Startup Error

[Walt Basil]

I was using McAfee Viruscan Enterprise, and uninstalled it, and installed
McAfee Security Center (to include Virusscan).

Now, whenever Outlook 2003 (SP2) starts up, or if ActiveSync 3.7.1
synchronizes Outlook with my Dell Axim X50, I get the following error:

The add-in "C:\Program Files\Network Associates\viruscan\scanemal.dll" could
not be installed or load. This problem may be resolved by using Detect and
Repair on the Help menu.

I have ran the Detect and Repair (both ways - Restore my shortcuts while
repairing and Discard my customized settings and restore default settings)
to no avail. I had no idea the latter would totally wipe out my Outlook
database. I thought it would just reset my customized settings, as it
states. Good thing my Axim has everything on it - I got everything back but
email older than 5 days.

Where can I find the setting that is making Outlook look for this DLL?

Thanks.

 

[Walt Basil]

For posterity's sake, here is what I apparently did to fix this.

Tools>Options

Select "Other" tab.

Click on "Advanced Options..."

Click on "Add-In Manager"

Uncheck "McAfee VirusScan Outlook Email Scanner"

Select OK, then OK, Then OK.

Close Outlook, open Outlook, no more error message.

Then, I did it all again but this time I checked "McAfee VirusScan Outlook
Email Scanner."

Closed, the opened Outlook. Still no more error message.

Perhaps this caused Outlook to re-write some setting, pointing to the
correct file.

 

[Brian Tillman]

For posterity's sake, here is what I apparently did to fix this.

The better fix would be to have disabled email scanning permanently. It
typically doesn't add security and can interfere with the communications
between mail client and server.

 

[Walt Basil]

"Better" is merely an opinion. For you, that may be better. For me, it
wasn't.

Of course I could have disabled email scanning, but then I want it to scan
them, as I do get a virus now and then sent to me from some of my less
security aware brethren. I like to know if any attachments I receive are
infected, so I can let them know. Also, I know it won't interfere with any
of my "communications between mail client and server." I run both.

 

[Brian Tillman]

"Better" is merely an opinion. For you, that may be better. For me, it
wasn't.

"Better" is not an opinion, since it has been demonstrated time and again by
hundreds, if not thousands, of people that scanning email is a large
contributor to problems in mail client-server communications and it is
demonstrably no more secure for the recipient.

 

[Walt Basil]

And that's your opinion, and maybe "hundreds, if not thousands of people"
may share that opinion. It still doesn't change the fact that it's an
opinion. I respect yours (and theirs) opinion(s). For me and my situation,
it wasn't "better." Scanning offers no problems to my client-server
communications.

You're turn...

 

[Brian Tillman]

Scanning offers no problems to my
client-server communications.

That's you've encountered yet. And you still haven't addressed the fact
that it doesn't make you any safer.

 

[Walt Basil]

No, not that I haven encountered yet, in the last year and a half I've ran
my mail server and multi-platform clients (Mac, Windows, Palm, and
PocketPC). No, it doesn't really make me any safer, because I * never* open
anything that I don't know what it is.

But we digress. Let's get back to the point of you trying to tell me what
is better for my situation. You don't know my mail server. You don't know
how or for what I use my mail server. I told you that I want to be able to
scan incoming messages automatically. I told you I have no issues between
server and client with the automatic scanning of incoming messages. When one
has control over both ends there should be no issues, in my opinion. Now,
knowing that I personally require automatic email scans, and that this
scanning has no affect on my communications, what is my "better" option,
tailored to my requests?

In my opinion, for my situation, enabling it is my better choice. What do I
gain or lose either way? That is for me to weigh and decide what is better.

For someone who does have issues with scanning, I would agree in a heartbeat
that their better solution would be to ditch the scanning.

 

[Brian Tillman]

But we digress. Let's get back to the point of you trying to tell me
what is better for my situation.

It is better over all. If it works fine for you, great. Only you care. In
general it's a BAD idea to interpose software between the mail client and
the mail server. That is a true statement whether you choose to ignore it
or not.