Student-Owned Computing: Microsoft Azure

What is Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching?

Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching (formerly named Microsoft Imagine and Microsoft DreamSpark) is a program through which students can download and install many Microsoft products, including Windows, free of charge.

Who is eligible?

Students and faculty are eligible to use the software offered by Microsoft Azure Dev Tools for Teaching.

Staff are not eligible, with the exception of IT staff, only for purposes of testing in the support of eligible faculty and students. Staff who wish to use Project and/or Visio must purchase a license; more information is available at the OIT Software page for Project and Visio.

What software is included?

Microsoft decides which software is available through Azure; in general, they provide operating systems (Windows) and professional developer and coding software. Other software like Visio and Project are also available. What you see once you are logged in is what you have access to download.

Microsoft Office is not offered through this service, though it is available through office365.ncsu.edu.

How do I download?

  1. Once you have successfully logged in, click Software in the menu on the left side of the screen (under Learning resources).
  2. Find and select the software you’d like to download. Click on the software name.
  3. A menu will pop up on the right side. Click View Key. A key will appear, generally as five groups of five letters, like
    ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXY
    Save this key somewhere safe, as you will need it to activate the software.
  4. Click Generate URL. This will generate a custom URL that you can use to download the software installer itself. Copy that address into your browser  to download the software.

Don’t forget the serial!

You’ll need to make note of the serial number that is supplied on the checkout page. It will generally be five groups of five letters, like

     ABCDE-FGHIJ-KLMNO-PQRST-UVWXY

It’s a good idea to copy and paste it somewhere convenient, like in a simple text file, until you need it. This serial will be unique to you, and you’ll need it when installing Windows.

If you need to refer to it later, you can log into your Microsoft Azure account and view your past orders, where the serial will be shown.