Students Can Get Windows 7 Pro for $19
There's a workaround where students can gain access to Windows 7 Professional for a measly $19.
Cybernet News has discovered a way for students to get Windows 7 Professional really, really dirt cheap. While consumers will be required to shell out up to $299.99 for a retail copy of the Professional version next month, students will only need to fork over a whopping $19. The catch is that high school and undergraduate students must prove a focus in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics in order to get the discount "cheat" to work.
The "cheat" in question actually applies to students who are not already enrolled in the MSDN Academic Alliance, a program for universities that grant access to "hundreds" of Microsoft products free of charge. Apparently, students can join the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) for the $19 pricetag instead. The ACM thus provides the entire MSDN-AA catalog, including both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 7 Professional in four languages. Ultimately, students will receive eight individual keys that work on all eight versions (32-bit and 64-bit for each language).
"This offer is technically for students taking STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) classes," reads this blog on Overclock.net. "They do not verify your information as of yet, but I cannot encourage you to lie in order to get access."
Windows 7 RTM was already introduced to students registered on Microsoft's MSDN-AA back on August 6th, 2009 when the company offered the OS to all MSDN and TechNet subscribers. However, according to the Overclock blog, students are experiencing problems downloading Windows 7 via MSDN-AA and ACM.
UPDATE: Recently I've received a few emails stating that the MDAA package for students no longer offers any version of Windows 7. "Please note: The Microsoft Developer Academic Alliance package offered to Student Members DOES NOT CONTAIN ANY VERSION OF Windows 7," says the company.
Get Tom's Hardware's best news and in-depth reviews, straight to your inbox.
Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
-
Dekasav I can get it from my college for dirt cheap (well, if it's like XP and Vista), but I'm legally supposed to remove that when I graduate, so this could be an excellent deal, regardless.Reply -
nneelix There has been a thread on Fatwallet and SlickDeals for over a month now regarding this. I might have pursued this option if I did not allready have a TechNet Plus subscription.Reply -
Spanky Deluxe In bold letters on the sign up page for the student membership:Reply
"The Microsoft Developer Academic Alliance package
DOES NOT contain Windows 7." -
It looks like this is no longer available through their student memberships, assuming the bit at the top of their online membership form stating "The Microsoft Developer Academic Alliance package DOES NOT contain Windows 7." is accurate. I found this at https://campus.acm.org/public/QuickJoin/qj_control.cfm?form_type=Student.Reply
-
acm membership director Dear Students,Reply
Please note that all Windows 7 products have been pulled from our Microsoft Developer AA package offered to ACM Student Members due to the very large influx of non-computing students and professionals.
There are two options if you want to get a hold of Windows 7:
First, if you are a technical student … go to the MSDN AA web site and see if your school or department is an MSDN AA member.
-- If they are, contact your department directly to get access.
-- If they are not, ask a faculty member in your department to get a subscription here.
Second, if you are any student … Microsoft announced today in the US that the Windows 7 is available for pre-order for $29 at http://www.win741.com/
Lillian Israel
ACM Director of Membership