If your Windows PC has become so infected that you cannot really run any programs, install anti-malware software or even boot into Windows, then you need Norton Bootable Recovery Tool. This software from the security solutions giant Symantec, gives you options to boot into your Windows PC using a bootable USB or DVD media, remove the malware and fix the infected system so that you can use it normally once again. Norton Bootable Recovery Tool contains Norton Antivirus engine and the latest virus definitions, so even if you are infected with some new malware, it can detect and remove the pest without any problem.
You can create Norton Bootable Recovery Tool bootable media using the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool Wizard which is around 190 MB in size. During the creation of the bootable media (USB or DVD), it further downloads over 200 MB of the latest virus definitions. If you are using a slow internet connection, then it may take many hours to finish the creation of bootable media. So it is advised that you create the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool bootable media on a computer that has fast internet connection.
After the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool Wizard is installed on your Windows PC (install it on any malware free Windows computer), you can launch it and choose a target media type – DVD, ISO file or USB. There is also an option to update the virus definitions for your existing bootable USB.
The next step involves the selection of the USB key or DVD drive letter, adding any Windows drivers required and selecting a user interface language. You should add some of the drivers needed for the hard disk access. You can add only 32-bit drivers as the NBRT tool runs in the 32-bit Windows PE mode.
As you click on the Next button, it starts to check for the latest virus definitions on the Symantec serves and downloads them. After the virus definitions have been downloaded, it will format the target USB disk, copy the files to it and make it bootable. A similar process is followed for the DVD and ISO file.
You can use the created Norton Bootable Recovery Tool USB or DVD to boot into an infected Windows PC. Typically, you would have to choose the default bootable device from the system BIOS or EFI for being able to boot from the USB or DVD media. Once the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool loads, you can agree to the license agreement to proceed to the next step.
Norton Bootable Recovery Tool gives you two choices – Norton Power Eraser Recovery Scan and the Norton Advanced Recovery Scan. The former tool is an aggressive malware scanner and can remove toughest malware from your infected system, while the latter tool should be used only when you are unable to boot into Windows due to malware infection.
Both of the tools present you with two options – Scan and Undo. The scanning tool scans and removes the malware and any system changes made by the malware on your PC. It also stores some undo information every time the scanner is run, so that you can reboot using the Norton Bootable Recovery Tool media and undo the changes made by the scanner at any time in the future.
After Norton Bootable Recovery Tool has fixed your infected Windows PC and you are able to boot into Windows, it is suggested that you enable automatic updates in Windows, install a regular antivirus on your PC and once again perform a complete scan on your PC to stay protected in future.
Conclusion: Norton Bootable Recovery Tool can remove the malware from non-bootable Windows PC and fix its settings so that you can use it normally once again. It should be used only when regular anti-malware tools are not able to remove the malware in Windows or you are not able to boot into your Windows PC.
You can download Norton Bootable Recovery Tool from https://security.symantec.com/nbrt/nbrt.aspx.