and if you haven't uninstalled MS Messenger on your XP system because you use it for instant messenging, it is going to run in the background looking for its own updates.....

The spyware program knows that the product belongs to MS so it will allow the popup and then allow the messenger program to continue scanning for updates for whatever interval it is defaulting to (in your case every ten or fifteen minutes).

You can either take Messenger out of the startup program completely and tell OE to turn it off in the Options/Security area because as it checks your mail, it will continue to keep messenger running in the background as well or turning it back on everytime OE checks for your email......or you can uninstall it from Add-Remove programs by making a small change in the .ini file that will let it show up there for removal.

If you disable messenger from startup and from OE, you can continue to use the program on an 'as needed' basis by using the shortcut to it in Start/Programs and only start it up when you want to use the program.

Either way, the spyware program will then stop telling you about it......

TONI