Stand alone Virus Scanner

Windows 11 64 bit home – HP desktop – Windows Defender with ‘configure defender’ – winver – 24H2, build – 26100.6584. So sometime ago someone on this ‘site’ suggested I try running – Clamwin antivirus scanner. I usually takes about 3 – 4 hours to run. Usually it finds ‘stuff’. As everyone knows, Windows Defender runs ‘scan’s all the time, but it never shows that it found anything. Am I wasting my time running the “Clamwin antivirus scanner”? Is there a better stand alone Virus scanner? Maybe one that is faster?

A “virus” has “NOT” been found in my PC in maybe 15-20 years.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

Hi, yes should have another scanner in IMHO (I use all 3)      Malware scanner like Malwarebytes is good and not long, from them also is AdwCleaner which scans very fast. add MBAM Browser Guard this makes a round Trio of scan with MBAM as Malware & A/V, AdwCleaner fast looking in thousands of files, and Block it in the browser.

Also very fast and used in the Malware Removal Forum : https://www.sophos.com/en-us/free-tools/virus-removal-tool       You can try : https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/defender-endpoint/safety-scanner-download#how-to-run-a-scan  takes hours.      

There are various secondary opinion scanners which can be used to supplement your existing antivirus.

• Emsisoft Emergency Kit (EEK)
• Malwarebytes Anti-Malware
• Sophos Scan & Clean
• Microsoft Safety Scanner (MSERT) 32-bit or 64-bit

I provide a more detailed list of malware removal tools with scanning instructions in Supplementing your Anti-Virus Program with Anti-Malware Tools (Post #4)...just scroll down near the bottom of that post.