Avast Resuce Disk For Mac

• Avast For Mac Review
• Avast Mac Download
• Kaspersky Rescue Disk For Mac
• Avast Rescue Disk For Mac

Best 6 Bootable Antivirus Rescue Disks for Severely Infected Computer. Computer Security Featured. It is the smallest rescue disk as compared to other bootable rescue disks. It is of just 10 MB. Download HitmaPro.Kickstart – 10 MB. Bitdefender Rescue CD. All you need is a Mac running macOS 10.9 (Mavericks) or later with at least 500 MB of disk space. An Internet connection is also required for automatic security updates. Avast Security for Mac. Learn how to repair your operating system using Kaspersky Rescue Disk 2018. We use cookies to make your experience of our websites better. By using and further navigating this website you accept this. Windows Mac iOS Android Kaspersky Free Kaspersky Free is a free tool that protects home computers.

avast! Rescue Disc

We review products independently, but we may earn affiliate commissions from buying links on this page. Terms of use.

• Pros

  Unaffected by resistant malware because it boots a separate OS. Can scan and clean foreign drives, Registry included. Includes disk and Registry cleanup tools. Registry editor, Event Viewer, Services manager for any Windows installation.

• Cons

  User must decide how to handle each found malware trace. In testing, it left behind almost all non-executable file and Registry traces and left one rootkit running.

• Bottom Line

  Avast! Rescue Disc can scan and clean any Windows installation, including one on a drive removed from another PC. No other product I've seen can do that. Its cleanup wasn't the most thorough, but it would probably be sufficient to revive a system rendered unbootable by malware.

When a PC is so afflicted with malware it won't boot, or when malware prevents installation of an antivirus program, a bootable rescue CD can save the day. Most rescue CDs boot into some version of Linux, which imposes some limitations on cleaning Windows-based computers. Because Avast! Rescue Disc ($10, direct) boots into Windows PE (Preinstallation Environment), it gains full access to all elements of the host computer's Windows installation.

Because of licensing restrictions, a product that boots Windows PE can't be given away. Symantec's Norton Bootable Recovery Tool handles licensing by requiring the registration code from Norton AntiVirus 2011 ($39.99 direct, 4.5 stars), Norton Internet Security 2011 ($69.99 direct for three licenses, 4.5 stars), or Norton 360 Version 5.0 ($79.99 direct for three licenses, 4.5 stars) on each use. Avast!'s $10 price is quite reasonable, considering that the previous edition of this product, called 'avast! BART CD,' sold for $149.

Boot to Repair
There's no installation required with Avast!'s bootable tool. You simply slip it into the drive and boot the computer. If you choose to update virus definitions from the Web you'll need to start the tool's networking system. It's also possible to supply updated definitions on a USB drive.

As it turns out, Windows PE doesn't have a networking driver for the VMWare virtual machine network on my test systems, so I couldn't run an update. Fortunately an update wasn't needed since I had just downloaded the product.

At its default Standard scan level avast! Rescue Disc scans all files. It only looks at the specific areas of files known to be hit by viruses, and it only searches each file for viruses known to infect files of that type. At the Thorough scan level it scans the entirety of each file, looks for all viruses regardless of type, and scans inside archives. I chose the Thorough level for all my testing. Even at this level a full scan took just 17 minutes on a clean test system.

Avast! can scan inside two dozen different archive types, including self-extracting executable files. It does need a temporary folder on the main system to hold the extracted files while scanning them.

By default it doesn't log the cleanup process. If you want a log file, you must enter a full pathname on the host system. Be careful here. If you just specify a folder name, as I did, you don't get a log at all, and the product doesn't offer any warning.

Scan Results
When the scan is complete it lists all of the malware traces it found. Because it scans inside the Recycle Bin and even inside System Restore points, this list can be quite lengthy.

No action has been taken at this point. If you try to continue it warns that you must 'edit results' first. That odd phrase means that you need to review the list and decide whether to Delete, Move, Repair, or Rename each item. The list does name the threat corresponding to each trace, but doesn't aggregate traces from the same threat.

