• The best virus removal programs. How to remove malware, the best utilities

    Anti-virus scanners are designed to scan your computer for malicious software and eliminate detected threats. An anti-virus scanner application checks the system at random times and does not provide constant protection for the computer.

    This shows the difference between anti-virus scanners and monitors (anti-viruses). An anti-virus scanner conducts one-time scans on demand, and an anti-virus installed on a computer constantly protects the PC.

    Why do we need antivirus programs - scanners? Antivirus scanners for Windows are necessary to scan your computer in cases where permanently installed antiviruses cannot cope with their work. For example, the system began to slow down greatly for no apparent reason, some programs began to experience glitches, etc.

    It is possible that malware has entered your computer. Therefore, it makes sense to check and, if something is found, cure the computer and eliminate the problems that have arisen.

    Some users do not use antivirus applications on their computers. In such cases, you should check the system from time to time using an anti-virus scanner for prevention.

    Some scanners use cloud servers in their work, with which they interact while scanning a computer. Therefore, for this type of program to work, an Internet connection is required.

    Other anti-virus scanners are completely autonomous; they include all the current anti-virus databases at the time the application is downloaded. To perform a new scan, you should download the latest version of the anti-virus scanner.

    In this article we will look at free anti-virus scanners (alas, there are also paid programs of this type) that work without installation on a computer. Such applications have some advantages, since there are situations when, as a result of a severe infection of the system, it becomes impossible to install an antivirus program on the computer. The portable, portable version of the anti-virus scanner will allow you to run the program not only from a computer disk, but also from removable media, for example, from a USB flash drive.

    To scan for viruses, you should use a scanner from another manufacturer, different from the developer of the antivirus installed on the PC.

    This manual presents the best anti-virus scanners that support the Russian language and run on the Windows operating system.

    Dr.Web CureIt! - powerful healing utility

    Dr.Web CureIt! - a popular anti-virus scanner for treating infected computers from the Russian company Dr.Web. The Dr.Web CureIt scanner detects various types of malware and has no conflicts with antiviruses installed on the computer.

    Download the healing utility Dr.Web CureIt! from the official website of Doctor Web. To scan your PC again, download the latest version of the program with the latest databases (updates are released frequently, several times a day).

    How to use the Dr.Web CureIt utility:

    1. After the download is complete, run the application on your computer (the program has a name from a set of characters to counter viruses so that they cannot block the utility from running on the computer).
    2. After launching the utility
    3. Click the “Start Scan” button or select individual objects to scan.

    If malware was detected as a result of a system scan, disinfect your computer for viruses.

    Learn more about using Dr.Web CureIt! read the article.

    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool - a powerful antivirus scanner

    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool (KVRT) is a product of the Russian company Kaspersky Lab for detecting and removing viruses from a computer. The application effectively copes with the tasks assigned to it.

    Download the Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool utility from the official Kaspersky Lab website. For a new scan, download the latest version of KVRT (the application is updated several times a day).

    The virus scanning process in Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool takes place in several steps:

    1. Launch KVRT on your computer.
    2. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
    3. In the “Everything is ready for scanning” window, click on the “Start scanning” button.

    Receive a scan report, disinfect or remove detected malicious elements from your computer.

    To learn more about how Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool works, go to.

    Emsisoft Emergency Kit - emergency treatment kit

    Emsisoft Emergency Kit - an emergency set of utilities for treating infected computers. The program includes several tools to counter malware: the graphical Emergency Kit Scanner tool and the Commandline Scanner tool, launched from the command line.

    Download Emsisoft Emergency Kit from the official website of the New Zealand company Emsisoft, and then follow these steps:

    1. Unpack the program on your computer. With the default settings, the “EEK” folder is created on the “C:” drive.
    2. Then the folder with the program will open, in which you need to click on the “Start Emergency Kit Scanner” application.
    3. Accept the terms of the license agreement, and then update the program.
    4. Click on the "Scan" button.

    1. Select the scan type: “Quick scan”, “Threat scan”, “Quick scan”.
    2. Start scanning.
    3. Detected threats will be quarantined; remove viruses from your computer.

    Read more about how the Emsisoft Emergency Kit application works.

