If malware hampers your ability to run standard antivirus software bootable rescue disks could help. These tools allow you to scan your computer without having to run Windows or Windows. They can often find malware that antivirus software may miss. Some can even look through the Master Boot Record (MBR) of the hard drive, a feature that’s particularly useful for eradicating stubborn or difficult-to-clean-up threats.

These bootable tools come with an interface that is text-based. However, they do offer customization options, so you can choose to scan only certain kinds of files or folders, or even specific size files. The most effective of these tools will feature a an interactive user interface that is graphical and support for advanced security threats, such as rootkits or ransomware.

AVG Rescue CD, which has a simple but extensive GUI, and many scanning options, is a good example. It’s also one of the few to offer an published here entire MBR scan which is normally impossible to accomplish 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 It’s fast and well-designed UI. It also supports more advanced malware. It has features are not often found in other bootable antivirus tools, such as the ability to scan boot sectors and hidden startup objects as well as files that are not fileless and the entire hard drive. You can also set exclusions in order to cut down the time it takes to scan. In our tests, it found all the malware samples we had sent it as well as some that were able to evade detection by other antivirus programs.