Subscriber Download Help

Downloading Products

You can access software and product keys from Subscriber Downloads. You can select a Product Family from one of the categories in the tree or use the Search box to expose product files for download, product keys, and instructions in the main content area. 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. Items appear grayed out and you will be unable to download them or view their product keys if:

• You are not signed in
• You are an active subscriber but not entitled to the desired products based on your subscription level
• You have purchased a subscription but still need to activate your subscription
• You are not an active subscriber
• The product or file you are looking for has legal or geopolitical restrictions on its availability
• You are trying to download using an unsupported browser or operating system.

You can expand the file Details section to see a list of all subscription levels that are entitled to that specific file

The following graphic shows sample information displayed for downloads when a user is signed in.

Understanding the Columns:

1. Name - This contains the friendly name for the file and it includes the editions that the file represents. The default sort is alphabetical, but you can click the column header to re-sort the list alphabetically (ascending or descending) if you have made other sorting or filtering adjustments.
2. Last Updated - the date that the file was last updated. The column heading can be clicked to sort the dates (ascending and descending).
3. Details Icon - click this to expand the file details to view File Name, Date Posted, SHA1 hash, ISO/CRC, File instructions and resources, and the list of all subscription levels that are entitled to this file.
4. Keys Icon - click this 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.
5. Download Icon with file size - click the icon to start the download. You can also sort this column by clicking the column header. This will group downloads based on whether you have access to them (grayed out vs. not grayed out) and allow you to promote the ones you have access to the top of the list.

Locating Product Files

The Product Family details have a number of product filter drop-downs. The filters will change depending on attributes of the product family.

Standard filters:

• Language – Language the product is available in
• Operating System/Architecture type – x86, x64, Itanium, not specified, etc.

Default values:

• Language filter will match the geodetected browser setting, otherwise English
• Operating System/Architecture - All Architectures

The Product Files displayed will update to reflect the filter settings that you select. You can adjust the filters to expand or narrow the Product Files list. The system will remember filter updates you make as you navigate around the site, and those filters will persist from session to session. For example, if you search for Vista files and select DVD and French language as filters for the product, and then you navigate to SQL Server via the tree or search – the list of files will be filtered initially for DVDs and French language, until you update filters again. These filters will also persist between sessions.

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.

1. The CRC305.exe tool can be downloaded from MSDN Subscriber Downloads in the Tools and Resources folder.
2. From a command prompt, run CRC305 filename (where filename is the image file name.)
3. 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.

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.

Other 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. Please visit the DVD Shipment page for a complete list of all discs currently included.
• 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.

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.

Multiple Subscriptions

Users with multiple subscriptions may see unexpected results when viewing available downloads. If you have multiple subscriptions and you want to switch between them, you must change the default by clicking the “Default” button after selecting a new one in the drop-down on the My Account page. Product and product key permissions are based on your “default” subscription.

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.

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.

Client Access Licenses for Terminal Services

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