    ESET Online Scanner - online virus scanner

    ESET Online Scanner is an online scanner for scanning your computer and removing detected threats from your PC. In its work, the utility uses cloud technologies to protect against various types of threats.

    First you need to download ESET Online Scanner from the official website of the Slovak company ESET.

    Then follow these steps:

    1. Accept the license agreement.
    2. Configure scan settings.
    3. Click on the "Scan" button.

    After the scan is complete, remove the threats found.

    Read more about ESET Online Scanner on the page.

    F-Secure Online Scanner - cloud scanner

    F-Secure Online Scanner is a cloud-based online scanner for checking your computer for malware. The application uses a cloud anti-virus database when scanning your computer.

    Download the F-Secure Online Scanner application from the official website of the Finnish company F-Secure.

    Check with F-Secure Online Scanner by following the steps:

    1. After starting the program, accept the terms of the license agreement.
    2. Click on the “Accept and Verify” button.
    3. Scan and clean your system of malicious files and applications.

    You will learn more about the operation of F-Secure Online Scanner from the article.

    Norton Power Eraser - identifying virus threats

    Norton Power Eraser is a tool for identifying threats that are difficult to detect with a regular antivirus. The program uses aggressive scanning technologies to identify malicious software.

    Norton Power Eraser can be downloaded from the official website of the American company Symantec.

    When checking, follow these steps:

    1. Launch the program.
    2. Click on the “Scan for threats” button.

    1. Remove detected threats.

    Norton Power Eraser can perform advanced scans if needed.

    A detailed article about Norton Power Eraser is available.

    Microsoft Safety Scanner - a virus scanner

    An antivirus tool from an American corporation - Microsoft Safety Scanner detects and removes malicious software in the Windows operating system. To perform the scan, the user will need to download the utility and then launch the scanner on the computer.

    Before downloading, on the Microsoft Safety Scanner page of the official website, select the language and bit version (64-bit or 32-bit) of the application. The anti-virus scanner remains operational for 10 days. For the next scan, you need to download a new version of the utility with the latest anti-virus databases.

    Microsoft Safety Scanner scans your computer for viruses in the following order:

    1. Launch Microsoft Safety Scanner on your computer.
    2. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
    3. In the next window, click on the “Next” button.
    4. Select the scan type: “Quick scan”, “Full scan”, “Custom scan”.

    1. Run a virus scan.
    2. Wait for the scan results to appear.
    3. If viruses or other malware are detected, remove dangerous objects from your computer.

    Read a detailed article about using Microsoft Safety Scanner.

    COMODO Cleaning Essentials - anti-virus tools

    COMODO Cleaning Essentials is a set of tools for identifying and removing viruses and dangerous processes from your computer. The application includes an anti-virus scanner that detects various types of viruses.

    Download from the official website of the American company Comodo. On the download page, select the bitness of the Windows operating system installed on your computer. Unpack the archive with the application in a convenient place.

    To perform the check, do the following:

    1. First, open the folder named “cce_scanner_version_number”, and then the folder “cce_x64” or “cce_86, depending on the selected system bitness.
    2. Click on the “CCE” (Application) file to launch the program.
    3. Accept the terms of the license agreement.
    4. Select the scan type: Smart Scan, Full Scan, or Custom Scan.

    After the scan is completed, remove malicious elements from your computer.

    Conclusions of the article

    The article discusses the best anti-virus scanners that do not require installation on your computer. Programs can be launched from any convenient location on the computer, including from removable media. Anti-virus scanners are launched by the user independently for a one-time scan of the computer. Applications scan the system and remove viruses and malware from the computer.

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    If the antivirus installed on your computer does not detect anything suspicious, but the symptoms are obvious (freezes, strange running processes, autorun.inf appearing on flash drives, etc.), a “disposable antivirus” is necessary. It's easy to use - just download from the link and run it. In this case, during the scan, it is advisable to disable the antivirus that is installed on a permanent basis.

    Advantages of disposable antiviruses

    1. Free. For home use, almost all one-time antiviruses are free.

    Flaws

    1. They are not able to protect your computer all the time (there is no module for constant protection) and there is no update of anti-virus databases.

