The Best Antivirus Rescue Disks

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Bootable rescue disks are helpful when malware stops your computer from running standard antivirus software. These tools let you scan your computer without Windows and usually find files that regular antivirus software might miss. Some even scan the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive, a feature especially useful in eliminating persistent or difficult-to-clean malware.

These bootable tools have an interface built on text. However, most provide customization options, which means you can choose to only scan specific types of files or folders, or even select specific size of files. The most effective of these tools come with a visual interface and support for more advanced threats including rootkits as well as some types of ransomware.

AVG Rescue CD is a great example, featuring a simple but extensive GUI and many scanning options. It’s also among the few programs that provide an entire MBR scan, which is usually impossible to perform from an unbootable program. However it’s not the quickest on this list and its interface that is text-only isn’t for all users.

Kaspersky Rescue Disk Another excellent choice that is fast and has a well-designed interface. It also supports more advanced malware. It comes with features that aren’t found in other bootable antivirus applications, such as the ability to scan boot sectors and hidden startup objects, as well as files that aren’t able to be scanned and the entire hard drive. You can also block files to cut down on the time required to scan. It identified all the malware we sent, even those that were undetected by other antivirus software.