Choosing which action to take might be tough for an inexperienced user. You can request threat details for any found item, but the details are minimal. For testing, I played it safe. I selected all the traces and chose Repair, then used Delete on any that couldn't be repaired.

Decent Cleanup
Naturally avast! Rescue Disc didn't encounter any problems with malware resisting its scan. That's the virtue of booting into a separate operating system. It detected 81 percent of the threats overall and scored 5.7 points. Had it removed every executable trace and most of the non-executable traces for the threats it found, it would have scored 8.1 points. However, avast! left behind executable files in quite a few cases, and left behind all (or almost all) of non-executable cases in the rest.

This is the first product tested using my 2011 malware collection, but the results aren't terribly different from when I tested avast! Free version 6.0 (Free, 3.5 stars) with the old collection a few months ago. Avast! Free detected 82 percent of that collection and scored 6.4 points.

Previous leaders in detection were K7 Antivirus Plus 11.0 ($39.96 direct, 4 stars) with 97 percent and Double Anti-Spy Professional v2 ($29 direct, 4 stars) with 94 percent. However, the winners for overall cleanup were Norton AntiVirus and Spyware Doctor with AntiVirus 2011 ($39.95 direct for three licenses, 4 stars), which achieved 7.9 and 7.8 points respectively.

I was surprised to see that avast! removed almost no Registry traces. I checked with Avast support to make sure I had correctly understood that this product can clean malware traces in the Registry. My contact explained that the product only cleans specific important Registry items such as Run keys that launch the threat at startup, dangerous .EXE file association, and CLSIDs that enable OLE operations.

Rootkits can give ordinary antivirus programs trouble, because they manipulate Windows itself to hide their components. Since Windows isn't running, avast! should have an easy time detecting and removing rootkits, or so I thought. In fact, it completely missed detecting one rootkit sample. Another sample was fully effective as a rootkit even after avast!'s alleged removal. Avast!'s overall score of 5.3 for rootkit removal disappointed me.

Well over half the products tested with the previous malware collection detected 100 percent of the rootkits, avast! Free among them. Spyware Doctor scored 9.1 points for rootkit removal, an impressive achievement.

Avast! proved more effective against scareware—fake security software that's useless at best, malicious at worst. It detected 80 percent of the scareware samples and scored 7.4 points. Under the previous collection avast! Free detected just 63 percent and scored 5.3. The best scareware defender was Ad-Aware Pro Internet Security 9.0 ($29.95 direct, 4.5 stars), with 88 percent detection and 8.4 points. For details on how I derive these scores see How We Test Malware Removal.

Unique Foreign-Disk Cleanup
When a PC is horribly infested with malware an expert might choose to take out the hard drive and mount it in another machine for cleanup. Avast! Rescue Disc is the only product I've seen that can actually clean up Registry traces on a foreign disk, although, as noted, it only goes for the most important such traces.

I tested this feature by attaching one infested test system's virtual hard drive as a secondary drive to a clean test system. I intended to just scan the secondary drive, but when I attempted to scan Selected Folders the product reported a run-time error. Experts at Avast acknowledge this problem and plan a fix within a month.

I wound up just scanning all local drives (the default). Afterward I verified that the 'foreign' drive was cleaned exactly the same as when I ran avast! directly on that test system. That's an impressive feat.

System Cleanup
The Rescue Disc does more than just clean up malware. It includes a variety of other tools that might be useful, some just for experts and some for the average user.

The Registry cleaner tool seeks useless and erroneous entries in Registry areas such as uninstall information and registered file types. On completing its scan it lets the user choose which to delete. If the cleanup causes problems, you can use the tool to reverse it. Like the antivirus scan, this tool works on any Registry. You simply choose which Windows installation you want to process.

The Junk File Remover and Disk Checker tools also work on any installed drive. Disk Checker works like Windows's own CHKDSK, while Junk File Remover deletes Internet Explorer browsing traces and specified types of temporary files. As with the Registry cleaner you get a chance to review the found items and choose which will be deleted.

