How to scan a file before you download it

If a virus is found, your Antivirus app will delete it or put it in Quarantine so it cannot infect your system. To be very thorough and want a second opinion actually 41 , then you might want to check out the VirusTotal Uploader. This handy app will scan your files with 41 different Antivirus apps online. It will send the file to VirusTotal. If that is the case, use your best judgment when viewing the results. If you use a lot of different flash drives throughout the day, check out our article on how to scan a thumb drive for viruses from the AutoPlay Dialog.

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Pirate software is not only illegal, it is often full of malware. If you download, you are also uploading as a list of the IP addresses are displayed by the torrent program which the owners of that software can check and get the courts to get the ISP to turn over your name and address.

I agree. Then you recommend running an AV scan on the downloaded file. I do agree that post-download rescans would be beneficial if scanned with another program — kind of like a second opinion, or applying a different type scan Malware scan vs AV scan. TIA, Dale…. I second use of VirusTotal. VirusTotal scans uploaded files with 50 or more anti-virus programs and gives the results. It also tells if that file had been uploaded before. With so many scans the probabilty of false positives are increased, but better safe than sorry with unknown downloads.

The word which springs to my mind in relation to this query is — sandbox. Does running a downloaded program in a sandbox help to protect my computer in the circumstances described? If not, what is a sandbox for? Most virus scanners integrate with Windows Explorer to the extent of providing right-click pop-up-menu functionality.

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