Answers
[Top] How do I get access so I can download software?
Faculty should contact the local MSDNAA administrator to request access. A Southern Miss e-mail address is required. Students should contact the instructor for the course in which they need access to the MSDNAA software. Faculty will verify student enrollment and their Southern Miss e-mail addresses.
[Top] How do I get my students access so they can download software?
Faculty should compile a list of their students' Southern Miss e-mail addresses at the beginning of each semester and forward the text file to the local MSDNAA administrator. We are working on automating this process.
[Top] How long does it take to process my access request?
Access requests are not processed during the first week of the semester. Thereafter, requests are generally process within three days — one day for your instructor, one day for the administrator, and one day for ELMS.
[Top] Why haven't I received my username after waiting three days?
The ELMS system will send a username and password to your Southern Miss e-mail address - for NEW accounts only. You are responsible for checking this mail account or configuring it to forward mail to an account you use. The local MSDNAA administrator will process only Southern Miss e-mail address aliases hosted by Ocean (first.last@usm.edu) and discard all other e-mail addresses. If you do not receive your NEW account information within three days, contact your instructor. Account renewals do not receive any notification about their change of status - just try to login after the first week of class.
[Top] I downloaded a file from ELMS. Now what?
The small file (about 400 KB) you downloaded from ELMS is nothing more than an automated file transfer program. It points to the encrypted and compressed file on the local Southern Miss server. Execute the file to download, decrypt, and decompress the product. Before you download a product, check to see if you have sufficient room for both the product download and the extracted product. (Most downloads are around 500 MB. You need an additional 500 MB for the extracted file, for a total of 1.0 GB of free space.)
[Top] What is the difference between a "Product Key" and an "Activation Code?"
Product keys are required during the installation process. They are unique only to the product, not to the user. Product keys may be used repeatedly. (Generally, older products such as Visual Studio 6 and Windows 2000 use product keys.) Activation codes may be required during installation. They are unique to the product and to the user. Products using activation codes require the user to "activate" the product within 30 days or less. These products will not work after the time period, unless the product is activated. An activation key may be used only a limited number of times (typically two-to-three times). Thereafter, you must acquire a new activation key or call Microsoft technical support to request additional activations. (Eligible system users can contact the MSDNAA administrator for "Additional Downloads" (you need to download the product again) or "Additional Activation Keys" (you need a new, unique key for a new installation). Most Information Technology students will use 3-to-5 activation keys for the Windows desktop operating system and for the Windows network operating system.
[Top] What is the difference between a "Single User" and a "Volume License" product?
The products that are available to faculty and staff are "Single User" versions. Each download or installation of a SU product typically requires a unique product key or activation code. Some products are available to the MSDNAA administrator in Volume License versions and do not require activation. These are intended for lab use only and require manual tracking of installations. Volume license media, keys, and activation codes are not distributed to faculty or staff. The media and keys for single-user and volume-license versions are not compatible.
[Top] What is an SDC file?
The .SDC file format is a Secure Download Cabinet file. It is an encrypted and compressed file format for Internet delivery of the products. The product executable that is downloaded from ELMS decrypts and extracts the product. If you have an SDC file on your hard drive after downloading a product, the process has failed. Delete the SDC and try again. If it fails multiple times, contact the MSDNAA system administrator with incident details.
[Top] What is an ISO file?
The ISO files are images of the product CDs. Use a third-party CD-R utility to create a CD from an image file. The resulting CD will be an exact replica of the original and is bootable (assuming the original CD was bootable). Use of re-writable CD media (CD-RW) is not supported. Most third-party utilities use the logic New Data Project > From Image File , but some consider this process Backup > Restore > From Image File.
[Top] I downloaded Windows 2000 Professional and burned it to a CD-R, but it will not boot to install. Why?
Some products are offered in two versions. The ISO version, when restored to recordable CD media (CD-R), is bootable. The other version is extracted data (directories and files) and has all of the data from the CD except the boot sector. It is not bootable. Use of re-writable CD media (CD-RW) is not supported. Operating system products should be created using the .ISO image. Other products may be created from either the .ISO or from the extracted files.
[Top] How can I make the non-bootable Windows 2000 CD bootable?
Rumor has it you can download the boot sector files for Windows 2000, add the .bin to you source files, and burn the lot to a CD-R and it will be bootable. If you try this, please let me know if this works. The bin files are available by special access only for Windows 2000 Server or Windows 2000 Advanced Server. Contact the MSDNAA administrator if you need access. Use of re-writable CD media (CD-RW) is not supported.
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