Antivirus Start Cd Download
15 Free Bootable Antivirus Tools
Free Virus Scanners That Work Without Access to Windows
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Expert Videos
Updated December 18, 2015.
What are you to do when you have a computer problem so bad that your computer won t start at all and you re pretty sure a virus or some other malware is to blame. How do you scan for viruses when you can t start Windows to do a virus scan.
This is where a bootable antivirus program becomes the hero of the day. With a bootable virus scanner, you create a special flash drive or CD/DVD disc from a working computer and then use it on the infected machine to scan the hard drive for viruses - all without needing to start Windows.
Since the most serious of viruses cause damage to the parts of your computer that allow it to start, a bootable antivirus tool can often be a powerful weapon at your disposal for getting the virus removed and your computer back up and running.
Note: In general, getting a bootable antivirus program up and running requires that you take the ISO image provided and then, from a working computer, burn it to a disc or burn it to a USB drive. Next you ll need to boot from the disc or boot from the flash drive on the infected PC. More details are available in my reviews and on the bootable AV program websites.
Anvisoft Corporation
1. Anvi Rescue Disk
Anvi Rescue Disk is a really simple bootable virus scanner. There are only three main scan buttons, two sections to the program, and no custom settings.
You can run a quick smart scan, a full system scan, or a custom scan to search for malware inside one or more specific folder.
There s also a section for finding and correcting corrupt registry issues that may have been altered by a virus.
The only thing I don t like about Anvi Rescue Disk is that you must scan the whole drive at once - you can not choose to scan single, specific files like you can with regular antivirus software. More
2. AVG Rescue CD
AVG Rescue CD is a text-only free bootable antivirus program. It can check for potentially unwanted programs, scan cookies, find hidden file extensions, and even scan inside archives.
Before you start a scan with AVG Rescue CD, you have the option to just scan a folder of your choice, just the boost sector, only the registry, or any locally attached hard drive.
Unfortunately, because AVG Rescue CD doesn t provide a graphical interface, navigating the menus can become difficult. More
Avira Operations GmbH Co.
3. Avira Rescue System
Avira Rescue System is a free bootable antivirus program that also functions as a registry editor, web browser, and more, all under a standard graphical interface.
Avira Rescue System automatically updates its definitions before performing a scan, which is great so you don t have to re-download the software every time you wish to use it.
During a virus scan, compressed files are unpacked and scanned for added protection.
Avira Rescue System doesn t let you scan individual files, but only a whole partition at once, which is too bad. Also, the download is rather large at around 630 MB. More
4. Bitdefender Rescue CD
Bitdefender Rescue CD is a free bootable virus scanner program that automatically checks for updates every time it s launched.
You can exclude certain file extensions from a scan, choose the maximum file size Bitdefender Rescue CD should scan, and optionally include archives with a scan.
Bitdefender Rescue CD lets you search in individual folders if you wish to target a specific directory and not the whole drive.
One thing I don t like about Bitdefender Rescue CD is that it takes quite a long time to start up when you boot into the program. More
Comodo Group, Inc.
5. Comodo Rescue Disk
In addition to the regular, installable Comodo Antivirus software, Comodo also has a free bootable antivirus program.
Comodo Rescue Disk can be launched from a USB device or disc in either text-only mode or with a full graphical user interface GUI. The GUI version has a familiar program interface which is much easier to use.
There are three different scan types you can start with Comodo Rescue Disk: smart scan, full scan, or custom scan.
Smart scan checks for viruses and rootkits in the memory, boot sectors, autorun entries, and other areas like the registry and system folder. A custom scan lets you choose individual files and folders to scan instead of an entire drive.
You can also scan archives, enable heuristics scanning, and skip files over a specified size.
I love that Comodo Rescue Disk includes a familiar Desktop-like interface because it makes it easier to use than some of these other text-based scanning tools. More
Doctor Web
6. Dr.Web LiveDisk
Dr.Web LiveDisk is a feature-filled free bootable virus scanner for Windows and Linux.
There are plenty of configurable settings, like choosing the actions Dr.Web should take when finding infected, suspicious, or incurable files. Also, you can set what should occur in the event it detects specific issues like adware, dialers, jokes, hacktools, and riskware.
You can also exclude directories from being scanned, set how large a file can be before it s excluded from a scan, and define a maximum duration Dr.Web is allowed to spend scanning a single file.
I like that Dr.Web can check for virus definition updates directly from the program. This means you can reuse the program in the future and all you have to do is update it before you do a scan.
You can install Dr.Web LiveDisk to a USB device or a disc, but either method is still a rather large download, at 600 MB in size. More
7. F-Secure Rescue CD
F-Secure Rescue CD is a simple bootable antivirus program. It works without any graphical user interface, so it may be a bit confusing.
There are hardly any options or user input except pressing the Enter key to confirm the start of a scan.
F-Secure Rescue CD updates its virus definitions automatically before starting a scan but it s unfortunate you can t skip over them. More
Kaspersky Lab
8. Kaspersky Rescue Disk
Kaspersky has what s called a Rescue Disk, which can scan for viruses, worms, Trojans, malicious tools, adware, dialers, and other malicious items.
You can use graphical mode recommended or text-only mode to use the program. There s an option to scan inside archives, check installation packages, and scan OLE objects.
Heuristic scanning is supported and you can choose one of three mode types for deciding how deep Kaspersky should scan.
You can also set Kaspersky to automatically disinfect your computer when it finds a malicious item or to simply prompt you to take action.
The only downfall I can find with Kaspersky Rescue Disk is that the download file is rather large, and may therefore take some time to download. More
Panda Security
9. Panda Cloud Cleaner Rescue ISO
Panda Rescue ISO is a program that allows the free Panda Cloud Cleaner program to scan a computer without any interruptions.
Panda Rescue ISO is simply a means of launching the Panda Cloud Cleaner program by itself, without any other running processes that could potentially shut it down and prevent a virus scan.
First, you must boot to the Panda Rescue ISO disc to prepare your computer for running Panda Cloud Cleaner. Next, your computer will reboot into Windows but launch the cleaner before any other applications launch. All other processes are shut down so Panda Cloud Cleaner is less likely to be terminated by a virus.
Panda Cloud Cleaner Rescue ISO Review Free Download
The problem I have with this tool is that it may not work properly if a virus has infected your computer so deeply that you can t even boot into Windows. If this is the case, you ll want to try any of the other tools in this list that don t require Windows to boot. More
PC Tools
10. PC Tools Alternate Operating System Scanner
This utility is a bit different than the others in this list because PC Tools Alternate Operating System Scanner is a portion of a larger suite.
The whole suite includes not only a virus scanner but also a system shell, file manager, data destruction utility, and file recovery tool.
If malicious files are found, PC Tools Alternate Operating System Scanner will show a results page where you can disable them so they can t do any harm to your other files.
Alternate Operating System Scanner Review Free Download
The main thing I like about this tool is that there aren t any custom settings which could be a good or bad thing depending on your perspective. It works as quickly as choosing the drive to scan and then waiting for the results. More
Prev.
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Bootable Antivirus Rescue CD is a bootable antivirus media source perform scans and removes computer virus without booting computer operating system first.
