Bootable rescue disks are useful when malware stops you from running standard antivirus software. These disks let you scan your computer without Windows and are often able to locate malware that antivirus software could fail to detect. They can also look through the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive, a feature that’s particularly effective in eliminating persistent or difficult to clean threats.
These bootable tools tend to use a basic text interface. However, they usually include customization options so you can choose to scan specific folders or files, only file types or sizes, and many more. The most effective of these tools will have an graphical user interface as well as support for more advanced threats such as rootkits and ransomware.
AVG Rescue CD is a great example, with a basic but well-organized GUI with a range of scanning options. It’s also one of the few to offer an all-inclusive MBR scan which is often impossible to achieve with a non-bootable program. It’s not the fastest software on this list, and its text-only user interface isn’t for everyone.
Kaspersky Rescue Disk, another excellent option that is fast and well-designed user interface. It also supports more advanced malware. It has features aren’t found in other bootable antivirus software, such as the ability to scan boot sectors, hidden startup objects and files that aren’t look at this now able to be scanned and the entire hard drive. You can also remove files to cut down on the scanning time. In our tests, it detected all malware samples we had sent it which included some that had evaded detection by other antivirus programs.