Antivirus scanning. The best antivirus scanners that do not require installation on your computer

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 antivirus installed on a computer provides ongoing protection of the PC.

Why do we need antivirus 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).

  1. How to use the Dr.Web CureIt utility:
  2. 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).
  3. After launching the utility

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).

  1. The virus scanning process in Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool takes place in several steps:
  2. Launch KVRT on your computer.
  3. Accept the terms of the license agreement.

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

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. Launch KVRT on your computer.
  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. Launch KVRT on your computer.
  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 antivirus 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.

Antiviruses and scanners - Avast, Kaspersky, Panda, Dr.Web CureIt, COMODO, Avira, AVG AntiVirus, Emsisoft Anti-Malware, Microsoft Security Essentials, etc.

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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.

Not all users install an antivirus on their computer or laptop. Some people are lazy, others don’t see the need for it. And when suddenly your PC starts behaving strangely (it’s buggy and slow, or advertising appears in the browser), you can simply check your computer for viruses online and for free. Fortunately, there are plenty of options today.

Below are the 7 best antiviruses that can scan for viruses online. True, you won’t be able to check your computer without downloading the installer. Virus scanning is done online, but antiviruses need access to your files. Therefore, some of them are installed as a browser module, and some are installed as a small utility. There are also 2 antiviruses on the list that support online virus scanning without downloading. Which one to use is up to you to decide.

Kaspersky will help you quickly check your computer for viruses online. A full-fledged antivirus is well known in Russia, and its “younger brother” is also popular.

The program runs in the cloud, so you can quickly check Kaspersky for viruses online on any PC or laptop.

Its main advantages:

  • does not slow down Windows (which cannot be said about the full-fledged Kaspersky antivirus, which “eats” a lot of resources during scanning);
  • does not conflict with other antiviruses installed on the computer;
  • does not remove detected viruses, but only reports them (on the one hand, this is a plus, but on the other, you will have to remove them manually);
  • issues a detailed report.

Checking for viruses online in Kaspersky is very simple:

  1. Download the installer file from this link.
  2. Launch the program.
  3. Wait until the scan is completed.

After this, all you have to do is remove the viruses (if any were found).

BitDefender QuickScan – fast online PC virus scan

Another way to clean your computer from viruses online is by using BitDefender QuickScan. It is considered very effective and enjoys great success abroad. About the same as our Kaspersky.

Cleaning your computer from viruses online is also easy. All you need is:

  1. Follow this link.
  2. Click on “Scan Now”.
  3. Install a browser module through which the antivirus will gain access to your folders and files.
  4. Wait until the check is completed.

The main advantage of BitDefender is fast online virus scanning. On average it takes 1-2 minutes. On the one hand, this is cool, but on the other, what will he be able to scan in such a short time?

Most likely, the online scanner checks the main list of the most common threats: system files, startup - i.e. those places where viruses mainly “live”. The developers themselves say that checking your computer for viruses online is carried out in the cloud (on their servers), which is why it is done so quickly.

ESET Online Scanner - effectively scan your computer for viruses

The next way to check your laptop for viruses online is by using a free ESET product from the developers of NOD32. To start checking, follow this link.

It is recommended to scan your PC through Internet Explorer - in this case, the scan will be performed in the browser window. When using Chrome, Firefox or Opera, the user will have to download a small file, and the PC analysis will be performed in a separate program.

After downloading and running the file, you need to set the settings. For example, enable scanning of archives and potentially dangerous programs. You can also clear the checkbox in the “Remove threats” item so that the antivirus does not accidentally erase important files that, in its opinion, are infected. Then click the "Start" button.

ESET Online Scanner will update the database, after which an online scan of your PC for viruses will begin.

  • a thorough system scan (takes 40 minutes on average - depends on your Internet speed and HDD capacity);
  • detects any threats;
  • can detect malware, incl. in the register;
  • performs heuristic analysis;
  • generates a complete report on the work performed.

Another plus is that the online scanner is automatically deleted after the scan is completed. That is, no files will remain after it.

Thus, ESET antivirus is perhaps one of the best ways to clean your computer from viruses online. Its only drawback is the need for installation.

Panda Cloud Cleaner - online flash drive scan for viruses

Users are offered 4 versions to choose from:

  • standard;
  • portable (does not require installation);
  • for scanning USB flash drive;
  • in ISO format (emergency boot disk for checking PC viruses that does not turn on).

Which version to choose, decide for yourself. For example, if you want to check a flash drive for viruses online, then download the third installer on the developers’ website.

