The best freeware rootkit scanners and removal software: It's sometimes inevitable that your PC may become infected by a rootkit (like when you insert a CD produced by Sony) and they eventually cause damage with little options to detect it. Rootkits hide their process from anti-virus programs. The software we list here does a great job of detecting and elimintaion rootkits which often hide malicious software. These rootkits have been known to be behind the running of botnets, difficult-to-remove viruses, search and start page hacks and other causes which make a PC unhealthy.

Rootkits are usually caused when a hacker or virus gains root-level access to a compromised system. After that, the attacker can do almost anything they'd like. If you're sure your system is infected with a virus and your anti-virus software can't remove it, run one of these programs so find the cause.