Fear not, ye with unbootable computer due to malware keeping you locked out, or even those machines that are infected with malware that won't allow you to install antivirus protection software. HitmanPro 3.7 is here, created with you in mind and featuring the newest feature, the new Kickstart module. Kickstart will banish malware keeping you out of your computer for good.

Interface

HitmanPro 3.7 is much like Malwarebytes' Anti-Malware Free 1.51 in that the interface is optimized to provide an effective scan with the click of a button. Upon launch, just choose “Next” to start scanning for malware. There's no need to configure anything, but the option is available if you feel the need to. The default settings are already optimized for maximum security.

Also by default, the software is set up to perform a scan every time you reboot your machine, but you are given the option to manually scan once without installing a local copy to your PC. In PC Magazine testing, HitmanPro 3.7 was installed on a total of twelve systems, each containing malware, without any issues whatsoever. No tech support necessary is always a bonus.

Scan Length

How long a scan typically takes is relative to the amount of bad files the program finds. Each suspicious file is uploaded by HitmanPro 3.7 for cloud-based analysis. In testing, a clean machine returned results in about four minutes. A second scan performed directly after that test was a hair over a minute in length. When compared to other antivirus software on the market, which can take an average of 30 minutes, HitmanPro 3.7 beats them hands down.

But what about when your PC is severly infected? Testing showed the scans lasted much longer, and in some cases the system could not properly connect with the cloud to analyze the files. These systems were scanned a second time to ensure it was truly clean.

When the scan is complete, a list is provided of all the suspicious files, malware, and cookies found on your system. The scan itself is powered by five companies' antivirus engines: Dr. Web, IKARUS, Emsisoft, G Data, and Bitdefender. If you click on one of your malicious files detected in the scan, a screen pops up letting you know which engine found it and the name they have given that specific virus.

If you double-click an item in the list, another list pops up describing every possible detail of the attributes. Not a big deal for the average home user, but computer geeks will love it. The list also lets you know what you should do.

Additional Information

It is important to note that you might double check all items in the list to assure they are indeed problems. For PC Magazine's tests, all of the test systems labeled a popular security tool RootkitRevealer as a Trojan. Of course this is not suspicious, so the tester simply selected the option to report the file as safe.

You can scan with HitmanPro 3.7 all you'd like. When it detects an issue, you can either pay $19.95 each year for one license, $29.95 for three, or sign up for a 30-day free trial. As long as your scans come up squeaky clean, it will remain free.