Topic: Ten Free Online AV Scanners

[Rodders]

In the time-honoured tradition of PC-Pals, once again here's something for nothing!  You can throw away the wire-brush and Dettol now, because each of those links below point to an entirely free online Anti-Virus scanner.

  SuperAntiSpyware
  Virus.Org
  VirusChief
  ESET Online AV Scanner
  VirScan
  NoVirusThanks
  Metascan
  Jotti's Malware Scan
  VirusTotal
  Trend Micro HouseCall

So just how safe are these links then?  Well, actually they're very safe, but if you'd like to know exactly how safe, download and install Web Of Trust's (WOT) free Safe Surfing browser tool from the following URL: www.mywot.com.  For the ultra paranoid, like me, you may wish to Google WOT first.   

[Clive]

Very useful Rodders!   

[Simon]

Nice one, Rod.   

I'd add MalwareBytes to the list.

[Rodders]

Malwarebytes is certainly a useful weapon in the fight against malware, but doesn't really fall into the same category as the online scanners above, IMHO.

Perhaps it's time we had a comprehensive list of AV freebies - to also include the more traditional-type apps.

[Simon]

Point taken, Rod.  We could certainly sticky this.  Do all of the above also remove nasties without requiring  purchase of the full versions?

[Rodders]

None of the links point to Ransomware of any kind, Simon.

As regards removing malware, some of those applications are designed to analyse individual files only.  Thus, whilst one would have to be incurably bonkers not to delete a file that's been positively identified as a risk, what one actually does with it is largely up to the individual.

[Simon]

I wasn't meaning Ransomware, in the malicious sense, Rod.  More as you then described.  Some online scanners are purely that, not removers. 

[chorleydave]

Hi, Rod.

Never used one.  How long do they take to do a full scan and can you continue to use the PC while they are running?

Cheers.

Dave.

[Rodders]

The duration of a scan is contingent upon variables like the capacity of your HDD and degree of fragmentation.  You can usually carry on working during a scan, but the less work your CPU has to do on other operations, the more cycles it can devote to the scan.  A piece of string, really.