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MSDNAA faq »

Q: Am I eligible to download MSDNAA software?

If you are enrolled in an ICS course for credit, you are eligible to download the MSDNAA software. Faculty, instructors, and TAs are eligible to receive the software as well.

Q: What software is available for download?

Currently, the software made available for download are:

  • Windows XP with Service Pack 2
  • Windows Server 2003 Standard Edition
  • Visual Studio .NET Professional 2003
  • Visual Studio Professional 2005
  • Visual Studio Standard 2005
  • MSDN Library
  • Access 2003
  • OneNote 2003
  • InfoPath 2003
  • SQL 2005 Developers Edition
  • Visio Professional 2003
  • Visio for Enterprise Architects
  • Project Professional 2003
  • Windows CE .NET 4.2
  • eMbedded Visual C++ 4.0 with Service Pack 2
  • Windows XP Embedded with Service Pack 1
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@ics.uci.edu with a full 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.

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 stop taking ICS courses?

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 you graduate or stop taking ICS courses.

Q: How can I obtain the software?

You may download the software from ELMS.

Alternatively, the burner in CS 364 lab has the ISO images of the software in the 'MSDNAA Software' folder. You can burn your own CDs to take home. However, you will still need to login into ELMS 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 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: How do I receive my login/password?

If you are enrolled in an ICS course for credit, you should have been sent an email to your ICS e-mail account (NOT your UCI email account) with the information you need to login into ELMS . (Note: For information on accessing your ICS e-mail, please go to our Email FAQ.)

If you did not receive an email and enrolled in an ICS course for credit, please go to ELMS and click on Login. Click on the link "Forgot Password". Your username is your ICS e-mail address (ie. username@ics.uci.edu). If you do not receive a password shortly, please email helpdesk@ics.uci.edu with your ICS username and the course(s) you are enrolled in. If you are adding an ICS course but have not enrolled in it yet, email support after you are officially enrolled.

Q: How do I change my password for ELMS?

To change your password, log into ELMS. On the left-hand side, you will see a link called "My Profile". Select that and it will bring up a webpage with various options, one of which is changing your password.

Q: I lost my login/password for ELMS. Can you remind me what they are?

Your login/username is your ICS email account (ie. username@ics.uci.edu). To get your password sent to your ICS email account, go to the e-academy website and click on "Log In". From there, you can click on "Forgot Password" and enter your login/username to get the password sent to you.

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 XP, 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 and you are currently taking at least one ICS course, email helpdesk@ics.uci.edu and state your reasons thoroughly for the request.