The Best Antivirus Rescue Disks

The disks for Virus Rescue can be used in situations when your antivirus program has stopped working. They’re available from a range of different antivirus vendors and are simple to use, offering users a variety of customization options regarding how they want the program to scan the system.

Certain applications provide a more familiar desktop experience, while others offer users a selection of extra utilities. For instance, Kaspersky’s Rescue disk is powered by the Xfce Linux desktop and features Firefox, Thumar File Manager and a few other applications that can be used for other uses. This rescue disk comes with an option that lets you to choose specific files for the scanning service, or indicate if would like it to skip files of the size of a specific amount.

Other rescue disks aren’t as sophisticated, such as the one from Trend Micro, which doesn’t offer a visual interface and requires you to navigate with arrow keys. This basic rescue disk however, makes up the lack of features with a small download size and a good track record in the detection of malware in the AV-Comparatives’ actual-world protection tests.

ESET’s SysRescue Live is an excellent choice for those looking for a more user friendly interface. It is one of the most rounded and polished interfaces that are on this list. It utilizes the same antivirus engine that powers the full-featured program of the company. The interface is graphical and offers a variety of settings, including the ability to run a smart or customized scan, exclusions data security software and whether to run a speedy or a thorough scan.