Students registered for CIS, CS and some CAS classes are eligible to use the Microsoft DreamSpark® site to download selected Microsoft software. The system is only available while a term is in session. Students not registered for CIS, CS or eligible CAS classes during the current term cannot logon to the system, download software, re-download software, or get replacement program IDs.
The Microsoft DreamSpark® system changed during Spring Term, 2011. Any software downloaded prior to this time is unknown to the system and replacement product keys cannot be issued for it. If you have lost your product key, you will either need to purchase a commercial version of the software, or if you are an eligible student, download the software again.
NOTE: DreamSpark® is a Microsoft offering. For best results with the download process, it is best to use the Microsoft Internet Explorer.
DreamSpark Logon URL: http://pccdreamspark.onthehub.com
The Sign In screen should appear similar to what is shown below. Once username and password are entered into the corresponding fields, the Sign In button is clicked. You would click the Register button, if you need to complete your registration of DreamSpark®. Please refer to the information below for previous and new users.
If you were previously registered for the predecessor MSDN AA system or DreamSpark® system, you should be able to use your existing username and password. Enter your username in the Username field and your password in the Password field. Then click the Sign In button.
If you are new to Microsoft DreamSpark®, your logon information should have been sent to your pcc.edu email address during the first week of the term. Your Username will be your pcc.edu email address. Your Password will be given to you in the email or you will create your own password when you register for Microsoft DreamSpark® (see below).
Enter your pcc.edu email address in the Username field
Enter your Password in the Password field
If you are new to the DreamSpark system and your Username and Password are not accepted, you will likely need to complete your registraton by clicking the Register button before you Sign In. See the next section on Microsoft DreamSpark® Registration.
To complete your registration of the DreamSpark® system, while still on the Sign In screen, click the Register button. You will only need to register once.
You will be asked to verify your Username on the Verify Account screen. An example is shown below:
Enter your Username (usually your pcc.edu e-mail address) and click the Continue button. The Account Registration screen should open as shown below:
If you can't remember your password or can'f find the Email from Microsoft DreamSpark® that should have been sent to you during the first week of the term, at the Sign In screen, please click the Forgot your password? link which is below the Sign In button.
The Forgot Password screen, similar to that shown below, should open
Enter your username or pcc.edu email address in the Username field and then click the Submit button.
IMPORTANT: If you receive a notice that says the following, you have not completed your registration to the DreamSpark® system.
- Please note the following:
- It appears that your registration is not complete. Please confirm that you have typed your username
correctly; if so, click here to complete your registration.Click the click here link.
The Account Registration screen, as shown below, should open.
- Enter your username in the Username field (this is usually your pcc.edu email address) and your Email address in the Email Address field (this is also usually your pcc.edu email address but could be a different email address if you desire.
- In the Choose a Password field, enter a password that is at least 6 characters in length.
- In the Confirm Password field, re-enter your password.
- Click the Register button to complete your registration.
- If all is well, you are now registered for the DreamSpark® system and can signon to the system at the Sign In screen.
you are registered in the system. Check your pcc.edu email for a message from Microsoft DreamSpark® regarding the resetting your password.
you are NOT registered in the MSDN system and need to be added. Send the administrator an email message with the following:
After getting registered for Microsoft DreamSpark® and successfully logging on, you should see your Home screen that looks similar to what is shown below:
Important links are at the top of the screen:
Available DreamSpark® products are shown in the Microsoft Corporation panel. These products will vary depending on the category that is selected in the Categories panel.
Click on a Category in the Categories panel to narrow your search for Microsoft software. Categories are:
NOTE: The Microsoft DreamSpark® system does NOT include the Microsoft Office suite. Microsoft Access can be downloaded from the Microsoft DreamSpark® site.
If you don't see your program, try another category or use the Product Search field above the panels..
The following shows an example of downloading Microsoft Windows 7. All downloads should be similar to this.
On the Home page, click on the program that you want to download. For this example, we are clicking on Microsoft Windows 7.
Information pertaining to the product is presented. If there are multiple versions of the product, as there are with most Microsoft operating system choices, each will be shown. For Windows 7, two sections are shown: Microsoft Windows 7 Professional and Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 Debug/Checked Build. We want to select Microsoft Windows 7 Professional with Service Pack 1 32/64-bit (English) - DreamSpark or latest Windows 7 product. Both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions will be downloaded.
The Microsoft Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 Debug/Checked Build section contains products for Debugging and Checking. These are additions to the Windows 7 operating system and not the operating system itself.
Click the Add to Cart button associated with the program that you want to download. For this example, we are clicking the Add to Cart button for Microsoft Windows 7 Professional with Service Pack 1 32/64-bit (English) - DreamSpark product.
