An error occurred while starting proxy server. Checking of application protocols (POP

On one of my pc I am getting this error message. While I found some threats on the net, none seemed to have a clear solution.

However my question is more basic - what exactly does it mean with respect to my pc's security? I am still getting the updates. Does it mean that emails are not checked or browsing is not protected?

 

Ronjor, thanks but the only thing I find is

I did google beforehand and it appears that this error message has been known for a long time without any solution. So I just want to understand what it means in practical terms. I can ignore the error message if it is a minor annoyance but if it means emails or surfing on that pc are not checked, then I will need to uninstall. The pc in the past was not used for these purposes but this is to change, so I need to be confident that it is protected.