Viruses and other malicious programs have access to all the same resources that Windows-based antivirus tools do, and that can be a problem. They can block installation of security software, hold your system for ransom, or even make Windows unbootable. Security experts avoid these problems by using a bootable Linux-based rescue CD. For ordinary folks, FixMeStick is a much better solution, and the 2013 edition is noticeably more effective than the first release of the product.
FixMeStick is a bootable USB device with powerful antivirus protection built in. Your $59.99 subscription lets you use it as often as you want to on three computers during any given month. That seems a reasonable limitation?without it a company could buy one device and use it to clean a thousand PCs. And customer support will help if you replace one computer with another and want to transfer protection. You can also buy an unlimited FixMeStick for $299. The hardware is identical; only the licensing differs.
Hazy Lab Results
None of the big independent testing labs have tested FixMeStick. As a hardware-based bootable device it just doesn't fit their test methodologies. However, FixMeStick relies on antivirus technology from three vendors, and products from those three vendors do get tested. The results are conflicting.
As you can see in the chart below, Kaspersky gets top marks from every lab, with overall excellent results. Sophos participates with most of the labs and earns some good ratings and some just average. VIPRE's lab results are just fair. I'm not sure how much light this sheds on FixMeStick, but the range of results is interesting. See How We Interpret Antivirus Lab Tests for more about the independent labs and their tests.
Easy Start
In order to clean your system with a bootable rescue CD, you may need to download and burn an ISO image. Once you've booted from it, you'll be confronted with an unfamiliar program, possibly non-graphical. While rescue CDs are effective, using them can be difficult for all but the most expert users.
FixMeStick is the exact opposite. If your system can still boot into Windows, you just stick the device into a USB slot. A tiny launcher utility on the drive starts automatically if you've enabled AutoPlay. If not, just launch it manually. When you click the button, the launcher configures Windows to boot from the FixMeStick and then reboots. Simple!
If the computer won't boot into Windows, turn it off, insert the device, and power it up again. Depending on your configuration it may boot from FixMeStick right away. If not, customer support can walk you through the steps needed to enable USB boot.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/-IwY32LL23U/0,2817,2411937,00.asp
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