    2. You have to download it again every time so that such an antivirus detects new viruses.

    Dr.Web CureIt!

    Dr.Web CureIt!- a good one-time antivirus. Knows how to fight running viruses (does not allow itself to be killed during scanning).

    HerdProtect

    An online antivirus that scans all computer files using 68 antivirus databases. I explained how to use it in a separate article.

    This is a good option if you have unlimited internet.

    Minus: does not know how to treat infected files.

    Plus: You don’t need to download it again to check, the databases are always fresh.

    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

    ESET Online Scanner

    Plus Online scanner - no need to worry about downloading new versions with fresh databases. Just open the link or run esetsmartinstaller_rus.exe, the antivirus will start, update and scan your computer for viruses.

    Norton Security Scan

    Norton Security Scan- another one-time antivirus. You can download the interface in English, but simple.

    Checks hard drives very quickly. Requires an Internet connection, just like Eset Online Scanner.

    When you first start it, it creates a shortcut to itself, which is strange.

    In general, it is better not to use it, since viruses common in Russia enter its database a little late. The newest winlockers (ransomware banners) are unlikely to be detected.

    AVZ or Zaitsev Antivirus

    Powerful antivirus utility (not a full-fledged antivirus!) for advanced users. There is not a sea of ​​functions, but a whole ocean.

    Supports updating anti-virus databases from the Internet. Unlike disposable antiviruses, it cannot treat infected *.exe files. It is more of an “anti-spyware” with many unique additional features. I will quote the words of the author AVZ: “ The utility is a direct analogue of the Trojan Hunter and LavaSoft Ad-aware 6 programs. The primary task of the program is to remove AdWare, SpyWare and Trojan programs.» The archive with the program contains help on all functions; it must be read carefully before the first launch.

    If a lot of unnecessary advertising materials appear in the browser, files disappear somewhere on the desktop, or other strange things happen, and the antivirus is powerless against them, a virus removal utility comes to the rescue.

    This concept refers to a small program that simply finds and removes viruses and their remnants. This is an inferior antivirus, such as Doctor Web or Kaspersky, but a small part of them that only scans the system and removes all malware.

    Such utilities do not require installation and, most often, are distributed completely free of charge. Some antivirus giants release such utilities so that users can fully appreciate the power of their software.

    An example of such is the same Doctor Web and Kaspersky.

    The first “giant” has such a utility called Dr.Web CureIt, and the second one – Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. These two programs are the most popular of their kind, but far from the most effective. But they are distributed for free!

    Using their example, we can consider the main functions and features of viruses removal utilities. And then we’ll move on to considering those programs that really work effectively against ad viruses and other unnecessary programs.

    No. 6. Dr.Web CureIt

    So, Dr.Web CureIt does not require installation.

    In order to use this utility, you need to go to the official website of this antivirus free.drweb.ru/cureit and download it.

    It's very easy to use.

    It all comes down to these few steps:

    1. Launch the downloaded file.
    2. Click on one big button “Start checking” (Figure 1.a).
    3. In the next window, check off the threats that the program will look for on your computer (highlighted in green in Figure 1.b).
    4. Click the big “Start scan” button.

    After that, you just have to wait for the end of the check. This process is shown in Figure 2.a. Upon completion, the user will see a report that displays detected viruses and the files that contain them.

    An example of such a report is shown in Figure 2.b. Using the buttons at the bottom of the window, they can be deleted or quarantined.

    That's the whole process of using Dr.Web CureIt.

    No. 5. Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

    The use of Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool is very similar to what we saw in Dr.Web CureIt. In principle, the same applies to all other utilities for treating a computer.

    As for the utility from Kaspersky, I want to believe that it is really powerful and that it is capable of efficiently finding all viruses. But, judging by the reviews on the Internet, everything is not as rosy as it seems at first glance.

    Moreover, it seems that the developers of Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool decided not to put too much effort into their product. This is confirmed by the fact that the latest version of this program was released in September 2015.

    Since that time, Kaspersky Lab specialists have not worked with the utility. This is evidenced by the official website of the program - www.kaspersky.ru/antivirus-removal-tool. There, by the way, you can download this very utility.

