How much does it cost to learn today? We all know that between books, tuition, etc., it gets pretty expensive. Well, Microsoft will give you a hand through DreamSpark. DreamSpark is a program about giving students and educators, Microsoft professional tools around the world for free to advance their learning and skills.
You can choose from:
- Visual Studio 2010 Professional
- Windows Server 2008 Professional Edition
- Microsoft Expression Studio 4
- Xna, Game Studio 3.1
- Microsoft Virtual PC
- Windows Embedded CE 6.0
- Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition
- Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition
- Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition
- Windows phone
- Visual Studio 2010 Express
- Windows Server 2008 Standard
- SQL Server 2008 Developer
- Microsoft Developer Studio 2008 R3
- Microsoft MultiPoint
- Visual C# 2008 Express Edition
- Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
- Windows Server 2003
Requirements
High Schools, Vocational and Trade Schools, Community Colleges, and Universities are all eligible to participate in the DreamSpark program. Simply, any accredited school around the world is eligible.
How do I sign up?
1- Go to DreamSpark website and select the product that you are interested in.
2- Click “Sign in”. You will need to sign in with your Windows Live ID; don’t worry if you don’t have one , you will be redirected to the Windows Live “Sign up” page.
3- Once you have created an account or singed in with the one you already have, you will be redirected to the previous page where you selected the product, then Click “Get Verified”
4- The Get Verified With DreamSpark form will load, answer the questions and follow carefully all the instructions. Important! You also are going to need your [email protected] email address.
5- Select the software product, language, and Click “Download”
That’s all you need! Once you are verified you don’t have to do all over again to download other products, next time just login, select the Microsoft software product that you want and download.
To download the DreamSpark products, Microsoft by default will use a Akamai Download Manager which runs as an ActiveX Control in Internet Explorer, or as Java applet in other browsers.
The DreamSpark products that you download will be in form of ISO format that you can easily burn to a disc or mount it to your computer using special software like Alcohol 52%, MagicDisk; etc.
Conclusion
Today there is a great demand for people with technical skills; and this is a great opportunity that, as a student, you shouldn’t pass. Get your hands on professional tools that can give you real hands on experience and boost your career.
There are a variety of products to choose from with DreamSpark program; get verified, download the products that you are interested, and start learning and creating. There’s always going to be room for one more idea.
Note: These products are free, but you cannot use them for commercial purposes.
Please leave a comment if this was informative to you. Thanks!
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].