I have written in the past about a single file virus scanner for those of who either choose not to run an anti-virus program or want to check a file against a product other than the one installed. While this is useful, you are still limited to checking it against only a couple of engines. If you are looking for a more comprehensive test, then check out VirusTotal.

VirusTotal is a single file scanner which checks files against over 30 anti-virus engines. You can easily send a file to VirusTotal by either emailing or uploading the file directly to get the scan results.

The specifications, from VirusTotal’s web site points out:

• Free, independent service
• Use of multiple antivirus engines
• Real-time automatic updates of virus signatures
• Detailed results from each antivirus engine
• Real time global statistics

This is definitely a pretty neat idea for doing just about everything you can to protect yourself from what you suspect is a harmful file.