Subscriber Download Help

You can access software and product keys from Subscriber Downloads. Start by browsing or searching the product tree, and select files for download, product keys, and instructions in the main content pane. You can also use the My Product Keys link at the top of the page to see or claim product keys.

The list of software downloads is visible to everyone. If you’re not signed in you will see a link to sign in.

If you do not have access to download a product you will see the word Unavailable in place of a Download link.

If you mouse over Unavailable the hover text explains why you don’t have access to the file. Files are unavailable if:

You are an active subscriber but not entitled to download the product based on your subscription level
You have purchased a subscription but still need to activate your subscription
You are no longer an active subscriber
The product or file you are looking for has legal or geopolitical restrictions on its availability

Understanding the Columns:

Name - The friendly file name specifies the included product editions, architecture, languages, and any other special attributes that make the file unique.
Example:"Windows Server 2008 Datacenter, Enterprise, and Standard with Service Pack 2 Checked Build (x64) - DVD (English)"
- Product - Windows Server 2008
- Editions included - Datacenter, Enterprise, and Standard
- Service Pack - “with” means this is the full product including Service Pack 2. If “with” was not included, this would be only the service pack
- Special build - Debug/Checked Build (only used for development)
- Architecture - x64
- Image type - DVD indicates the file is a DVD ISO Image
- Language - English
Published - The date that the file was published. By default files are sorted with the most recently published at the top.
Details - Click View to expand the file details to view File Name, Date Published, Last Updated, SHA1 hash, ISO/CRC, file instructions and resources, and the list of all subscription levels that are entitled to this file.
Keys - Click View to expand the keys area and display the keys available to you for this product, whether you have claimed them or not. You can claim them using the Get link.
Download - Click Download to start downloading the file. For more information on downloading files, read File Transfer Manager Help.

Locating Product Files

My Products - The My Products filter below Search enables you to display only the files you have access to download.If the box is checked, no Unavailable files will be displayed.
Languages - Displays only files in the selected language.
Architecture - Displays only files in the selected architecture (32-bit, 64-bit, Itanium, or Macintosh).

The files displayed will update to reflect your filter selections. The system will remember your filter selection as you navigate around the site. For example, if you search for Windows 7 files and select 32-bit and French as filters for the product list, and then navigate to SQL Server, the list of files will be filtered initially for 32-bit architecture and French language. Your filter preferences will persist between visits to Subscriber Downloads.

Using ISO Image Files

Many products are posted as ISO-9660 image files. An ISO-9660 image file is an exact representation of a CD or DVD, including the content and the logical format. The most common use of an image file is to write it to a blank CD-R or DVD-R, resulting in an identical copy of the original disc including file name and volume label information. ISO image files may also be opened and their contents copied to a local folder, much like ZIP files. ISO files may also be virtually mounted and accessed as a device. These three methods of using ISO images are described below. Note: you may have to rename the file extension from .IMG or .UDF to .ISO, depending on your software.

Writing ISO files to CD-R or DVD-R

Most CD-R/DVD-R writing software includes a feature to create a disc from an image file. Note: you must use the special "copy image to CD" or "burn image" functionality. See your software’s Help for detailed information.

Writing ISO images to CD-Rs and DVD-Rs

The Windows Server 2003 Resource Kit includes the DVDBURN.EXE command line tool. Though it has not been tested by Microsoft, many customers also report success using ISO Recorder.

Testing CD-Rs and DVD-Rs
After a CD/DVD-R has been written, you can use the CRC tool to verify that the process was successful.

The CRC305.exe tool can be downloaded from MSDN Subscriber Downloads in the Tools and Resources folder.
From a command prompt, run CRC305 filename (where filename is the image file name.)
Run CRC305 x: (where x is the drive letter of the drive containing the CD/DVD-R). The CRC values should match.

Alternatively, there are many freeware programs available for calculating an SHA-1 hash value that is provided on each download page on MSDN Subscriber Downloads. Use your favorite Internet search engine to look for sha1 hash to find them.

Accessing ISO images via Virtual Drives
Certain tools exist which create a virtual disc drive on your PC and mount an ISO image on that drive. These tools typically assign a new drive letter to this drive, and the contents of the image can be accessed by opening “My Computer” and double clicking on the new drive.

Though they have not been tested nor are supported by the Subscriptions team, customers report that Daemon Tools offers such capability as well as Microsoft Virtual CD Control Tool.

Other products like IsoBuster and WinRar can access the contents of ISO images directly and verify ISO files, but also have not been tested nor are supported by the Subscriptions team.

Client Access Licenses for Terminal Services

MSDN subscriptions include client access licenses for Terminal Services. Follow these instructions to install client access licenses.

