MSDN FAQs

MSDN AA, or Microsoft Software Developers Network - Academic Alliance, is a subscription-based service by Microsoft that allows university programs and departments to provide access to Microsoft software, such as Microsoft Project, Microsoft Visio, Microsoft Excel, Windows Vista, server software, databases, and much more.

Only current faculty, staff, and students in the department or program that has a paid subscription to MSDN AA is permitted to download the Microsoft software. Students must currently be majors of the department or program or currently registered for classes offered within that department or program. Currently, only the MIS department and the MBA program are participating in MSDN AA.

http://msdn05.e-academy.com/arizona_mis

http://msdn03.e-academy.com/arizona_colbus

Yes, you should expect an email from " system_mail@e-academy.com". Below is a sample email, which will have your username (you university email), your password, and the download url. PLEASE SAVE THIS EMAIL!

From: User Import <system_mail@e-academy.com>
To: my_netid@email.arizona.edu
Subject: Welcome to MSDN Academic Alliance: Online Software System
Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2007 14:34:14 -0400

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

University of Arizona - MIS

ELMS for MSDNAA Software Center: This message has been generated
automatically from your ELMS. Please do not reply to this message
as you will not receive a response. Please click on the SUPPORT
link in your MSDNAA Online Software System for support contact
information on your campus.

***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** ***** *****

Hello,

Welcome! You have been registered in your university/college ELMS
for MSDNAA online software system. Here you can download and
access a wide range of Microsoft developer tools, servers, and
platforms. There is no charge to download the software as long
as you are an eligible user in the System.  
  
How Does it Work?

Your university/college is licensed under the MSDN Academic
Alliance Program which enables eligible students and faculty
members to access software available under the Program. e-academy
Inc., a partner of Microsoft, is providing ELMS for MSDNAA to you.
Simply log into the System using your username and password
included below and start browsing/ordering the software
available to you.  
  
Your MSDNAA Online Software System can be found at:
http://msdn05.e-academy.com/arizona_mis

Your username is : my_netid@email.arizona.edu
Your password is : MY_SECRET_PASSWORD

Technical Support

If you have any technical difficulties while downloading the
software, please go to the support section in the website and
click on Request Customer Support. Technical support is
provided by your MSDNAA Program Administrator at your school.  

General Information

If you have general questions about the MSDNAA Program, who
is eligible, general rules and regulations, etc., please go
to the support section in the website for contact information.

Please keep this e-mail for future reference, as you will
need your username and password in order access the online
software system.

Remember, by accessing the Microsoft software through this
system you are stating that you are authorized, and are
agreeing to comply with all usage guidelines.  

Sincerely,
ELMS for MSDNAA Staff
e-academy Inc.

To have your password resent to your email address, you can follow these steps:

1. Go to the URL for the subscribing department/program:
   • For MIS: http://msdn05.e-academy.com/arizona_mis
   • For MBA: http://msdn03.e-academy.com/arizona_colbus

2. Click on the button on the left labeled called "Log In"

3. Click on the link to the right where it says:

   I've forgotten my password! Click here for a reminder

4. Enter your email address in the username text box.
   GENERALLY, THIS IS YOUR UNIVERSITY EMAIL ADDRESS.

5. Then click the "Submit" button.

Although the MSDN AA subscription includes some software products that are considered part of the Microsoft Office suite, such as Access, Visio, Project, etc, the subscription does not include the entire MS Office suite.

Products not included with the subscription are MS Word, MS Excel, MS Powerpoint, andMS Publisher. To find out which Microsoft software products are included, see the next question.

Generally speaking, the Microsoft software available from the download website are the most commonly requested products. You can search the entire list of software included with the subscription by visiting the MSDN subscriptions search page (http://msdn.microsoft.com/subscriptions/index/Default.aspx). Be sure to set the subscription level to "MSDN Academic Alliance".

If you would like to obtain a Microsoft software product that is not already available from the download website but is listed for MSDN Academic Alliance, please send your request to ecomsupport@listserv.arizona.edu. You may need to stop by the lab to obtain a copy of the software. Due to limited resources, special software requests may take time to process.

You can retrieve previously downloaded product keys using the following steps:

1. Login to your e-academy.com/MSDN AA account
2. Click on the "My Profile" button on the left
3. Click on the "My Software" link, which will take you to a page listing all the products you've previously downloaded
4. Find the product whose key you want to retrieve, and click on the corresponding "Download" link
5. The product key/serial number, if any, will be listed on the resulting page (note: you can also re-download from the product from this page as well)

Unfortunately, Microsoft only supports the downloads to Windows machines (hmmm...). This ironically includes the download for Virtual PC for the Mac. There are a couple of options:

• Download the software on another Windows machine, such as your friend's or family's, and then copy/burn/transfer the software to your Mac

• Make an appointment or stop by the Hoffman E-Commerce Lab (McClelland Hall, Rm 218)to make a copy of the software to a CD/DVD that you bring. If you plan to download multiple software, then you will most likely need to bring multiple CDs/DVDs