Avira Rescue System Review

Avira Rescue System is a free bootable antivirus program that you can run from a disc before the operating system starts up. It has a familiar, point-and-click interface that makes using it simple and intuitive.

Installing & Using Avira Rescue System

Avira's bootable AV tool downloads as an ISO file. Once it's on your computer, it needs to be burned to a disc, after which your computer needs to be rebooted so that you can boot to Avira Rescue System before the OS starts.

The first screen upon booting to the disc asks if you want to start the program or boot normally to your hard drive. Clearly, you want to choose the first option, so press Enter on the Start Avira Rescue System option.

Shortly after loading some necessary files, the program will perform some self-checks and get prepared for you to use it. You'll end up on a desktop-like interface, much like Windows, but it's actually Ubuntu. Open the virus scanner to get started.

Thoughts on Avira Rescue System

We love how easy it is to use. The full desktop experience makes it feel very comfortable and familiar, and the inclusion of mouse support only amplifies that.

As it's scanning, you can see the number of viruses found in real-time along with the number of files scanned and the elapsed time, much like an antivirus program you'd run on your desktop.

Some bootable antivirus programs let you scan particular parts of your computer, such as just the registry or particular folders. This one will scan all your files.

Updates are important for all antivirus programs, and unfortunately, Avira Rescue System seems to have problems updating. We've also had poor luck getting the actual virus scanner to open. Other programs like the browser works just fine, but the virus scanner sometimes hangs and won't fully load.