Have you downloaded a file, but not sure if it has a virus?

[justy]

Well, i know there are sites that you are apprehensive about when downloading a file from there so, the safest way to ensure the file doesnt have a virus, malware or spyware is to right click and save file as, to your desktop. Then, go to any of the following sites & upload the file there. They scan all security engines & give you the result. If its safe, then you can proceed to open the file

http://scanner.novirusthanks.org/   (recommended by me)
http://virustotal.com
http://virusscan.jotti.org/

[tomron]

Outstanding...

[angelfire]

I'm using the free versions of AVG and Avast -- should I still be checking downloads thru these sites, or am I OK with the protection I currently have?

[justy]

I'm using the free versions of AVG and Avast -- should I still be checking downloads thru these sites, or am I OK with the protection I currently have?

no girl!  always check with those links. the security you have can be bypassed with tons of stuff. so, anything you are unsure about, please use the links to check. i have found viruses that avg, avast & NOD didnt catch.

[tomron]

@angelfire

Do you have both AV'S enabled...cause more then one AV doesn't play well together.

Another good online scanner

http://www.kaspersky.com/scanforvirus

[angelfire]

no girl!  always check with those links. the security you have can be bypassed with tons of stuff. so, anything you are unsure about, please use the links to check. i have found viruses that avg, avast & NOD didnt catch.

Whoa... thanks, justy!!! And thanks, tomron!!!!

[angelfire]

@tomron,

Yes, they're both enabled... takes both my PC and my laptop forever to load up when first turned on because of it (I think that's why, anyway).

Still, since they might not be catching everything, I'll use the links you gave. Thanks again for the first set, and for the last one, too!!

[tomron]

@angelfire

The rule of thumb is only one firewall enabled and one antivirus enabled.

They just don't play well together.

Try disabling one AV and you will a difference.

This does not apply to anti spyware programs

[angelfire]

@tomron

But, wouldn't I then be giving up a certain amount of ongoing protection?
I've been thinking that by having both going, I've been "doubly protected"... do they somehow interfere with each other instead? Does it work better to only have one antivirus enabled at a time? If so, is there a way to know which one I should keep enabled? Sorry for all the questions -- I'm learning as I go.

[Jewels]

Another good tool to keep in your arsenal in case something does get by the tools you use is a live cd. Many nasties can prevent your AV tools from functioning. If you boot from a live cd and bypass windows loading, you can circumvent the viruses ability to mess with your scan. I have used this one a few times in the past and it works great. It's also free:

Dr.Web LiveCD

CureIt is also free.

Angelfire the issue with multiple anti viruses is having them both running at startup. They will hog the crap out of your system resources and can interfere with each other. Having said that, there is no need to get rid of other antivirus products. As long as your 2nd, 3rd, etc. are set to use on demand you shouldn't have any issues.

[angelfire]

Thanks, Jewels!

[fraggle]

You could also use a Sandbox-Application like Sandboxie http://www.sandboxie.com/
it does nothing else then starting probably malicous software in an isolated environment.

[Jewels]

I really like sandboxie, thanks for reminding us fraggle. Unfortunately it doesn't work on 64bit OS, and neither does Returnil, so I'm without it now.

[swytch]

All good suggestions though never forget common sense on the PC.  stay outta sites which are likely to contain "nasties" and don't download any suspicious files via either email or off a website.  You can stay pretty d@mn safe just using your head.   


P.S.  always turn on "show file extensions" in windows.  Regardless of the icon showing, the extension tells you just what type of file you are dealing with.  I see a lot of clients who neglect to turn that on in Windows and run into trouble clicking on a file which they thought was a safe extension.  You and your brain are the first line of defense 


Swytch~~   

[Jewels]

A few more:

http://www.threatexpert.com/submit.aspx
http://camas.comodo.com/cgi-bin/submit
http://www.norman.com/microsites/nsic/Submit/en-us
http://www.sunbeltsecurity.com/Submit.aspx?type=cwsandbox&cs=A41CD150B37359889A553671CBFD2360
http://anubis.iseclab.org/
http://www.cwsandbox.org/?page=submit&action=verify
http://www.filterbit.com/
http://virscan.org/