    On the forums you can find reviews that Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool does not find most ad viruses, which Dr.Web CureIt easily copes with.

    Some write that it takes a very long time to run and heavily loads the computer's memory. Often it is simply impossible to run other programs in parallel with Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool. Although, all Kaspersky products suffer from this.

    In any case, although Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool is the brainchild of one of the best antivirus products of our time, it does not have even a quarter of the power that Kaspersky antiviruses are famous for. Therefore, it is better to use one of the utilities listed below.

    No. 4. AdwCleaner

    Any topic on forums that talks about free virus removal utilities will feature AdwCleaner. And this is not at all surprising, because many people choose this particular program as an alternative to the popular Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool and Dr.Web CureIt.

    Although, if you take all the many reviews and posts, then it can hardly be considered the most powerful of its kind. But AdwCleaner was created, as they say, with soul and for people.

    After a standard and identical virus removal process for everyone, AdwCleaner shows recommendations on how to avoid similar problems in the future.

    As for use, this healing utility is practically no different from the above-mentioned similar programs.

    The AdwCleaner window is shown in Figure 4. All actions are concentrated in the section with the appropriate name (highlighted in the figure).

    To start using it, you need to click the “Scan” button, and then wait until the end of the scan. The “Results” section (located immediately below the “Actions” section) will contain the inspection report. There you can select all the threats found or some specific ones and click the “Delete” button.

    Of course, the scanning and removal algorithms for all such programs are different, but the method of use is almost the same for all.

    As for AdwCleaner, judging by the reviews people left on forums and social networks, this healing utility works better than Kaspersky and Doctor Web products.

    There were cases when the same Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool did not find anything, but AdwCleaner found several dozen viruses and easily removed them from the computer. Although it cannot be considered the best of its kind.

    No. 3. Anti-Malware

    Anti-Malware is one of the most popular healing utilities. Almost the same thing can be said about it as about AdwCleaner - in any topic about utilities for removing viruses, at least someone will write about Anti-Malware.

    The peculiarity of this program is that it is a full-fledged software with several tabs in the main window, extensive customization options, several scanning modes and a great variety of functions.

    Thus, the user can set exceptions for scanning, set scheduled scans, restrict access to the utility for other users, and do much more. He also has the opportunity to view history.

    In general, Anti-Malware is much more than AdwCleaner, Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool and Dr.Web CureIt combined.

    Moreover, this program is distributed completely free of charge. It only has a Premium mode, in which a quick scan is available, the aforementioned scheduler, even real-time protection (!) and many other additional features.

    But the main Anti-Malware package is quite enough to detect and permanently remove certain viruses.

    In some cases, users use it as a replacement for an antivirus, only checking it from time to time. Although doing so is highly not recommended.

    Anti-Malware also has disadvantages. But they are very small. For example, for one user the utility detected Webalta and Conduit, but did not respond to Mobogenie, which is also a completely adware program.

    So in the race for the title of “best virus removal utility,” Anti-Malware clearly cannot claim first place. But her place in the top three is guaranteed!

    Important: Anti-Malware has a full Russian language. Only for this you need to download it from the official website - ru.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download.

    No. 2. Spybot Search & Destroy

    This program differs from the others in its very interesting interface - it is clear that few people worked on the program, and they did not spend a lot of time on beautiful design and advertising of their product.

    But they spent a lot of time making a truly powerful virus removal tool for any modern computer. The program interface is shown in Figure 6.

    As you can see, in the main program window there are such standard items as system scan, quarantine and update. Although there are two scans here - one for the system as a whole, the other for individual files.

    This is very unusual for such programs. There is a “Statistics” button, by clicking on which you can see how many viruses were on the computer for the entire time that Spybot Search & Destroy was on the computer, which of them were removed, and so on.

    This is also a very useful function that allows you to analyze the main ways threats enter your computer.

    But the palm among non-standard functions goes to “Immunization”. It allows you to protect certain files from infection. A very unusual, but very useful feature!

    Among the advanced tools there is a report creator, which makes it possible to create a report on the operation of the program and the state of the system.

    There are also settings and another interesting item - “Startup tools”. It allows you to specify those programs and functions that will be loaded with the system. For example, you can set automatic scanning at startup.