Advanced Features
The product includes a Registry editor that can edit the Registry for any Windows operating system on any drive in the system. This is a feature aimed at experts, but in the right hands it could prove invaluable for investigating and fixing Registry-related problems in a non-bootable system.

Most users don't really know how to interpret the Event Viewer in Windows, or what to do with the Services tool. For advanced users, the Rescue Disc makes both of these tools available for any Windows installation on the system, including a drive temporarily mounted for examination and cleanup.

When you select either tool you get the same 'Select file with Registry' window that's used when choosing a foreign Registry to edit or clean. Once you've made your selection you can view all Windows events, perhaps to help identify the reason the troubled system won't boot. You can also peruse the list of Windows services and, if necessary, disable any service on the list. Don't use this tool without knowledge, as disabling the wrong service can disable Windows completely.

Not for Newbies
Avast! Rescue Disc offers features not found in any similar product. In particular, it offers full access to the Registry, Windows Events, and Services on any Windows installation. It can also scan and clean a 'foreign' hard disk taken from another computer.

It didn't score super-high in my cleanup tests, but it very likely would do enough to bring a non-bootable system back to life. However, it's definitely a hands-on solution, intended for power users. If that describes you, I'd recommend adding this tool to your arsenal.

More Antivirus reviews:

(Last updated on August 29th, 2019)

Avast or AVG, which antivirus software is a better pick in 2019?

We have put together this detailed, value='{'show_for_logged_in':'1','hide_on_device':'}'>

In this comparison, we’ll show you the strengths and weaknesses of two top antivirus companies: Avast and AVG. We’ll examine each software in detail so you can make a smart decision.

In a rush? Check out the rundown below to see which software wins in each category.

A Quick Rundown of Winners Antivirus in Each Category

1. Features
Winner: Avast. Compared to AVG, Avast offers a more comprehensive feature-set as part of its premium suites.

2. Malware Protection
Winner: Tie. According to two independent tests, both Avast and AVG protect your computer against all sorts of malware.

3. System Performance
Winner: Tie. Again, both companies tied during independent performance tests.

4. User-Friendliness
Winner: Avast. Both programs have simple, intuitive user interfaces, but Avast’s secondary screens are more easily reached than AVG’s.

5. Pricing
Winner: AVG. AVG offers more bang for your buck; you can protect more devices for less money through AVG.

6. Customer Satisfaction
Winner: AVG. AVG has slightly better customer satisfaction ratings than Avast

Short Verdict

The independently held examinations conducted by the AV-Test and AV-Comparatives prove that both Avast and AVG provide excellent malware protection with minimal impact on system performance. But Avast offers more protection-related features and extra utilities in its security suites than AVG.

Now, we’ll go into the details.

1. Features

Good antivirus software won’t just defend you against malware; it will also come with a host of advanced features and extra utilities that enhance your security and promote extra value.

First, let’s see what features Avast offers as part of its software packages.

Avast has different protection tiers for Windows and Mac computers.

Avast Free Antivirus is the company’s freemium security product for PCs. It doesn’t offer much in terms of advanced features and utilities, but it does protect against a host of malware types. As expected, the freeware is easily overshadowed by Avast’s premium tiers of protection coverage.

Avast Internet Security is the company’s first premium antivirus package. This suite offers excellent protection against all sorts of digital threats, along with several advanced features and add-ons. These include a smart two-way firewall that keeps an eye on your network traffic, an email filter that helps junk and malicious emails away from your inbox, and the Wi-Fi Inspector that checks for weakness in your home network.

The Real Site feature is also jammed into the suite; this prevents hackers from taking over your DNS and rerouting you to fake sites to steal your financial details. The Sandbox feature is another useful offering that lets you run suspicious files and programs in a secure environment, so there’s no risk of malware infiltrating your computer.

Finally, there’s also the Do Not Disturb Mode that minimizes disruptions and distractions while you’re enjoying your favorite game, for example.

