Performing a spywarectomy

The computer security company PC Tools has developed a piece of software designed to bypass Windows altogether and delete spyware from the operating system without having to start it up.

The Alternative Operating System Scanner effectively puts Windows to sleep, the company says, and boots up the PC using a Linux-based operating system instead. The software can then strip out spyware and fix damage done to the PC’s registry without being fooled by malicious software that has infected windows.

Some sophisticated spyware and rootkits can fool Windows into reporting that it is unaffected, so that hackers can continue to harvest personal information from the machine without being detected.

"We have to get outside Windows to get to a trusted environment," Simon Clausen, the company’s chief executive, said. "With the AOSS, it’s really like performing surgery on the PC while it’s under anaesthesia."

Times Online has been given a beta version of the software, which we will test as soon as we find a suitably spyware-choked computer. That shouldn’t take long, so check back soon to see the results.

Comments

[Mike Orton]

Nothing new. I have been recovering data from trashed windows PCs by booting from either Linux floppy/Linux boot CD.
With Linux booted you can edit, save as ANY Windows file type.
Yes Linux can bypass most Windows security and faults and the data recovery Linux stuff is either free or at the most costs £1 or £2 per cd plus postage.
Use Linux. Beware of expensive imitations!
And modern Linux distributions with KDE desktop are just like Windows.