How to virus check download file

Chrome displayed "Failed - Virus detected", Microsoft Edge "[filename] contained a virus and was deleted", and Firefox simply "failed" in the user interface.

Windows Defender was the security program on the machine, and a quick check revealed that the built-in security tool was indeed responsible for blocking the file download on the machine. I knew that this was a false positive, and the following paragraphs describe how I tried to get the file to download to the system.

Select scan history afterwards. Windows Defender may list there that there are not any current threats. This may be puzzling at first, but the security program lists only threats there that require user decisions. Since the downloaded file was quarantined automatically, no user action is required which in turn means that there are not any current threats.

The list of quarantined threats is below. If you are lucky, you may see the virus that Windows Defender detected when it scanned the file download. The file name is not listed there however but the date may be sufficient to make an educated guess. A click on the row displays options to restore the file or remove it, and to display details.

Details displays the file name, but it may not be enough to identify the file, as Windows Defender may display a temporary name. Remove deletes the file from the quarantine, restore on the other hand may restore it on the system so that you may access it. The current version of Windows Defender Security Center has quite a few issues in this regard. I mentioned the lack of details already, but it is just one of the issues that you may run into.

Windows Defender Security Center limits the threats to five on that page. While you can click on "see full history" to display all items that the security program quarantined, you will notice right away that the buttons to remove or restore files are missing there.

I have the latest norton antivirus instaled, which I purchased from the shop just to be sure: Thank you and best of luck with your good work. Cheers, Nick Reply. Howdly Doodly! Of course you can with Dr Web. I wish everyone a Waddly Happy Doodly Easter! I recomend using virustotal. Re the scanning after download. Leo, what about VirusTotal? Hope this helps! They have a good reputation. I do need to experiment with them more. Leave a reply: Before commenting please: Read the article.

Comment on the article. No personal information. No spam. Technology with Confidence. You can do this! Even loading a website sometimes can expose your computer to malicious code. This is called a drive-by attack, as it happens without you doing anything and simply loading the website. That said, there are ways to block the virus at its primary stage. There are certain precautions you can take to insure against malware and reasonably ensure that the file you are downloading is safe.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your usage, browsing and download habits. There are certain, shall we say, best practices before clicking on download links.

Listed below are the precautions and preventive measures you should take before clicking the download button. Assess your downloads: Always be aware of what you download on your PC and where you download it from. Also, if your download source has a forum or user comments section, it is never a bad idea to scan that and read what others are saying.

Check the source: Always download your programs from a trusted source. If you are downloading an addon from Mozilla or an installer from Microsoft, it is logical that it will not likely be a virus. But if you are nabbing pirated content from shady sources, or a plugin from a random site, then be doubly careful. Use your judgement: A very important consideration before initiating a download.

Look at the size of a file. If it is too small or large for what it is, it may well be junk. Be extra wary of executable files, not just the ones with the. EXE extensions but also. SCR, and so on. Downloading and running these without proper scanning can potentially open up a can of worms on your computer. Look for a signature: Popular software is usually signed off with a license. Windows usually throws up a security warning when you try to run downloaded programs from the web, particularly ones that it considers a threat to your computer security or privacy.

Be alert of attachments: Email and forum attachments, both, can be a source of headache. If you get files sent this way, only download and open content from people and places you trust.

Scan before and after: Although scanning is no absolute guarantee, and antivirus programs are not perfect and may not detect new malware, it still is necessary for when you are downloading things from strangers and sources that you are not sure of. Use an online solution to scan before you download, or put your trusty old installed program to use when you have downloaded your file. Long story short, you are the best defense against malicious files.

There is no substitute for basic online security practices. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Author Info Last Updated: November 5, Method 1. Click on the "Submit a URL" tab and enter the address of the website where you are about to download the file from. Hit the "Submit URL" button. Virus Scan will check the website for viruses and let you know whether it is safe for downloading files from there or not. Method 2. Press the "Send file" button. Virus Total will check the download for viruses and let you know of any threats that were detected.

Method 3. Use the Browse button to select the download that you want to scan for viruses. Hit the "Submit file" link. Jotti will scan the file and display a status message to let you know if any viruses were detected.

Method 4. Download any antivirus from the app store, as long as it has good reviews.