Get the Student Discount for Windows 7–Even If You're Not a Student If you have an email address that ends in ".edu," even if it's an alumni account or you're no longer a student, you can use it to get the student discount when you purchase Windows. UPDATE I had read this as saying that Microsoft was defining "student" as "anyone with a .edu email address" in the interest of efficiency, expediency, or whatever. Turns out you do need to be an actual, current student, and if Microsoft verifies that you are using a .edu email as an alum or affiliate, you will have to reimburse them for the price difference. Sorry for the mistake. [Consumer Reports Electronics]
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Windows 7 rocks.
That is all.
You don't qualify if your not taking classes.
"You are enrolled in coursework, current proof or enrollment may be required in the United States."
They just aren't checking very well.
if you are not taking classes that is.
I am not an english major. :)
@Spin359: Apparently you don't know how it works around here sometimes:
Company putting one over on consumer = bad
Consumer putting one over on company = good
I got the student version, but they fail to mention (or at least make obvious) the fact that you don't get an image file with your purchase. Instead, you download an executable file that upgrades your OS. The problem is, if you're upgrading from XP (or from 32- to 64-bit), the executable won't work. I had to torrent an ISO to actually install the OS. Maybe they've fixed it now, but that was the cases as of Friday the 23rd.
That said, Windows 7 is pretty awesome. I loved XP and am glad I paid the $30 to move to 7.
I'm able to get Win 7 Ultimate from my school for $19
Items (All prices are in US Dollars)
----------------------------------------
1. Microsoft Windows 7 Ultimate Upgrade 32-bit (Student Option) - Mail Order
Quantity 1, Unit Cost $18.79, Amount $18.79
It sucks that I can't take advantage of this because my college email doesn't end in .edu!!!
Sounds like you're advocating fraud. Your mom should be proud. But searching the horrid MS sites for the terms of the deal is making my eyes bleed so a pox on MS.
I understand that if you have the Win7 Ultimate RC1 build, it's a huge PIA to install the student special. I suppose I could downgrade back to vista and then re-upgrade to the student deal...
Beware, beware, beware. If you took advantage of the Microsoft Ultimate Steal program to get Windows Vista Ultimate and are thinking of using the program again to upgrade to Win 7 [www.microsoft.com] BEWARE! Win 7 Pro cannot upgrade Windows Vista Ultimate. You must do a custom install which means a fresh install of Win 7 and re-installing all of your software. You can use a product such as Laplink's PC Mover Windows 7 Upgrade Assistant [www.amazon.com] to backup your applications and allow you to put them back after installing Win 7. Make sure you read the instructions!!!
Bottom line is that MS screwed over a lot of folks who bought Vista Ultimate and then got the Win 7 Pro upgrade.
Seriously? If you're willing to cheat and lie to get it cheaper, why not just download load it illegally for free?
@Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: And I wish to add - I'm a CURRENT student, not somebody who left college, so I'm not trying to game the system. I just wish I could get an upgrade but without an .edu account I can't. I guess they don't have .edu mails for Canadian students.
@Burzmali: I downloaded it late on Friday from the Digital River site and it was still only the executables. Trying to figure out how to burn a bootable DVD in a UDF compilation and haven't had luck yet (the version of Nero that I have won't burn a bootable UDF, and won't allow ISO 9660 files larger than 2GB). I spent the extra $13 for the hard media, but I'm impatient :P
@esd2020: The Genuine Advantage check doesn't tend to work on Cracked copies, nor will you get patches or service packs to work correctly.
I too can get Windows 7 Ultimate for ~US$20 through the university I work for, but I have no intention of doing so. I've got one legacy machine running Windows XP SP2, but all the others (five and counting) are running some version of Linux.
If you want a first class operating system, forget Microsoft and download a copy of Ubuntu. It's free and you can install it on as many computers as you'd like. Upgrades are seamless, you can ignore all the malware that infests Windows machines, and you're not locked into paying Microsoft every greater amounts of money every few years to maintain access your own files held captive in their proprietary formats.