Main advantages:

  • quick check (on average 20-30 minutes);
  • detection of common threats;
  • effective online virus cleaning.

As in the previous case, Panda also “self-destructs” after successfully checking and treating viruses. That is, it is automatically deleted and does not leave any files behind.

F-Secure Online Scanner – treatment of viruses and spyware

Another excellent antivirus that can scan your computer for viruses online. To start checking, go to the developers’ website and click on the “Launch” button. After downloading and launching the installer, a new window will open in which scanning of the laptop or PC will begin.

The main advantages of this antivirus:

  • quick scanning – takes 10-15 minutes on average;
  • effective treatment of viruses and spyware utilities;
  • works even with antivirus installed on your PC.

Before starting the scan, it is advisable to turn off “heavy” programs. This will help speed up the scanning process.

VirusTotal – online virus scan without downloading

All previous options had one common disadvantage - the need to download the installer. In this case, you can scan your computer for viruses online without installing any programs.

VirusTotal is a service from Google that can scan any files on your PC. It can also scan sites for malicious utilities. Using the service is very simple:

  1. Follow this link.
  2. Provide the path to the file you want to scan or the URL of any website.
  3. Click the "Check" button.

Wait until the check is completed, and then look at the report.

It is not possible to scan all documents on your computer using VirusTotal. It can scan sites and files individually. This option is suitable for those who, for example, have downloaded a program and want to make sure that there are no viruses in it before installing it. For such cases, VirusTotal is best suited, because it does not need to be downloaded.

Dr.Web - effective scanning of files for viruses

And the last way to check your computer for viruses online is through Doctor Web. It has an excellent service that allows you to check individual files. For this:

  1. Visit this site.
  2. Click Browse and browse to the file you want to scan.
  3. Click the “Check!” button.

In this case, you can scan your computer for viruses online without installing Dr. antivirus. Web. But, like VirusTotal, Doctor Web can scan only one file at a time.

A few words in conclusion

This sounds strange, but it is impossible to completely scan a laptop or computer and remove viruses online. The first 5 antiviruses require the installation of a small file. The question arises: isn’t it easier to install a full-fledged version of Kaspersky or BitDefender? They have more features, plus they provide real-time PC protection. In addition, many popular antiviruses have free versions.

The last 2 options are VirusTotal and Dr. Web – do not require installation, but check one file at a time. This is also not very convenient.

By the way, a computer or laptop may be infected not with viruses, but with malware. As a result, advertisements appear in the browser, third-party pages of unknown sites open, etc. In this case, antiviruses will not help; special software is required.

Actually, that's all. Above we discussed 7 ways to check your computer or laptop for viruses online for free. Which antivirus to use is up to you. If you want to completely scan your computer for viruses, then choose one of the first 5 programs. And if you need to scan several files, then use the VirusTotal or Dr. services. Web.

Antivirus scanners are used if you need to quickly disinfect your computer or check the reliability of your standard antivirus. They do not require installation and can be launched from any removable media, not just a hard drive. The main purpose of scanners is to check files for embedded malicious code. They do not have modules for automatically neutralizing virus threats, and therefore cannot be a replacement for a full-fledged antivirus.

Dr.Web CureIt

Free healing utility Doctor Web for quick treatment of your computer. Provided as a single file. It can work in cases where virus activity interferes with the functioning of antivirus programs. A full scan of all files is launched by pressing one button. There is no provision for updating the application.

Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

The application is installed to a folder on the desktop. Can scan hard drives, RAM, boot sectors of disks. Viruses and malware are removed both manually and automatically.

Review of Kaspersky Virus Removal Tool

Kaspersky Security Scan

A free utility from Kaspersky Lab that checks the security level of your computer and will determine the presence of an antivirus, firewall, Windows vulnerabilities and programs.

Description of Kaspersky Security Scan

Avira PC Cleaner

The main distinguishing feature of this AVIRA scanner is the ability to update virus databases before each scan. This allows you to reuse it without having to download it again.

Download Avira PC Cleaner

Norton Power Eraser

Designed to remove deep-rooted viruses and malware. Due to the high probability of false positives (erroneous deletion of a safe file), you need to use this healing utility with caution. Download Norton Power Eraser

McAfee Stinger

Free scanner with McAfee antivirus. Easy to use. The interface is in English only. You can set different sensitivity levels of the scanning module.

McAfee Stinger review

Zillya Scanter Free

Free antivirus scanner of the Ukrainian antivirus Zillya. Does not require installation and does not conflict with other antiviruses installed on the computer. Interface in Ukrainian and English.