Free virus removal tool and rootkits

Question

Hi, It says that the Sophos Free Virus Removal Tool (VRT) can remove rootkits. I thought that some or many rootkits can only be removed with "pre-boot" scanners (AV scanners that run before Windows boots). Can the Sophos VRT really remove rootkits as effectively as pre-boot scanners? Examples of pre-boot scanners include Windows Defender Offline and the Avast pre-boot scanner. If you say the Sophos VRT is as effective against rootkits as pre-boot scanners, that's great. I'll be happy to use it to give my Windows a periodic deep cleaning with a tool from a vendor I trust. Has Sophos done any tests to demonstrate their VRT is as effective as pre-boot scanners against rootkits? Thanks for your help and Kind Regards, Advait

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AndyM · Accepted Answer

Hi Advait, We have multiple layers of technology built into the scanner (SVRT as well as normal SAV) that allows us to detect and cleanup rootkit infections whlist in the loaded operating system. In the event that a malware component cannot be cleaned immediately we schedule cleanup to be carried out on a reboot of the system - in this case a message is shown to the end user that a reboot is required. So in short, you should find that SVRT and SAV  are as effective as pre-boot scanning tools. Regards, Andy P.S. If you wish to run a scan that is completely indepent of the operating system I would recommend our other free tool, SBAV. Please be careful with it as if used incorrectly you could damage the machine. http://www.sophos.com/en-us/support/knowledgebase/52053.aspx   :27015