Microsoft Ultimate Steal for University - Office $64 / Vista Ult Upgrade $70

[AndrewRFD]

Posted this to the front page over the weekend. Thanks for sharing, xaueious.

[Zinsane]

Is there some kind of rule that you can install more than once?
I'd think it'd be pretty ******** if you have to re-format your computer due to technical issues and be not allowed to install Office 2007 again =\

You can only buy 1 license per product. So I don't think you can install on multiple machines. Only way to know is to actually try it on multiple machines when you do buy it.

from the site:

Purchase Limitations:
Eligible students may purchase up to three licenses, but no more than one license from each of the three sections above per valid e-mail address or billing address.

[calluses]

University of Waterloo will also get Vista Business free under MSDNAA

i got one...but not exactly "free"...

there was a $25 media (DVD) cost PLUS shipping cost. when i ordered, the only method of shipping available for canada was through DHL express...so there went $30 or so. all in all, it came out to $59 on my credit card bill somehow. that's still much cheaper than OEM...but in the end, i went out and got home premium 64bit edition because i'm running with 8gb of ram. the msdn site didn't specify that it was only the 32bit version. moreover, it seems the serial is not eligible for a 64bit update? (has anyone tried?)


but now i see that there's a DOWNLOAD option...and there's a warning about it being 32bit. wish they had both the option and the warning a month ago

[johnyc]

What I do need to have to be able to upgrade to Vista ultimate? Where is the cheapest place to get it?

Could I upgrade from vista home that came with my lenovo notebook?
How about Win XP pro that came with my Dell notebook?

[Zinsane]

It doesn't actually cost anything.
You could've gone to the CHIP office and sign out the Vista DVD for one day (if you sign it out on Friday, you can return it on Monday, that's what I did) for free.
The purchase you made is an optional if you wanted a hard copy of the disk.
And I believe it's only 32-bit. I wouldn't even recommend 64-bit for Vista though, I heard a lot of software doesn't run properly on it.

Also, does anyone know if it's possible to download/save the file and NOT install it until a later time? Thanks.

i got one...but not exactly "free"...

there was a $25 media (DVD) cost PLUS shipping cost. when i ordered, the only method of shipping available for canada was through DHL express...so there went $30 or so. all in all, it came out to $59 on my credit card bill somehow. that's still much cheaper than OEM...but in the end, i went out and got home premium 64bit edition because i'm running with 8gb of ram. the msdn site didn't specify that it was only the 32bit version. moreover, it seems the serial is not eligible for a 64bit update? (has anyone tried?)


but now i see that there's a DOWNLOAD option...and there's a warning about it being 32bit. wish they had both the option and the warning a month ago

[FatIndian]

"And I believe it's only 32-bit. I wouldn't even recommend 64-bit for Vista though, I heard a lot of software doesn't run properly on it."

Any software that works on 32 bit Vista will work on 64 bit Vista. And nowadays, it's rare to find a manufacturer does not have mature 64 bit drivers for a device.

[calluses]

It doesn't actually cost anything.
You could've gone to the CHIP office and sign out the Vista DVD for one day (if you sign it out on Friday, you can return it on Monday, that's what I did) for free.
The purchase you made is an optional if you wanted a hard copy of the disk.
And I believe it's only 32-bit. I wouldn't even recommend 64-bit for Vista though, I heard a lot of software doesn't run properly on it.

Also, does anyone know if it's possible to download/save the file and NOT install it until a later time? Thanks.

well the thing is...i'm not physically in waterloo anymore. (my convo was back in june, but IST still recognizes my account somehow. i guess i'm still a student...my uwaterloo email still works) otherwise, going to CHIP would definitely make sense.

i'm using 64bit home premium right now and the only annoyance so far (specific to 64bit) is that it's hard to find drivers for hardware. a lot of companies have yet to release 64bit vista compatible drivers, and you'd have to google and hunt for the drivers. for example, if you got linksys networking gear...you'll have a lot of fun (sarcasm). if you got dlink, you'll still wanna hunt for the ATHEROS drivers even though dlink officially provides the drivers for 64bit vista.

the only software issue i've had so far is with bioshock. you get no sound in bioshock. the way to get around it is the right-click the executable and activate the option to run it in 32 bit xp compatibility mode. this is what you can do when there's a software issue...

you'll need 64bit for a rig with more than 4GB of RAM...so that was why i went with it.

[game_fanatic]

How does it work if I don't opt for the CD and I need to re-format my computer in the future?

[tim-bit]

How does it work if I don't opt for the CD and I need to re-format my computer in the future?

Just burn the install file you download to a CD/DVD. And don't lose it.

[Tornado F2]

Ummm not quite. We get vista BUSINESS free... still not bad though.

Does this apply for alumni too by any chance? I never got any software deals when I was at Skule.

[xaueious]

Microsoft is actually really kind with the whole activation thing.

I installed office on my laptop and my desktop, both activated over the net. A year later, I reactivated my office for my new laptop without issues (it resets). Else just call microsoft, and their overseas response center is really helpful.

[humayoon]

Microsoft is actually really kind with the whole activation thing.

I installed office on my laptop and my desktop, both activated over the net. A year later, I reactivated my office for my new laptop without issues (it resets). Else just call microsoft, and their overseas response center is really helpful.

Hahhaa

[onexeyed]

Question: I just graduated from university in June. My student account is still active (I was also a summer student too).

Can/Should I still purchase the Ultimate Steal? I know that if you get caught, you have to pay $800.

I'm not advocating pirating software, but did anyone purchase the Ultimate Steal last year even though they weren't a student?

[Anonymouse]

You have to be "actively enrolled in at least 0.5 courses", so I guess not.

[HockeyFan]

Question: I just graduated from university in June. My student account is still active (I was also a summer student too).

Can/Should I still purchase the Ultimate Steal? I know that if you get caught, you have to pay $800.

I'm not advocating pirating software, but did anyone purchase the Ultimate Steal last year even though they weren't a student?

They can ask you at any time to provide proof of enrollment in courses. If you don't provide it they charge your credit card. If it's charged up then I guess they go to a collection agency. lol

I don't think they ever check. Having the school email is good enough for them.