Windows 7: Avast Free anti-virus : unwanted anti-spam toolbar in Outlook 2003

Hi,

I have had Avast Free anti-virus for a long time. At some point, after an automatic upgrade, all my messages in Outlook 2003 got an added anti-spam toolbar from Avast. I don't want it.

I did not find any way to make it go away from inside Outlook. It does not appear as an add-on in the relevant places. At some point, there was a register-based solution that was floating around on the Web. It worked with a previous version of Avast, but not with the current one.

I uninstalled Avast (with the proprietary uninstall tool, in safe mode) and reinstalled it twice. At some point, the anti-spam appeared as a separate module, so naturally I refused installation / deactivated it / uninstalled it (don't remember which). Yet it's impossible to make the toolbar go away.

If I de-activate or uninstall the mail shield module, the anti-spam toolbar goes away, but I don't want that. I want Avast to scan my mail, of course.

Now that I have nixed it somehow, the anti-spam component does not show anymore in the Settings / Components panel, not even in order to be re-activated. I don't know if this is a bug or a feature. It happens with other Avast components that I have refused, or uninstalled, and which do not appear anymore in the options panel as an option available for re-activation.

The anti-spam, illogically, is not part of the mail shield component, and no relevant settings appear in the mail shield settings.

A request in the Avast forum did not bring any helpful answers.

Thanks for any insights in this before I nuke Avast altogether (for what ? not many free choices worth their salt...).

I wonder why you're still using Outlook 2003?

Because it works... :)

Other reasons include : because I haven't mastered all its features yet... because I don't know how to get money on tap (advice welcome)... because you can buy Office 2003 help books for 1 $ apiece... because I resent Microsoft's tendency to drag its customers to the cloud and steal their data... because knowledgeable Office experts think the 2003 edition was the best one and things went downhill since... and mainly because the question should be put the other way : why on earth should I "upgrade" ?

Hi:


One good reason to upgrade:
Security vulnerabilities in a program that is long, long EOS/EOL and no longer being patched by MS.

If one does not want to or cannot afford to purchase a supported version of MS Office, there are many free, open-source alternatives that are probably safer than Office 2003.

MM

The MAIL shield is the master option, Anti-spam is a minor option of it.
Just turn it off permenantly.

Roy

That's true in the long run. But going to this concrete case, what security vulnerability are you concerned about exactly?

Many times that catchphase is just thrown without any concrete basis other than a theoretical risk.
And in many other cases, the real risks can be mitigated by other good practices.

LOL.
Sorry, but I won't be sucked into that vortex.:)

I'm neither a software engineer nor a MS programmer.
But, as a long-time home computer user, I do note that MS issues "Security Updates" for supported versions of Windows, MS Office and other applications nearly every month and has done for as long as I can remember.

I do not in any way suggest that running Office 2016 is the sole method to protect one's computer.
If a computer user wishes to forego MS security updates in order to run EOS/EOL software or to use other strategies to help protect the user's system, that's certainly up to the user.
Different strokes for different folks.:)

With so many free, up-to-date, open-source alternatives to MS Office 2003, I merely offered one answer to the OP's question about "why upgrade".

Nothing more, nothing less.

Cheers,
MM