It's a plus 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.ĮSET SysRescue is another bootable virus scanner that you can use for free from a CD, DVD, or USB device. You can also scan archives, enable heuristics scanning, and skip files over a specified size. A custom scan lets you choose individual files and folders to scan instead of an entire drive. Smart scan checks for viruses and rootkits in the memory, boot sectors, autorun entries, and other areas like the registry and system folder. There are three different scan types: smart scan, full scan, or custom scan. The GUI version has a familiar program interface which is much easier to use. In addition to the regular, installable Comodo Antivirus software, Comodo also has a free bootable antivirus program.Ĭomodo 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 program itself hasn't been updated in a long time It's difficult to use the file/folder-level scan option The download page lists all the programs included on it.

This also means you can copy files off your computer if necessary (like for backup reasons). You can also browse your hard drive, so if you know where a pesky virus is located, and you'd rather delete it yourself, it's fairly easy to do so. I find this far easier to use than the text-based programs listed below, plus it means it includes other Windows programs, like Command Prompt. In addition to its virus scanners from four companies-ESET, McAfee, Kaspersky, and Malwarebytes-are hard drive recovery and backup tools, system info utilities, and network scanners.Īs you scan see in my screenshot, this bootable rescue suite lets you use your mouse and navigate through a desktop interface, much like you can in Windows. Hiren's BootCD PE includes a suite of fix-it tools that make it indispensable for those times when you can't boot into your computer.

In Windows 11, for example, go to Settings > Privacy & security > Windows Security > Virus & threat protection > Scan options > Microsoft Defender Antivirus (offline scan). Visit the link below to download this tool, or if it's built-in to your version of Windows, you can find it in Settings. This program supports quick virus scans, full scans, and custom scans so that you can choose your own folders and drives to scan. You can also view quarantined files and exclude files, folders, and extension types from scans. It's built-in to Windows 11 and Windows 10 (it's called Microsoft Defender Offline in those version), otherwise you can download it for older Windows versions or those newer ones if the computer won't start.Īn important feature I appreciate is that its definitions (the rules for finding threats) can be updated directly from the disc, which lots of bootable virus checkers can't do.

Windows Defender Offline is a bootable virus scanner from Microsoft that sports a full user interface. 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.Īfter trying all the bootable virus scanning tools I could find, this list represents my favorites.ĭownloads as an EXE file instead of directly as an ISO However, with one of these scanners, you create a special flash drive or 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! It'd be hard to count how many times I've been relieved to have a couple bootable antivirus discs on hand. Why are these tools so important? If you've ever had such a terrible virus that your computer won't start at all, it's hard to know what to do next because, well, your system won't boot up! If you don't know what these are, they're simply virus scanners that start from a disc or flash drive instead of from your computer's hard drive. Below is a list of all the best free bootable antivirus programs I could get my hands on.

Malwarebytes portable