Products Unavailable to Subscribers

A product might be unavailable for several reasons:

The product is not included in Subscriptions. Some Microsoft products are not included in Subscriptions due to special licensing terms, technical restrictions, or developer relevance. If you would like to request a product be added to the subscription, please send email to your MSDN Customer Service Center.
The product is publicly available. Some tools, SDKs, DDKs, and service packs are publicly available from the Microsoft Download Center. Some such products may not be published to MSDN Subscriber Downloads.
The product has not yet released. Many pre-release (beta) versions and release candidates are available from Subscriber Downloads. However, not all betas can be included. Some betas require special registration or eligibility. For more information about open technical beta programs, please visit Microsoft Connect.

Products Unavailable due to Java-related Settlement

Some products have been removed from Subscriber Downloads due to the terms of Java-related settlements Microsoft made with Sun Microsystems. These products are no longer available from Microsoft in any form, but may be available through third-party resellers or Web sites.

These include (although not necessarily a comprehensive list): Internet Explorer 5.5, Map Point 2002, Office 2000, Outlook 2000, Project 2000, eMbedded Visual Tools 3.0, Visual Basic (Alpha Systems), Visual Studio 6 MSDE, Visual Studio 6.0, Windows 98, Windows NT 4.0, Back Office Server 2000, SQL Server 7, IIS 6.0, Office XP Developer, Visio 2000, Exchange Server 2000, Exchange Server 5.5, FrontPage 2000 Server Extensions, Handheld PC 2000 SDK, Infrared Communications for Windows 95 DDK, ISA Server 2000, MapPoint 2002, Office 2000, Office 97, Plus! 98, Project 2000, Site Server 3.0, Small Business Server 2000, SNA Server 4.0 Service Pack 3 & Service Pack 4, SQL Server 7.0, System Management Server 2.0, System Stress for Windows 2000, System Stress for Windows NT 4.0, Visio 2000, Visual Basic 5.0, Visual C++ (Alpha Systems), Visual FoxPro 6.0, Visual SourceSafe 6.0c & 6.0d, Visual Studio 6.0, Windows 2000 DDK, Windows 2000 Professional, Windows 2000 Server, Windows 98, Windows 98 DDK, Windows CE SDKs & DDKs, Windows CE Toolkit for Visual C++ 6.0, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0, Windows NT 4.0 DDK, Windows XP (32bit) SR2 Checked/Debug Build.

Unavailability of Office 2003 Enterprise/Professional in the United States and its territories

Starting on January 9, 2010, MSDN subscribers in the countries/territories listed below may not download Office 2003 Enterprise/Professional. At this time, we do not have a date for when this restriction will be removed.

United States of America
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Territory of Guam
Territory of American Samoa
United States Virgin Islands
United States Minor Outlying Islands

Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003: MSDN subscriptions do not include Microsoft Windows Storage Server 2003. Windows Storage Server is not extensible, and is available pre-installed by Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) only.

Windows Preinstallation Environment: Windows PE is available via several channels. MSDN subscriptions include the Windows AIK, and Windows PE is one of the tools in that kit. Any product that uses Windows PE from the WAIK must include the WAIK when redistributed. Windows PE can be licensed on a royalty basis by qualified independent software and hardware vendors (ISVs and IHVs) for software products that uses Windows PE for preinstallation, diagnostics, or recovery. To learn more about licensing and availability for ISVs and IHVs, please send email to licwinpe@microsoft.com that includes a contact name, company name, address, telephone number, and a brief description of the intended development plans using Windows PE. Please send only licensing questions; general inquiries cannot be fielded. Please send email to askwinpe@microsoft.com for general inquiries.

Microsoft Class Server: MSDN Subscriptions and MSDN Academic Alliance do not include Microsoft Class Server. Please visit Microsoft Education for evaluation and purchase information.

Restricted Product Versions

K and KN versions of Microsoft Operating Systems (like Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7) are intended for distribution solely to customers in the Republic of Korea. Additional restrictions and details can be found in the impacted product or file details.

N versions of Microsoft Operating Systems are generally comparable to the non-N versions except that the N versions do not contain Windows Media Player.

Retail vs. Volume Licensing Subscriptions

Generally speaking, we offer only the Retail version of a product to subscribers who purchased their subscription through a retail channel (direct from Microsoft or through a retail reseller), and we offer only the Volume Licensing version of a product to subscribers who purchased their subscription under a Volume Licensing agreement. There are cases where we only make Retail versions of a product available to both Retail and Volume Licensing subscribers, such as for the 2007 Office system or Windows Vista, or where the product is not available through Volume Licensing such as Visual Studio 2008 Standard. There are other cases where we only make the Volume Licensing version of the product available because it is not sold through the Retail channel, such as for Windows Server 2008 Datacenter Edition.