You know how most anti-virus/anti-spyware software can take up to an hour to run, bogging down your computer in the process? Turns out there's a faster (if slightly less thorough) way to give your computer a quick checkup.

Panda NanoScan is a browser-based program that scans for viruses, trojans and spyware. Since the database sits on Panda's servers, there are definitions for you to download. You just need to install a 400kb plugin the first time you run NanoScan with Internet Explorer or Firefox.

NanoScan doesn't search every single file on your computer for malware. Instead it takes a look at all your active processes and a set of crucial files and folders. The result is a blazing fast inspection, which takes just about a minute to run. If you want a more complete scan, you can run Panda TotalScan, which is larger, takes longer, but performs a more thorough search.

The service also collects anonymous user data and displays the results online.

Now the downsides. There's no support for Vista yet, although it's in the works. Also, NanoScan and TotalScan find problems, they doesn't fix them. Obviously these browser-based solutions also don't offer real time protection if you download an infected file. So they're not replacements for a PC-based anti-malware program like AVG Free.

Edit: TotalScan does have a disinfect feature. You have to register (free) in order to activate it.