Most of the anti-virus and security software, nowadays, depend on Internet to regularly update their virus definitions to check for viruses and other malicious programs on your computer. Microsoft has a free software called Windows Defender Offline (Beta) that can be used offline to conduct security check on your computer, even when it cannot connect to the Internet. This software can be downloaded to create a CD / DVD / USB drive which can then be used to scan a computer for malicious and potentially unwanted programs and to remove any such programs from it to secure it from such threats. [Also see: Free Microsoft Security Essentials software for protection from viruses and spyware.]
This offline security software from Microsoft allows you to boot a virus-infected computer from a CD/DVD containing this software. This can be of great help in removing the malicious programs from the infected computer. An offline software will also be of help if the malicious programs do not allow your computer to connect to the Internet. This is what is stated by Microsoft in this regard:
“Sometimes, malicious and other potentially unwanted software, including rootkits, try to install themselves on your PC. This can happen when you connect to the Internet or install some programs from a CD, DVD, or other media. Once on your PC, this software might run immediately, or it might run at unexpected times. Windows Defender Offline Beta can help remove such hard to find malicious and potentially unwanted programs using definitions that recognize threats.”
System requirements for using Windows Defender Offline software:
Following system requirements must be satisfied for using Windows Defender Offline software on your infected computer:
(1) It requires Windows XP (with Service Pack 3), Windows Vista (with Service Pack 1 or higher), Windows 7.
(2) Minimum 500 MB hard disk space should be available.
(3) Minimum 512 MB RAM on Windows XP, and minimum 1GB RAM on Windows Vista and Windows 7.
(4) If needed, read this Microsoft page for further details for minimum system requirements.
(5) You can also read the relevant FAQ page on Microsoft site for other issues related to Windows Defender Offline Beta.
How to use Windows Defender Offline Beta software from Microsoft?
Follow these steps:
(1) First of all, download the latest Windows Defender Offline Beta software from the official Microsoft site. It has two versions: 32-bit and 64-bit. Download the relevant version depending on which version is used by Windows on your computer. Moreover, always download the latest software from Microsoft, and don’t use an older version, since the latest version will include definitions of new viruses or malicious programs that might have been created in the meantime by unscrupulous persons.
(2) Create a CD, DVD, or USB flash drive with this downloaded software, which can be used to boot your infected computer. It is advisable to use a new CD / DVD etc., for this purpose, though only about 250 MB space would be need for this software. Further, you should download this software and create the CD, DVD, etc., on a computer that is not infected with viruses or other malicious programs since otherwise such malware can interfere with the creation of the CD, DVD or USB flash drive, as the case may be.
(3) Now, start your infected computer, booting it from the CD / DVD / USB drive that contains the Windows Defender Offline Beta software.
(4) Scan your computer for malicious and other unwanted programs with the help of Windows Defender Offline software. Follow the on-screen instructions.
(5) If any malicious programs or other unwanted programs are found by this software on your computer and you’re notified accordingly, remove them from your computer.
As mentioned above, always use the up-to-date Windows Defender Offline software since it would contain the latest virus definitions to take care of newly invented malware.
Download: Download the latest Windows Defender Offline Beta software from the official Microsoft site (download 32-bit or 64-bit as per your operating system).