@rbb: A clean install will always be more stable in the end. Besides, by doing a format and reinstall you are able to clean out the applications that you installed "just to try out" but no longer need.
@temporaryerror: Just backup your data and do a fresh install of the Win 7 upgrade from the media. If however you want to simply do an update from RC, check out the instructions here: [www.winsupersite.com]
@Rachacha: Actually, I should have included a link here [www.winsupersite.com] Which is the starting page for the series on upgrades and walks you through all possible scenarios.
@Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: according to there site if you do not have a .edu address you can go to this link [ms.bluehornet.com] and give them other forms of proof.
@Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: If you're attending a college that doesn't qualify for an edu address, then I think you have bigger problems to worry about.
I hope they didn't tell you those credits were transferable ...
I'd posit that one risks the safety of your immortal soul for all eternity for fibbing. Until I realized that for those choosing Windows, Bill Gates took that little trifle away long ago. (You do remember clicking OK on that one, don't you?)
@techstar25: Phew! Thankfully, Canadian universities stress reading comprehension so that at least their students won't make the same mistake that you just did...
@MarcoVincenzo: Your Windows complaints are greatly exaggerated and I'm writing this from a Linux machine. Software is the only thing that matters to most computer users and mainstream development just doesn't happen for linux.
@Laura Northrup: Well, I suppose that would depend on how quickly MS gets around to converting souls into Alf pogs. Remember Alf? He's back, in pog form!
@Scuba Steve: While this may be true for some poor copies online, it's not true for most of the ones available.
Turns out you do need to be an actual, current student, and if Microsoft verifies that you are using a .edu email as an alum or affiliate, you will have to reimburse them for the price difference
I call this a bogus threat. They can feel free to verify before the purchase but they're not entitled to any additional money if they fail to verify the information.
@Trai_Dep: Honestly, I'd be more worried about my pants spontaneously combusting than anything else.
@ecwis: Except that the click through agreement when you purchase states that you agree to "reimburse" them if you cannot prove you were a student when you bought the software.
I do not condone fraud, but there is no such agreement when you purchase by calling the Microsoft store.
@techstar25: What are you talking about? Many universities don't provide .edu email addresses simply because of the cost of providing email to their students. That, and many students already have an email account (maybe more than one) from any of the myriad web-based providers.
Finally, websites located in Canada end in a .ca, not.
@Whiskey Tango Foxtrot: You can petition to have your school added here: [windows7.digitalriver.com]
You might as well just pirate it if you're going to lie about your student status anyway. Don't kid yourself.
Apart from the fact that the OP was talking about a Canadian school, what you said isn't factual at all. Hopkins Med, which is the best med school in, I don't know, THE WORLD, gives its students email addys ending in jhmi.org. Other schools do this too.
Screw a discount, Windows 7 (and a majority of other Microsoft products) is completely free to many current engineering students via the MSDN Academic Alliance. No strings attached.
I'd do this (still a student as well), but I'll loose my Sims 2 game :-(
@Laura Northrup: Coming back to the fold is like buying Indulgences during the Middle Ages. You're safe as kittens. Err, hamsters.
To be perfectly legal and to get physical media, just buy the $50 upgrade license or buy a 3 license family pack for $150 and be done.
@Rachacha: I should correct myself, the $50 for a single license was after $70 rebate when you purchase a new computer from Staples. What sort of lame @$$ deal is that!?!?!
[mail.newzealand.edu] - Signup for a free @newzealand.edu email account
I'm slightly disturbed by the lack of encryption on the signup page, and i've never actually used the service.
They say that it can take up to 24 hours for account creation, part of the review process (another piece that i have no clue what it entails.)
YMMV, but it's the only .edu i know of that gives away email accounts.
Did Consumerist advocate fraud?
Whoa...
But that would be wrong....