The company’s next offering is Avast Premier. Everything that comes with the Internet Security suite is also part of this package, plus you get the Data Shredder utility that allows you to permanently delete your sensitive data so hackers can’t recover them. Webcam protector (prevents people from spying on you through your webcam) is also part of the suite, as well as an automatic software updater.

Avast Ultimate is the company’s full-blown antivirus offering. This suite has all the advanced features and utilities you can expect to find in a high-end security package.

All the features we mentioned above are part of the Ultimate suite, plus there’s a VPN that lets you surf the internet anonymously and can be used to access content that may be blocked in your geographic location. There’s also a clean-up tool that removes junk files to free up disk space, optimizes computer operations to improve the speed of operations, and fixes annoying problems. Finally, there’s an advanced password manager and protector that can store all your sensitive details in a secure, digital vault.

If you use a Mac user, there’s Avast Security for Mac. There are two different versions of this software: Free and Pro. The free software is a lot like the Windows freemium option; it’s not worth much in terms of advanced features and only provides barebones security. The Pro version offers several advanced features that make it worthwhile, such as a ransomware guard, and the Wi-Fi intruder alert feature.

Nov 21, 2018  Combo Cleaner is a trusted Mac utility application with complete antivirus and optimization features. It is useful in dealing with adware, malware, and PUP's. Moreover, it can get rid of malicious browser adware like MyCouponsmart. Avast malware fixes for mac.

If you’re interested in Avast’s business-specific security solutions, click here for more information.

Now let’s see what AVG offers in terms of features.

AVG also offers a freemium solution, called AVG AntiVirus Free. As you’d guess, there aren’t any advanced features or tools jammed into the freeware, but it does offer protection against different types of malware threats. The software also protects against malicious links and downloads.

AVG Internet Security (compatible with both Windows and macOS) is the company’s mid-level premium offering. This suite offers excellent protection against all kinds of malware, plus you get a two-way firewall that defends your network, a file encryption utility that lets you secure your important data against ransomware, and a file shredder.

Webcam protection software that prevents surreptitious spying is also part of the suite, as well as an email filter (filters malicious emails and blocks dangerous links) and a fake website detector; this feature helps prevent financial information theft.

Next up is AVG Ultimate, the highest, full-blown tier of coverage offered by AVG. It can be used to protect PCs, Macs, or Android devices.

All the features and utilities that are part of the Internet Security suite are also found in this suite, plus you get a comprehensive computer performance optimization tool, called AVG Tune-up; this all-in-one utility automatically cleans up junk files, speeds up your system performance, and keeps your applications up-to-date.

The Ultimate license also gives you access to AVG’s live phone or chat support at any time of day or night, as well as AVG’s mobile antivirus and clean-up apps.

If you’re interested in AVG’s business-specific products, click here to see the full range.

Winner: Avast. AVG’s products come with an impressive feature-set, but Avast offers more security-enhancing features and tools in its security suites.

2. Malware Protection

The ability to defend your computer from malware is the most important factor you should consider when purchasing a security program. We’ll examine the recent lab tests conducted by AV-Test and AV-Comparatives to see how Avast and AVG compare in this category.

AV-Test’s most recent evaluations were held in April 2019. During these evaluations, all antivirus companies were tested for Protection, Performance, and Usability.

In the Protection tests, Avast scored a 5.5 out of 6, which is a decent score but not a perfect one.

AVG also got a 5.5/6 score in the Protection category.

AV-Comparatives is another well-known independent organization that regularly conducts several exhaustive to determine the performance of top antivirus software brands.

In the AV-Comparatives’ 2019 Real-World Protection tests, both Avast and AVG got the second-best ADVANCED award, because of their good malware detection rates. Other products, like Bitdefender and Kaspersky, got the highest ADVANCED+ award in these evaluations.

Winner: Tie. Overall, both companies scored equally well in both independent evaluations we considered.

3. System Performance

Another important aspect you should consider is the impact (or strain) each antivirus software will put on your system performance. Good antivirus programs don’t slow down your system.