If you receive the following notice, the DreamSpark® system is likely telling you that you have already purchased (ordered) the software and it cannot be purchased (ordered) again. However, it can be downloaded again. To do so, see the DOWNLOAD ANOTHER COPY of SOFTWARE YOU HAVE ALREADY ORDERED section below.
For details see "Are you eligible" below:
If everything is ok, you should see the Your Cart screen similar to what is shown below. It shows the products that are in your cart and allows you to Remove, Continue Shopping or Check Out. For this example, we are selecting the Check Out option.:
Microsoft DreamSpark® EULA
Next, you will be presented with the Microsoft DreamSpark® EULA agreement. Read this and click the I Accept button to continue. You will not be able to download the software unless you Accept the agreement.
You may or may not be presented with a Messages screeen. If you are, please read the considerations for the software you are ordering. Click the Continue button to continue..
The Order screen presents a summary of the products you have ordered.
If all is well with your order, click the Proceed With Order button.
The Receipt window provides additional information about your DreamSpark® order.
IMPORTANT: The Receipt window includes your Product Key which will likely be needed when you install the program on your computer. Write this down along with the product name. If you do not write it down and need it later, it can be found by clicking the Your Account/Orders link near the top of most DreamSpark® screens.
To continue with your download, click the Start Download button.
Before you download any software to your PC, you need to download the Secure Download Manager program. This allows you to download any DreamSpark® software securely and only needs to be downloaded once (there may be updates in the future of which you would be notified of). If this is your first time downloading software through the DreamSpark® system, click the Download SDM button to download and Run the SDM program. Then follow the Setup Wizard instructions to install it on your PC. Remember: you only should need to download the SDM program ONCE.
If the SDM program does not run on your PC or downloads with an extension other than "exe", you have likely downloaded it with a browser other than Internet Explorer. In such case, save the SDM program to your hard drive, change the extension so that it is exe, then run the program.
Once the SDM program is downloaded, click the Download .SDX button to download your software. A small sdk file will download to your PC. Once downloaded, click on it to open the Download Your Software screen which summarizes your product(s), shows your order number, order date, and location of your download. To proceed with the download, click the Start Download button.
If you need Help, click the ? Need Help? button..
The screen will change to show that the download has started. A status bar shows the status of the download. bar.
Make sure that you note the folder in which the program is being downloaded to.
When the download is complete, your screen will display a launch button.
If you click on the Launch button, Windows Explorer will open to the folder that contains your downloaded program iso file.
In the Microsoft DreamSpark® system, you are only allowed to ORDER a software program once. However, a software program can be downloaded more than once. To re-download a software program do the following:
An ISO file is a disk image file that needs to be burned to a CD or DVD before it can be installed. This file cannot be burned to a CD or DVD with any old burning or copying program, it has to be burned with a program that will burn ISO files to CDs or DVDs. You also have to have a writable CD or DVD Drive to be able to do this. A program that will do this and which is OpenSource and free to download from the Internet is Active@ ISO Burner:
Instructions on how to use the Active@ ISO burner can be found at:
Once you have the ISO(s) file burned to a CD, you would start the install of the product from the CD. NOTE: If your ISO file is a CD ISO image, you will need to burn the file to a CD; if it is a DVD image, you will need to burn the file to a DVD.
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BURN ISO FILE TO A VIRTUAL CD/DVD
If you do not have a CD or DVD burner, you could create a virtual CD/DVD drive on your harddrive, load the ISO file to this virtual drive and install the program from there. There are several programs available on the Internet that will create virtual CDs or DVDs, some free and some commercial.An open source version that works well is Daemon Tools Lite. Daemon Tools Lite is free to download; Daemon Tools is commercial so be sure to download Daemon Tools Lite. Check the following site:
The only support provided by the administrators of the system is:
- Adding eligible users to the Microsoft DreamSpark® system
- Issuing additional program downloads to eligible users
- Issuing new product keys for programs installed after Spring, 2011 and to eligible users
If you have an Microsoft DreamSpark® user logon and have forgotten your password, at the logon page, click the "Forgot your password?" link and refer to the instructions above under Forgot Password.
Click the Help link at the top of each Microsoft DreamSpark® screen for additional help.
Installation and usage support is not provided by the administrators of the Microsoft DreamSpark® system for any of the programs provided in the Microsoft DreamSpark® system. Contact your instructor who is requiring the Microsoft programs in their class for this assistance.
Programs listed for burning ISO files to CD/DVD or for creating Virtual CDs/DVDs are listed for informational purposes only and are not supported. Contact your instructor for assistance.
