Free Anti-Viruses That Can Schedule Scans

• Free virus scanners allow you to create scheduled scans. Paul Guzzo/Creatas/Getty Images

  Anti-virus software is an essential part of computer and network security. While all free virus-scanning programs allow you to run the scanner manually, many will also give you the option to set up a scheduled scan on certain days of the week at a certain time. This ensures that the computer runs the scanner on a regular basis or allows you to set the scanner to run at a time when you will not be using the computer.

Avira AntiVir

• This free virus scanner allows you to set an automatic scan based on time and day of the week through the built in "Scheduler" feature. Launch the AntiVir control panel and choose the "Scheduler" option from the left side pane. You will then be able to configure how often you want the automatic scan to run, what days you want it to run on and at what time the scan should start.

AVG Free

• The AVG Free anti-virus allows you to set up your scanning schedule even from the installation process. If you did not set up your schedule during installation, you can go back and change these settings at any time. Open the AVG control panel and choose "Tools." Under the "Advanced" settings, open the "Schedules" section and navigate to the "Scheduled scan." You can configure the scanner to run based on a certain time or even a certain action, such as each time you open a file.

Avast!

• Avast! anti-virus allows you to create completely customized scans as well as set scans to launch when you first boot up your computer. A boot-time scan is useful because it can scan before your operating system launches and remove viruses that might otherwise be hard to remove when the computer is fully launched. You can also choose to schedule a custom scan from the Avast! dashboard by clicking the "Create Custom Scan" option. You can choose not only the time to scan but also which drives and folders you would like to scan.