14 Free Bootable Antivirus Tools

Free Virus Scanners That Work Without Access to Windows

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 our reviews and on the bootable AV program websites.

1. Anvi Rescue Disk
2. AVG Rescue CD
3. Avira Rescue System
4. Comodo Rescue Disk
5. Bitdefender Rescue Disk
6. Dr. Web LiveDisk
7. F-Secure Rescue Disk
8. Kasperskey Rescue Disk
9. Panda  Cloud Cleaner Rescue ISO
10. Sophos Bootable Anti-Virus
11. Trend Micro Rescue Disk
12. VBA 32 Rescue
13. Windows Defender Offline
14. Zillya! Live CD

Original Post by Tim Fisher