Volume Licensing Service Center — Installation Software for Any Version or Language

This page discusses the rules and procedures for downloading or ordering installation software using the Volume Licensing Service Center.

What Software Is Available?

Through the VLSC, you can obtain and install any available version or language for your product, as long as the total number of installations does not exceed the number of licenses you obtained through TechSoup. For example, if your TechSoup request included 20 copies of the English version of Windows Vista Upgrade with Service Pack 1, you could install two copies of this product, two copies of the product with Service Pack 2, two copies each of Windows 7 Professional Upgrade in English, Spanish, French, Russian, and Chinese, and six copies of Windows XP Professional with Service Pack 3 — for a total of 20 installations.

Office Multi-Language Packs are made available as a Software Assurance benefit to organizations that acquired Windows versions of Office products through TechSoup.

After a product has been released for a while, Microsoft usually releases service packs or revision updates. Products that have the updates included have indications such as SP1, SP2, or R2 in their names. If your computers have the appropriate system requirements, you should usually download the one with the most recent date in the Release Date column.

The VLSC always keeps the current and previous version of any product on the site. It is sometimes, but not always, possible to obtain earlier versions as well.

Some software is not available through the VLSC but is available through Microsoft's fulfillment center. To see a list, sign into the VLSC and choose Downloads > Products Not Available. If your product is on this list, follow the instructions in Ordering Software by Phone or Fax.

If you see products that you do not recognize in the download list, consult the product use rights (PUR, also called terms of use) for the specific product to understand whether it is available to you. For details, see the Product Use Rights section of Volume Licensing Service Center — Differences from Retail Products.

Download Versus Disc Format

Most products are available both in download and disc format. Downloads are available at no cost; there is a charge to have discs shipped to you.

Before You Start

To download or order installation software, you must either be the administrator or have permission to perform the Download role. See Volume Licensing Service Center — Maintaining Your Account.

Downloading Installation Software

1. Sign into the VLSC.
2. Choose Downloads > Licensed Downloads. The Licensed Downloads page appears, showing all products in your donation, grouped by families.
3. Find the specific product you want to download.
4. Click the product name to display the Download Settings page.
5. Select your language, operating system type if applicable (32-bit or 64-bit), and connection speed and click Continue Download. The Confirm Settings and Download page appears, showing the settings you selected along with the size of the download and the estimated time.
6. Click Download under your preferred download method. You can use either Microsoft's recommended download manager or your web browser for the download operation. If you choose the download manager and it has never been installed on this computer, you will be prompted to install it. To see information about these options, choose Help from the menu bar.
7. The Save As dialog box appears. Specify your location and click Save to start the download. Repeat as needed for other download files.

   If you are using the download manager, the application opens, and the download begins. The download manager displays the progress and status at the top of the window.

   You can click Pause at any time to pause the download operation. You can restart the download manager and click Resume at a later time.

For server products that require setup codes for installation, the codes appear on the VLSC download page after download is complete.

Using Downloaded Files

The files downloaded from the VLSC have the file extension .iso. An ISO file is an image of a CD or DVD. An ISO file downloaded from the VLSC is a copy of the installation CD or DVD. You can use the ISO files you download in these ways:

• If you have software for burning or creating CDs or DVDs, you can burn an ISO image file to disc and use it as you would any installation disc. The software will have commands or help topics like: create disc using image; disc copy; burn image.
• If you have the software to access the contents of ZIP or CAB files, you can also open the ISO file and copy its contents to a computer.
• Finally, you can virtually mount and access an ISO file as a device.

Ordering Installation CDs or DVDs

The term for the installation software on CD or DVD is "media kit." Media kits are $25 each. You can order up to 10 copies of each media kit.

1. Follow steps 1 through 4 of Downloading Installation Software.
2. On the Download Settings page, select the language you want and operating system type, if applicable. A link to purchase the media kit appears next to the Continue Download button.
3. Click Purchase the media kit version and follow the prompts to complete the order process.

Ordering Software by Phone or Fax

You can call Microsoft's fulfillment center at (800) 336-0098 or contact them by fax at (800) 554-8281. They will need the agreement license and authorization numbers from the TechSoup fulfillment email or the TechSoup Order Status page. The shipping and handling fee is $2 more, or $27, if the order is placed by phone or fax.

Note: The fulfillment center processes orders only from the United States, Canada, and U.S. territories. To locate the contact for ordering software from another region, choose Help from the VLSC menu bar and click Contact Us at the bottom of the page. On the map, click your continent and then select your country from the drop-down list.