How it works?

How It WorksThe great thing about an Ubuntu LiveCD is that you can do anything you want on it, including installing programs, even though it’s just running temporarily in your RAM. Therefore, this means that you can run an Ubuntu Live CD, install an anti-virus solution, and then run a scan on your Windows files. It should then be able to detect and deal with any threats that it finds, without an infected Windows environment running in the background that could possibly blocksuch measures from being taken.StepsAs I summarized above, the process is quite simple. You’ll first need to download a copy of Ubuntu by going to their website. You’ll have the choice between downloading via yourbrowser, or by using a torrent client.The torrent way is usually faster, but not all networks allow them to beused because many illegal software downloads occur using the protocol. However, it is completely fine for legal downloads such as Ubuntu. You’ll then want to either burn it to aCD or write it onto a USB flash drive.To burn it to a CD, you’ll simply needto right-click on the .iso file that youdownloaded, and choose the Windows Disc Image Burner application. It should then do the rest for you automatically. To write the ISO file onto a USB drive, you can useUNetbootin. If you would like, you may also follow Ubuntu’s easy instructions on their website forburning a DVDorwriting to a USB drive, which I recommend at least taking a look at.Next, boot up your system from the newly created media. You can accomplish this by entering your system’s BIOS by hitting buttons like F11, Escape, or Delete repeatedly – literally as soon as you turn on your computer. You’ll then want to head over to your boot tab and choose the DVD or USB drive as your primary boot device. Then hit F10 to save your settings and restart. If you wish, you may again follow Ubuntu’s instructions on how to do this.Once loaded, you’ll want to head over to the Ubuntu Software Center and search for “clamtk“. When it appears, go ahead and install it. Clamtk is a graphical user interface for the Clam Antivirus software, the most popular open-source antivirus solution in existence.Although Clamtk has a mechanism to update virus definitions, it only does so once a day, and cannot be initiated manually without going through a setup wizard. Either go through the wizard by going toAdvanced –> Rerun antivirus setup wizard, then choosingManualinstead ofAutomatic. Then click onHelp –> Check for Updatesto install the latest definitions  — if you’ve never used Ubuntu before, the menusare located in the top panel while theantivirus application is in focus, similar to a Mac. You may also avoid the wizard and simply open a terminal and run: Anti-Virus on Linux? sudo freshclamOnce the definitions are updated, head over toScan –> Recursive Scan, and then choose your Windows partition. Wait a while for it to scan all your files and remove any threats, and you should be good to go! Just restart your computer with the Linux media removed, and you should be back in a virus-free Windows.If you don’t want to use this particular antivirus for any reason, other popular choices include avast!and AVG. In fact, check out the anti-virus section on MakeUseOf’s Best Linux Software page for all recommended anti-virus programs.ConclusionViruses and other malware can become quite a pest because of how difficult they are to remove. However, knowing some very useful tips like this one can help you save a lot of time and get on with using yourcomputer. In case all techniques fail,you can always use the Ubuntu Live CD to back up your files before you restore your system. Also, there’s never a bad idea to taking a look at Linux to see if it could become your new main operating system!