X-ClamWin

X-ClamWin is the portable edition for the open-source ClamWin antivirus bundle. Unlike its desktop counterpart, this version can run without installation, and carried on removable storage devices.

Among the benefits of this feature is the possibility to run an anti-malware scan on a computer suspected of being infected; just run the application on a clean machine first, in order to update its database.

It features a straightforward interface that offers a the possibility to navigate to the location of a specific file or folder you want to scan. Multiple items can be selected by holding down the Shift key.

From the menus available at the top of the application screen you can access the configuration panel of the utility or initiate a memory scan that verifies the items currently loaded in RAM.

The program may seem like a feeble tool but a look under the hood shows that it is highly customizable. It can be set up to display only the infected files as well as scour the sub-folders of a directory or automatically quarantine the files detected as malicious and unload them from the system memory.

In order to increase scan speed users can define file name patterns that should be exempt from verification or build a list with data that is to be scanned expressly. Moreover, file size limitations can be imposed and you can enable it to look inside archives.

As part of the advanced settings is the option to extract attachments and macros from Microsoft Office documents.

X-ClamWin is far from being a feature-rich antivirus solution but it can prove an efficient second-opinion scanner that may detect infections overlooked by resident protection solutions.

However, it does not rise to the protection standards imposed by the current utilities in the industry.