    Most importantly, Spybot Search & Destroy protects against viruses very well - search is at the highest level, and removal occurs without side effects. And this is the main thing for such programs.

    Important! Spybot Search & Destroy does not take first place in our rating today for one simple reason - it is unfinished!

    For one user, this utility for some reason removed the drivers from the scanner; for another, the computer rebooted. In addition, the creators approached the licensing agreement with humor that was not very appropriate in this case.

    If they take their creation more seriously in the future, Spybot Search & Destroy may well outperform other similar programs.

    No. 1. HitmanPro

    It's quite possible that HitmanPro will be our winner today! At least, the reviews about this utility are so positive that it is quite possible to consider HitmanPro the most powerful of its kind to date.

    Yes, the program is paid, but it has a trial period of 30 days. During this time, it is quite possible to completely clean the system of all kinds of viruses and never think about them again.

    The very fact that HitmanPro removes not only existing viruses, but also the remnants of deleted programs and the so-called tails of viruses, already says a lot.

    At the same time, the HitmanPro developers did not repeat the mistakes of the people who created Anti-Malware. They did not choose to sacrifice the main function, i.e. virus removal, for the sake of a beautiful design and a wide range of additional functions.

    We can say about HitmanPro that it is really powerful! In tests conducted by various sites, this particular utility performed best.

    What other similar programs did not pay attention to, HitmanPro detected very quickly and immediately reported their existence. By the way, if we talk about speed, this is another undeniable advantage of HitmanPro.

    Thus, we can highlight the following main advantages of HitmanPro:

    • Speed ​​of operation (in this parameter HitmanPro is clearly better than all its current competitors);
    • High-quality virus removal;
    • High-quality detection of viruses and even their remnants.

    The disadvantages of this utility are:

    • Paid license (there is a trial period for 30 days);
    • Minimum additional functions.

    In principle, the choice between good virus removal and a beautiful interface is quite obvious. Therefore, HitmanPro is the best virus removal utility and the winner of our today's competition.

    Although very few people know about this program. If the trial period has expired and there is no way to buy a license, Spybot Search & Destroy, Anti-Malware or the popular AdwCleaner can deal with viruses well. But HitmanPro is still better!

    More information about HitmanPro can be found in the video below.

    The fact is that malware is not a virus in the usual sense of the word. These are small utilities that climb into your computer without asking and install any kind of infection or show unwanted advertisements. And there are 2 problems here:

    1. Antiviruses do not see malware because they do not consider them viruses.
    2. These threats are very difficult to remove.

    But it is still possible. After all, there is special software with which you can find and remove malware. And below we will consider 8 excellent utilities designed to remove such advertising viruses.

    It’s worth noting right away that Windows 10 already has a malware removal tool by default. Yes, it may not be as effective at cleaning Malware and Adware viruses as other utilities, but it’s still worth a try. Fortunately, you don’t need to download or install anything - everything is already installed and configured.

    As a rule, this software starts automatically, but if necessary, you can start it manually. It is located here: C:\Windows\System32\MRT.exe.

    Finding and removing malware is simple - you just need to click the “Next” button. But the verification itself takes a very long time, so it will take some time.

    The main advantage of this software is that it will 100% not harm your PC or laptop (but only if Windows 10 is licensed). Another plus: you can download it for Windows 7 and 8 at. website ().

    AdwCleaner is very effective in combating:

    • pop-ups in the browser;
    • opening advertising pages in a new tab;
    • changing the home page in the browser and the inability to change it.

    Its main advantages:

    • free;
    • constantly updated;
    • gives really practical advice on how to prevent your PC or laptop from becoming infected in the future (after analyzing and cleaning the PC).

    Using the utility is extremely simple:

    1. Launch it and click "Scan".
    2. See what threats she was able to detect on the computer (you can remove the birds from unnecessary items).
    3. Click Cleanup.

    While the program is running, you will need to restart your PC to completely remove ad viruses and other infections. And when cleaning the computer is complete, a detailed report will appear of what was deleted.

    By the way, AdwCleaner has recently received support for Windows 10, so it can be safely installed on any operating system.