In the performance category of AV-Test evaluations, both Avast and AVG received a perfect 6 out of 6 score, meaning both software are excellent in terms of the impact on system performance.

In the AV-Comparatives’ recent performance test, which was held in April 2019, both Avast and AVG got the highest ADVANCED+ award form the company, because of their low impact scores.

Winner: Tie. Once again, both companies were neck and neck during both performance evaluations.

4. User-Friendliness

The interface of a security product should be simple and easy to use, even for those who aren’t very computer literate.

Let’s take a look at the user interface of both software to see which one is more user-friendly.

Avast’s interface is intuitive and straightforward, dominated by dark colors. There’s a left-hand bar with four main categories, which are Status, Protection, Privacy, and Performance.

The Status screen is the default view. When everything is okay, you will see a green checkmark in the center with a reassuring “you’re protected” message. You can begin a quick scan right from this screen at the click of a button.

You can customize the controls to a reasonable extent, either by turning tools off or adjusting their usage. You can also lessen the amount of scanning and monitoring the software undergoes if it’s putting too much of a strain on your computer, although this shouldn’t be an issue given the high scores and received for performance when it was tested by unbiased organizations. The software also allows you to schedule scans, allowing you to make the software work around your personal schedule.

Links to Notifications, Settings, and Help are in the top bar.

Now, let’s examine AVG’s interface.

AVG’s dark, intuitive interface uses green and white as its primary colors. On the main screen, there’s a large circle at the top which will be a green checkmark if everything is fine. At the bottom, there’s the prominent Scan Computer button that allows you to initiate a scan with just one click.

There’re five modules on the main screen: Computer, Web & Email, Hacker Alerts, Privacy Data, and Payments. Each module has relevant features and their settings. All the advanced features and functions of the software can be easily reached with a few clicks.

Winner: Avast. Overall, Avast’s interface is simpler, more straightforward than AVG’s.

5. Pricing

Now, let’s look at the pricing structure of both companies to see which software gives more bang for your buck.

Avast Internet Security protects 1 device for $59.99 per year. Avast Premier costs $69.99 per year for a single PC.

Finally, Avast Ultimate, which is the highest package offered by the company, costs $119.99 per year for 1 PC.

Avast Security for Mac, which is the company’s offering for macOS, costs $59.99 per year for 1 Mac.

Let’s compare what AVG costs.

AVG Internet Security, which works on both PCs and Macs, protects up to 10 devices for $79.99 per.

AVG Ultimate, the highest tier of coverage from AVG, actually gives you an unlimited number of licenses for $99.99 per year; it represents excellent value for money, especially in comparison to Avast’s top-of-the-line product.

Winner: AVG. It’s a close call, but you can protect more devices for less money with AVG. Also, AVG is a better pick if you’d like to get antivirus protection for all your family devices.

6. Customer Satisfaction

Before we render our final verdict, let’s look at the overall customer satisfaction ratings for companies.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) combines company reputation and user reviews and awards a single letter rating from A to F to each company. Avast has an excellent A+ rating from the BBB, showing great company reputation and exceptional customer service. AVG has an A+ rating as well, meaning they too have a good company reputation and high levels of customer satisfaction.

Winner: Tie. Both companies score equally well in this category.

Final Thoughts

Avast is the overall winners as it won more rounds of the competition, although AVG puts up a good fight. Both companies are neck and neck in terms of anti-malware security and system performance. Avast wins in terms of features and user interface, while AVG offers a better pricing structure.

Avast For Mac Review

Avast Mac Download

Kaspersky Rescue Disk For Mac

Related Comparisons

Avast Rescue Disk For Mac

Avira vs Avast
Bitdefender vs Avast
Bitdefender vs Kaspersky
McAfee vs Norton
Kaspersky vs Norton
McAfee vs Kaspersky
Bitdefender vs McAfee
Bitdefender vs Norton
Malwarebytes Vs Kaspersky
AVG Vs ESET
Norton Vs ESET
Norton Vs Avira