There are more than 30 virus scanners available which we can use to scan files to see if they are safe to use or not. They all work in different ways and often give varying results on particular files depending on the virus. Some scanners report key generators and email spam as viruses even though they may be safe to use.

It would be nice if we could test our files through multiple scan engines to find out if a file is dangerous to our computer. The problem with this is that virus scanners fight each other if they are installed on the same machine. Sometimes this will result in slow performance, and other times you may find your computer comes to a halt. There is a way around this though.

VirusTotal

You can upload files via their website or by email. You should receive a detailed report back in your email within 10 minutes. The report you receive lists each scan engine, followed by the result and virus name. Click here to see a previous report.

While this website should not replace your computers main virus scanner, it can definitely help you if you feel a file is safe but your scanner is reporting it as infected.

Visit them at VirusTotal.com