    Today, some malicious utilities can impersonate AdwCleaner. Therefore, if you download it from a third-party site, be sure to check for viruses on virustotal.

    Anti-Malware Free

    Another excellent utility that can be used to clean your computer from malware is Anti-Malware. Very popular among users today.

    Its main advantages:

    • reliable computer protection against malware (easily detects webalta and other common threats on PCs);
    • effective removal;
    • presence of Russian language.

    It is also completely free (there is also a paid version, but the first one is more than enough).

    For me, checking for malware takes a little too long. But that's just my opinion. Still, it is not for nothing that this utility is considered one of the most popular.

    Zemana AntiMalware

    It is also worth paying attention to Zemana AntiMalware. This is another good malware cleaning utility.

    Main advantages:

    • effective search (often finds advertising viruses that the previous 2 utilities do not see);
    • scanning individual files to choose from;
    • PC protection in real-time mode.

    In addition, it has one very useful option - checking for malware in the browser and removing it. Since pop-ups most often appear for this very reason, this makes this utility one of the best.

    Among the disadvantages are 15 days of free use and the need to connect to the Internet. But since such malware removal tools are used only occasionally, the first drawback is considered insignificant.

    Junkware Removal Tool

    Another great free threat scanning utility.

    Main advantages:

    • works with ad viruses, browser extensions, etc.;
    • it automatically deletes detected threats in folders, shortcuts, processes and any browsers (before this it creates a checkpoint for recovery);
    • generates a report after the operation is completed.

    HitmanPRO program

    HitmanPro is software that can also be used to find and remove malware.

    Main advantages:

    • fast work;
    • effective search: sees many threats, and even those that have already been removed (traces of them usually remain);
    • does not need installation.

    It is paid, but there is a 30-day free period. This is more than enough to check your PC for malware.

    Malicious Software Removal Tool

    Also on this list there is another software from Microsoft that does not require installation and is suitable for Windows 7 and 8. You can download it.

    Using the program is easy. Turn it on, click “Next” and wait for the report.

    Spybot utility

    And the last free program for removing viruses from your computer is Spybot.

    Its main advantages:

    • wide functionality;
    • can track newly installed software and changes made to the Windows registry and files;
    • is able to roll back changes in case of failures in the PC after removing viruses.

    That's all. Now you know how to detect malware and how to remove it. Above were 8 of the best utilities for finding and removing ad viruses (most of them are free), and which one to choose is up to you.

    For maximum protection of your computer or laptop, it is recommended to use one of these utilities in conjunction with an antivirus. If you don’t know which one is better to choose, you can look here.

    The development of virus software occurs at such a pace that not all antiviruses can cope with it. Therefore, when a user begins to suspect that malware has appeared on his computer, but the installed anti-virus program does not find anything, portable scanners come to the rescue. They do not require installation, so they do not conflict with the installed protection.

    There are many scanners that can easily determine if there is a threat on your system, and some will even clean it of unnecessary files. You just need to download the utility you like, configure or download the databases if necessary, run it and wait for the result. If problems are found, the scanner will offer you a solution.

    Users also use anti-virus utilities when there is no protection on their computer, because it is easier to use a scanner than to forever load the processor with an anti-virus program, especially on weak devices. Also, portable utilities are convenient, because if you have problems with the installed protection, you can always run a scan and get the result.

    Method 1: Dr.Web CureIt

    Dr.Web CureIt is a free utility from the famous Russian company Dr.Web. This tool is capable of treating detected threats or quarantining them.


    Method 2: Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

    Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool is a useful and accessible tool for everyone. Of course, it does not provide such protection as, but it copes well with all sorts of malware that it can find.


    Method 3: AdwCleaner

    AdwCleaner is a lightweight utility that can clean your computer of unwanted plugins, extensions, viruses and more. Can fully check all sections. Free and does not require installation.


    Method 4: AVZ

    AVZ's portable mode can be a very useful tool for removing viruses. In addition to cleaning from malicious programs, AVZ has several useful functions for convenient work with the system.


    Knowing several useful portable scanners, you can always check your computer for virus activity and eliminate it. In addition, some utilities have other useful functions that can always come in handy.

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