MSDNAA FAQ

Q: Am I eligible to download MSDNAA software?

If you are enrolled in any course under the Bren School of ICS course for credit, you are eligible to download the MSDNAA software. Faculty, instructors, and TAs are eligible to receive the software if you have an active ICS account.

Q: What software is available for download?

Please login to the MSDNAA page and look under the Software section for the most updated listing.

Q: What if I want a software that has not been made available?

If you need a particular software for a class or research project, please email helpdesk with an explanation of why you need it and we will look into its availability. NOTE: Microsoft Office is not included in the MSDN Academic Alliance program.

Q: How much do I need to pay for the software?

In an agreement with Microsoft, the MSDN Academic Alliance program provides this software free of charge. There is a small charge if you choose to get the installation CD mailed to you.

Q: What can the software being provided be used for?

The software is provided for instructional and non-profit research purposes. It cannot be used for infrastructure or profit.

Q: Do I have to uninstall the software once I graduate or once I am no longer a student of the Bren School of ICS?

The license is perpetual. This means that you do not need to uninstall the software. The software and product keys you have received are yours to keep. You will lose the ability to download the MSDNAA software once your ICS account expires.

Q: How can I obtain the software?

You may download the software from the MSDNAA site .

Alternatively, the burner machine in CS 364 lab has the ISO images of the software in the 'MSDNAA Software' folder. You can burn your own CDs/DVDs to take home. However, you will still need to login into MSDNAA site and "purchase" the software from their website to get the product key.

Q: Why is the size of the file I downloaded so small or unexecutable?

If you are downloading the MSDNAA software, the file that first gets downloaded may not have the .exe file extension. This has occurred when Mozilla Firefox is used as the browser. Add the .exe extension if necessary and double-click the file. It is a downloader file of a very small size that is used to download an SDC file. After the SDC file is downloaded, the downloader is required to extract the actual software from it.

Q: I am getting an error in the middle of my download, what does it mean?

In many cases, you should be able to figure out what is wrong by the content of the error code. If it is not immediately obvious what you should do, check the Download Error Help Page. If you still cannot complete your download please send an email to helpdesk.

Q: How do I receive my login/password?

Please user your ICS account username/password to login.

Q: What is an SDC file and why can't I open or unpack it?

When you double-click the executable file that you downloaded from e-academy, it will ask you where to unpack the file. Inside the folder you choose to store the downloaded file will be an SDC file. This is a zip file that the Downloader executable will extract for you when the download is completed. You need to use the Downloader to extract the install files from the SDC file. The SDC file is safe to delete after the setup files are extracted from it if you are low on disk space.

Q: How much hard disk space do I need?

Make sure you have lots of disk space. Some files requires at least 2GB of space for SDC file that is downloaded plus the files that are extracted from it. If you do not have enough disk space for the SDC file and the extracted files, you will need to download the file again in order to unzip the SDC file. Make sure you have enough disk space before proceeding to download.

Q: How can I reuse product keys issued to me if I need to reinstall my computer?

If you made a hardware change or got rid of your old computer and need to reinstall software that needs to be activated such as Windows 7, Visio, and Project, the first step is to try telephone registration and speak to a Microsoft representative. If you need to be reissued new product keys because the telephone registration did not work, email helpdesk and state your reasons thoroughly for the request.