A lot of the top antivirus providers offer a no-cost bootable rescue disk for disinfecting your computer following an infection. These are Linux-based tools visit here that can be used to cleanse a computer that has been infected with malware when it isn’t able to start or be scanned by an antivirus program that runs on Windows. For ease of use, I recommend the Kaspersky disk (though it won’t work with certain Dell systems).

There are similar features using the Avira or ESET rescue disks, which feature a graphical interface but need a CD/USB device to start. Both options are able to scan and decipher the malware on your computer, however their virus definitions aren’t up-to-date as frequently as Linux-based rescue disks.

The Trend Micro Rescue Disk is another good choice. It’s also one of the smallest disks on this list, at about 70MB. It doesn’t come with a graphic user interface, but it operates quickly and offers a few options for customization. These include the capability to scan and mount specific drives, files and even individual folders.

Additionally, you can obtain a good virus scan from the Comodo rescue disk although it’s not quite as flexibility of the alternatives based on Linux. It is a very effective tool for detecting and eliminating the kind of viruses that hide in Windows files, preventing detection by normal antivirus software. You can choose between an all-text or full-graphic interface, and also the option of running a smart or custom scan.