I have .....
Microsoft Security Essentials as my real-time protection
Malewarebytes as my on-demand
Question :
What does MSSS ( Microsoft Standalone System Sweeper ) do that the above 2 cannot, or not as good ?
Thank you.
Standalone scanners are useful for when your system can't run well enough to run a normal scan. For instance, if you couldn't properly boot to Windows, anything installed on the computer would be unable to run, too. You run the standalone version off a cdrom or DVD, allowing you to clean things up. It's really an "In case of emergency, break glass" kind of thing. :)
If it's a standalone version and you made a bootable DVD you could, otherwise it's just a program stored on a disc. "Standalone" means it doesn't require any other software (Windows, Linux, etc) to run. Any program which needs to be "Installed" before you can run it would not work.
Another thing to keep in mind is the date of your virus definitions. A disc you made last winter would probably not catch any viruses released since then. The best bet, should you find yourself in a bind, is to make a fresh disc with up-to-date definitions. Obviously, you would need another computer to do that. If that's not possible, I'd recommend making an updated emergency disc every month or so. Blanks DVDs cost a lot less than taking your computer into the shop because you can't boot it at all. :)
Thank you.
That answers all my questions.
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