Outlook Express does not receive email

This problem has just started a couple of days ago.  When I attempt to receive new messages, it gets hung up on the very first message.  I thought that this email was very large, so I contacted my ISP to have them purge it, but the technician stated that this message's size was small, as with all of the email messages that I was set to receive.  We then proceeded to go through the account information on the computer and the properties screens to make sure everything was correct... it was.  Earlier, I had downloaded the MacAfee privacy function, so I went back and uninstalled this feature and even tried to disable the virus software (I used to get my email with no problem when running the virus software), but this did not work either.  The ISP technician did not know what the problem would be, so I re-booted the machine a few times and it still does not receive email messages.  I have no clue as to what the problem would be.  I don't have anything in the outbox to send.  When I start outlook express, it authorizes, and starts to receive the mail, but after approximately 15 minutes, I get 1 bar in the receive mail gauge then it gives me an error message that says "due to inactivity, the mail system has terminated" (this is not word for word, but similar to the message it prompts me with).  This is a new machine (approximately 2 weeks old).