9 Bootable CD Virus Scanners
I recently came across a couple fake FBI Moneypak viruses on a few of my client’s computers and although they weren’t that difficult to remove, I started thinking that a bootable CD virus scanner would have been a much easier way to remove them and to also check the system for any other viruses that might be on there too. So I started looking around to see what was available and low and behold there are several of them out there that are FREE to use. I knew I’d find something but I didn’t realize there were this many free bootable anti-virus disc images offered. And not only can you create a bootable disc image of these anti-virus programs, but some of them are also able to use your network adapter to create a network connection and even download the most current virus definitions from the internet before running a scan.
Some of them also come with other utilities like a partition manager, built-in web browser (obviously requires an internet connection first), registry editor and a file explorer so you can manually remove unwanted malware entries and files.
I now have the following bootable antivirus CD’s created and sitting in my arsenal for when I come across a virus that prevents a computer from booting or cripples the operating system so much that you can’t even do anything once you log in.
Kaspersky Rescue Disk
https://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/rescuedisk
Bitdefender Rescue CD
http://www.bitdefender.com/support/How-to-create-a-Bitdefender-Rescue-CD-627.html
AVG Rescue CD
http://www.avg.com/us-en/avg-rescue-cd-download
Avira AntiVir Rescue System
http://www.avira.com/en/download/product/avira-antivir-rescue-system
F-Secure Rescue CD
http://www.f-secure.com/en/web/labs_global/removal-tools
Panda SafeCD
http://research.pandasecurity.com/panda-safecd-4-4-3-0/
Dr.Web LiveCD
http://www.freedrweb.com/livecd/
Trend Micro Rescue Disk
http://www.trendsecure.com/Info/Rescue_Disk/html/download.html
Windows Defender Offline
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows/what-is-windows-defender-offline
How the Bootable CD Virus Scanners Compare
Here’s a little break-down of how these bootable anti-virus CDs compare with each other “feature-wise”. They can all run virus scans, and I haven’t determined if any scanners are better than another, but I have a couple favorites based on their ease of use and the other utilities that they include on the CD. My top 2 favorites are the Bitdefender Rescue CD & the Kaspersky Rescue Disk.
| Kaspersky Rescue Disk | Bitdefender Rescue CD | AVG Rescue CD | Avira AntiVir Rescue System | F-Secure Rescue CD | Panda SafeCD | Dr.Web LiveCD | Trend Micro Rescue Disk | Windows Defender Offline | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GUI w/Mouse | Y | Y | N | Y | N | Y | Y | N | Y |
| Networkable | Y | Y | Y (see notes) | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| Updateable Virus Def. | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | Y | N | N |
| File Manager | Y | Y | Y (Midnight Cmndr) | N | N | N | Y (Midnight Cmndr w/mouse support) | N | N |
| Web Broswer | Y (Konquerer) | Y (Firefox) | Y (Links (text only)) | Y (Avira Browser (see notes)) | N | N | Y (Firefox) | N | N |
| Email Client | N | N | N | N | N | N | Y (Sylpheed) | N | N |
| Registry Editor | Y | N | Y | N | N | N | N (see notes) | N | N |
| Fix MBR | Y | N | N | N | Y | N | |||
| Memory Test | N | N | Y (Memtest 86+) | N | N | N | Y (see notes) | N | N |
Notes
Kaspersky Rescue Disk
- Includes a terminal program.
Bitdefender Rescue CD
- Definition updates would start to download then kept timing out so I was never able to get an updated definition from online.
- Includes a Partition Manager (GParted)
- Includes a PDF Viewer (Foxit Reader)
AVG Rescue CD
- Was unable to get the network configured to connect to the internet.
- A little difficult to use with just keyboard navigation and no mouse support.
- Can run a S.M.A.R.T. test.
- Can recover deleted files with PhotoRec.
Avira AntiVir Rescue System
- AviraBroswer appears to be limited to only where you can go from the Avira website. Was unable to type in a new location in the address bar.
- Includes a terminal program.
F-Secure Rescue CD
- Provides the following warning: If a file cannot be disinfected, it is renamed. Warning! If a Windows system file is infected, the computer may not restart.
- Did not seem very user-friendly.
Panda SafeCD
- Simply a virus scanner but at least with mouse support.
- Was unable to update the virus definitions even though it said connected to the internet. “There have been errors downloading signature file. Do you want to use one aboard if any?”
Dr.Web LiveCD
- Doesn’t have a registry editor where you can manually edit the registry, but the CD contains a CureRegistry program that automatically scans the registry. It doesn’t seem to be comprehensive; it just scans some important areas.
- Has an option to test the memory on boot up.
Trend Micro Rescue Disk
- Includes MBR Cleanup and MBR Rollback.
- Has Quick and Full Scan options.
- Virus definitions are not updateable. To get the latest definitions you need to re-create the boot CD from Trend Micro’s website.
Windows Defender Offline
- Just the Windows Defender interface and defaults to running a Quick Scan upon boot up. You have the options to run a Full or Custom Scan too.
- Virus definitions are not updateable. To get the latest definitions you need to re-create the boot CD from Microsoft’s website.
Anti Virus Walkthroughs
These bootable anti virus CDs are great for when the operating system doesn’t boot up on it’s own at all, but if you’re able to log into Windows then there are a few other programs you can use to help remove viruses from your computer as well. Check out the following posts on how to download, install and use some popular anti virus programs.
- How To Use Malwarebytes Anti Malware To Remove Viruses From Your PC
- How To Use ComboFix To Remove Viruses From Your PC
- How To Use AVG Free To Remove Viruses From Your PC
- How To Use Microsoft Security Essentials To Remove Viruses From Your PC
For a review of more antivirus programs you can check out this PC Magazine article on The Best Antivrus for 2013.