spring is coming.
~Sweet, blowing wind,
~singing down the hills and valleys.

I said I'd post the result here, but basically, there was no result. If you
want to share in the frustration that I felt g, have a look at the AVG
Forum URL below -- the only person who responded substantively refused to
address the reasons given on this newsgroup as to why it's better to turn
off the email scanner, and after going round in circles for quite some, I
gave up.

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all the replies, which certainly confirmed what has been said
before.

I've suggested that the correspondent on the AVG Forum refer to this
exchange of posts and reconsider his/her earlier advice. If anyone wants
to look at the relevant messages on the Forum, see
http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/list.php?3,page=1. I'll post the result
here in due course.

Pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea who Rube Goldberg was. But with
the help of Wikipaedia, I now know who he was and what a Rube Goldberg
contraption was. What a great feller he must have been!

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia


"N. Miller" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 14:14:04 +1100, Lindsay Graham wrote:

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to
this
advice?

I am not an MVP, nor do I wish to be one. I have some comments of my own
to
add. The guy who says, "I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program.", clearly does not understand what he is
saying. An AV scanner acts as a proxy, accessing the email account, and
writing the email to a local temporary file, then running the scan. So
you
are downloading the email from the server anyway. But what happens if
something goes awry while the message is in this limbo? And it is the
same
scanning engine, the same definitions, that will be in play whether you
scan, or don't scan.

As the MVPs keep pointing out, client side anti virus scanning is
redundant.
What they haven't pointed out is that it violates the "KISS" principle.
By
creating a Rube Goldberg contraption, AV email scanning is anything but
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".

Don't believe them. I have been using AVG for quite awhile and have never
used e-mail scanning in that or any other AV program. Even Norton agrees you
are still safe.

Turning off e-mail scanning is safe. See:

Viral Irony: The Most Common Cause of Corruption.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/IE/...ion.mspx#EOAAC

And this is from Symantec, but applies to all anti-virus programs.

From:
http://snipurl.com/bmf6

Is my computer still protected against viruses if I disable Email Scanning?

Disabling Email Scanning does not leave you unprotected against viruses that
are distributed as email attachments. Norton AntiVirus Auto-Protect scans
incoming files as they are saved to your hard drive, including email and
email attachments. Email Scanning is just another layer on top of this. To
make sure that Auto-Protect is providing the maximum protection, keep
Auto-Protect enabled and run LiveUpdate regularly to ensure that you have
the most recent virus definitions.

Take heed he

Reinstall AVG and choose Custom Mode. Uncheck E-mail Scanning when you see
that option. For some reason, just unchecking it in the security center
causes a conflict with the Windows Security Center.

Make sure you reboot when you're done.
--
Bruce Hagen
MS-MVP Outlook Express
~IB-CA~

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
I said I'd post the result here, but basically, there was no result. If
you want to share in the frustration that I felt g, have a look at the
AVG Forum URL below -- the only person who responded substantively refused
to address the reasons given on this newsgroup as to why it's better to
turn off the email scanner, and after going round in circles for quite
some, I gave up.

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all the replies, which certainly confirmed what has been said
before.

I've suggested that the correspondent on the AVG Forum refer to this
exchange of posts and reconsider his/her earlier advice. If anyone wants
to look at the relevant messages on the Forum, see
http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/list.php?3,page=1. I'll post the
result here in due course.

Pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea who Rube Goldberg was. But with
the help of Wikipaedia, I now know who he was and what a Rube Goldberg
contraption was. What a great feller he must have been!

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia


"N. Miller" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 14:14:04 +1100, Lindsay Graham wrote:

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to
this
advice?

I am not an MVP, nor do I wish to be one. I have some comments of my own
to
add. The guy who says, "I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program.", clearly does not understand what he
is
saying. An AV scanner acts as a proxy, accessing the email account, and
writing the email to a local temporary file, then running the scan. So
you
are downloading the email from the server anyway. But what happens if
something goes awry while the message is in this limbo? And it is the
same
scanning engine, the same definitions, that will be in play whether you
scan, or don't scan.

As the MVPs keep pointing out, client side anti virus scanning is
redundant.
What they haven't pointed out is that it violates the "KISS" principle.
By
creating a Rube Goldberg contraption, AV email scanning is anything but
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
I said I'd post the result here, but basically, there was no result. If
you want to share in the frustration that I felt g, have a look at the
AVG Forum URL below -- the only person who responded substantively refused
to address the reasons given on this newsgroup as to why it's better to
turn off the email scanner, and after going round in circles for quite
some, I gave up.

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia

"Lindsay Graham" wrote in message
...
Thanks for all the replies, which certainly confirmed what has been said
before.

I've suggested that the correspondent on the AVG Forum refer to this
exchange of posts and reconsider his/her earlier advice. If anyone wants
to look at the relevant messages on the Forum, see
http://forum.grisoft.cz/freeforum/list.php?3,page=1. I'll post the
result here in due course.

Pardon my ignorance, but I had no idea who Rube Goldberg was. But with
the help of Wikipaedia, I now know who he was and what a Rube Goldberg
contraption was. What a great feller he must have been!

Lindsay Graham
Canberra, Australia


"N. Miller" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 7 Mar 2007 14:14:04 +1100, Lindsay Graham wrote:

I'd be grateful for some comments from MVPs on this AVG reply. If the
original MVP advice still stands, why? And what issues gave rise to
this
advice?

I am not an MVP, nor do I wish to be one. I have some comments of my own
to
add. The guy who says, "I would rather catch a
malware before it got to my email client than to rely on the on access
scanner of an antivirus program.", clearly does not understand what he
is
saying. An AV scanner acts as a proxy, accessing the email account, and
writing the email to a local temporary file, then running the scan. So
you
are downloading the email from the server anyway. But what happens if
something goes awry while the message is in this limbo? And it is the
same
scanning engine, the same definitions, that will be in play whether you
scan, or don't scan.

As the MVPs keep pointing out, client side anti virus scanning is
redundant.
What they haven't pointed out is that it violates the "KISS" principle.
By
creating a Rube Goldberg contraption, AV email scanning is anything but
"Keep It Simple, Stupid".