how to tell if a software is reliable, without malware or virus?

[brannsiu]

when I want a new software to help with my work I always make search on Google and it returns a list of results. Many of their "official" website looks simple and their name is never heard of, but there is no other reputable
alternatives. From now on I can only download the software first and then test the setup file with virustotal 's web site, But is it enough? Could a malware be detected from its setup file before it is installed??
but

 

[Math Geek]

that's what your anti-virus software is doing. scanning as it downloads or executes.

you should stick to the official site for downloads if possible. most of those large download sites are full of nastiness and should be avoided. depending on what you are looking at, there a couple places that offer solid installs but again depends on what you are looking to install.

 

[brannsiu]

that's what your anti-virus software is doing. scanning as it downloads or executes.

you should stick to the official site for downloads if possible. most of those large download sites are full of nastiness and should be avoided. depending on what you are looking at, there a couple places that offer solid installs but again depends on what you are looking to install.

Of course I always download from official site if possible, but I don't know if their official site is really official or trapped with virus because the software is not made by Microsoft or Google....

 

[Math Geek]

again depends on what specific software it is. there is no hard and fast rule for what is safe and what is not. when looking for something new i start reading reviews of what i find. if no one has ever heard of it i tend to avoid it. pretty much always find multiple things to do what i need so i just move to the next one and see what the intertubes have to say about that one.

but i can say that if you are looking for anything to do illegal or grey area stuff with (including pirating anything), then you are always on your own and WILL get burned eventually. might not be the first time, but for sure you will end up on the receiving end of all kind of digital nasties you've heard of and many you have never even seen yet!!

if in doubt drop in here and ask about something specific and we can usually offer some info. but without any specific software, any answer is just a generic catch all that hopes to be right at least some of the time....