7 Free Bootable Antivirus Disks to Clean Malware from Your PC
Antivirus programs and other security suites help keep your system clean—at least most of the time. While security apps are getting better, some malware still manages to slip through, often due to human error. Where there are people, there’s always a risk of infection.
One effective way to recover an infected system is to use a bootable antivirus disk. These tools are designed to remove malware and work similarly to Linux distributions that boot from a CD or USB drive. Below, we’ll look at seven bootable antivirus disks worth considering.
1. Kaspersky Rescue Disk
Kaspersky Rescue Disk is one of the best bootable antivirus disks, allowing you to scan an infected machine with ease. The scanner offers plenty of options, including scanning specific folders, startup objects, the system drive, and fileless objects. You can also scan your system’s boot sectors to detect especially stealthy malware.
Kaspersky Rescue Disk also includes extra tools like the Firefox browser, a file manager, and more. Another notable feature is the choice between two interfaces: graphical and text-based. Most users will prefer the graphical interface, while the text mode is intended for low-performance machines or special cases.
The Kaspersky antivirus engine in this bootable format consistently scores high in independent tests.
2. Avira Rescue System
Avira Rescue System is a bootable antivirus disk based on Ubuntu. It’s a great choice for beginners, as it includes a step-by-step guide for scanning your system. Avira doesn’t overwhelm you with options, so inexperienced users are less likely to disable something important and miss a threat.
The Avira Rescue System interface is user-friendly, with clearly defined sections. Like other rescue disks, it also includes a browser and a disk partitioning utility. Since it’s based on Ubuntu, it works well with Linux systems too.
3. Trend Micro Rescue Disk
Trend Micro Rescue Disk is probably the smallest bootable antivirus disk on this list (about 70 MB at the time of writing), but it packs powerful tools for regaining control of your system. Due to its small size, it only offers a text-based menu—no graphical interface. While this might sound intimidating, navigation is actually straightforward.
4. Dr.Web Live Disk
Despite its somewhat suspicious name, Dr.Web Live Disk offers a wide range of scanning options in its bootable environment. Compared to similar tools, Dr.Web is quite feature-rich. For example, you can include or exclude files from scanning by type and size, and set custom actions for specific types of malware like bootkits, dialers, adware, and more. You can also limit scan time for individual files, which is handy if you have large multimedia files.
Dr.Web Live Disk can also be used to scan Linux-based systems.
5. AVG Rescue
AVG is a well-known name in security. AVG Rescue features a simple text-based interface, but still allows you to customize your scans. For example, you can connect and scan only a specific Windows volume or certain files within that volume. You can also scan startup objects or the registry for specific types of malware. AVG Rescue includes diagnostic and analysis tools to help fix disk issues in addition to removing malware.
The basic text interface may not be for everyone, as navigating with arrow keys can be tedious. However, given the available options and scan accuracy, it’s worth a look.
6. ESET SysRescue Live
The last bootable antivirus disk on our list is ESET SysRescue Live, an advanced tool packed with features. You can scan archives, email folders, symbolic links, boot sectors, and more, or use ESET’s scan profiles. ESET SysRescue Live also includes a disk analyzer for checking for defects and errors, a memory test utility, the Chromium browser, the GParted partition manager, TeamViewer for remote access, and several other useful tools.
Conclusion
For most users, the best choices are Kaspersky Rescue Disk or Dr.Web Live Disk. Kaspersky Rescue Disk is bulky but effective, with regular updates and excellent security features. Dr.Web Live Disk offers more customization, though it can’t quite match Kaspersky’s scanning power. Still, its range of options makes it a convenient tool.
The other utilities are also effective for cleaning your system from malware. Depending on the severity of the infection, you might want to use two different bootable antivirus disks in succession to be extra sure your system is clean.