There are times when a virus or spyware infection is so bad that Windows will barely work. It may seem as though wiping the computer and starting again is the only option, even though it means losing all files since the last backup. F-Secure Rescue CD is a step before this and may avoid this extreme step.

The download is an ISO file that must be used to create a bootable CD. Copying the file onto a CD won't work so some extra software is required. We recommend Active@ ISO burner.

Once the CD has been created, put it in the first optical drive of the infected computer and restart. The computer should boot from the CD rather than the hard disk.

The Rescue CD scans all of the hard disks and USB drives connected to the computer, whether they are formatted with Fat or NTFS. Any malware files that are found are renamed to the .virus file extension.

The list of virus definitions is updated automatically if the infected computer is connected to the internet. Otherwise it is possible to download the updates to a USB key.

On a healthy computer enter http://download.f-secure.com/latest/fsdbupdate.run in the address bar of a web browser. Save the file onto a USB memory key and then connect that USB key to the infected computer to update the software. It's probably best to use a USB key without any important files on it for this.

Finally there is a PDF manual included in the download with more information on using the Rescue CD.