Boot your computer from a CD or USB drive containing the antivirus and it loads a specialized operating system from the disc. Why You Should Use an Antivirus Boot DiscĪntivirus boot discs deal with this by approaching the malware from outside Windows. The antivirus is attempting to fight the malware on its home turf - the malware can put up a fight. The problem here is that the malware and antivirus are both running on the computer at the same time. A rootkit could load at boot time before other Windows components and prevent Windows from seeing it, hide its processes from the task manager, and even trick antivirus applications into believing that the rootkit isn’t running. Rootkits, a type of malware that hides itself, can be even trickier. For really nasty malware, your antivirus software may not be able to fully remove it from within Windows. Antivirus software will try to stop the malware and remove it, while the malware will attempt to defend itself and shut down the antivirus. If your computer is infected with malware, the antivirus software will have to do battle with the malware. Standard antivirus software runs within Windows. RELATED: How to Remove Viruses and Malware on Your Windows PC The Problem With Cleaning Up Malware From Within Windows
