Need some advice regarding TechNet

[KazeNoKoe23]

My friend/roommate and I are both using Windows 7 build 7201 x64 and we both love it. We definitely want to buy Windows 7 when it's complete, but neither of us are exactly raking in the cash. My question is, is it more feasible to buy a 1 year TechNet subscription for $350 ($175 each) and download Windows 7 from there after it RTM's? It's not that we mind waiting until October for it, but the cost of buying 2 copies of Windows 7 (we both would prefer Professional) off the shelf would probably exceed the $350 of buying a TechNet subscription. We're aware of the pre-orders and the cheaper cost of the upgrades but we don't really want to go the "upgrade" route. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

[Webadict]

I don't see why you would mind going for the "Upgrade", after all, it still allows you to perform a clean install.

As far as the Technet subscription goes, I don't think they allow you to "Share" a subscription.

Hope this helps

Scott

 

[XGUNTHERC]

technet is currently on sale for $249.99 with coupon code TEYFY09.. but it might have expired on the 3rd.

 

[wguimb]

Dude, there is no question about it in my mind. Go for Technet. You'll be so glad you did.

Get one Technet subscription, you can then legally install Windows 7 or anything else that Microsoft makes on up to 10 computer systems. You get the real keys and support. You can't beat it.

 

[Lordbob75]

KazeNoKoe, this is a delicate line. Sorta.

TechNet DOES NOT ALLOW SHARED SUBS.

HOWEVER: One of you could buy it and install it on the other computer for more testing. M$ would neither know, nor care a lot. I am not recommending this, nor telling you to do it. But it is an option.


~Lordbob

 

[Razzen]

Dude, there is no question about it in my mind. Go for Technet. You'll be so glad you did.

Get one Technet subscription, you can then legally install Windows 7 or anything else that Microsoft makes on up to 10 computer systems. You get the real keys and support. You can't beat it.

Whoa.. that made me very very tented to go for it...

 

[segobi]

If you still go to university / college you should use MSDNAA. It offers everything for free while you are still studying.
However you can not use the technet serials / activations in productive environments. Its also only for testing stuff. Why not make use of the cheap preorder offers ?
Otherwise than that you would also wait some time until there are more ways to get a free technet subscriptions. Usually a few times per years its somehow possible to get one for free... had free subs for the last 3 years...

 

[SeVeNrOxS]

Yeah ,just buy the technet Subscription on one of your name.And done

MS doesn't care from where u bring money to buy subs

Hope,I'm Not wrong.

SeVeNrOxS

 

[SeVeNrOxS]

Otherwise than that you would also wait some time until there are more ways to get a free technet subscriptions. Usually a few times per years its somehow possible to get one for free... had free subs for the last 3 years...

It will be great if you share info with us when u find free subs of Technet .

 

[Lordbob75]

If you still go to university / college you should use MSDNAA. It offers everything for free while you are still studying.
However you can not use the technet serials / activations in productive environments. Its also only for testing stuff. Why not make use of the cheap preorder offers ?
Otherwise than that you would also wait some time until there are more ways to get a free technet subscriptions. Usually a few times per years its somehow possible to get one for free... had free subs for the last 3 years...

Yes it is for testing. A lot of the people here who are like me are CONSTANTLY tinkering with their computers. As far as I (we?) am concerned, this is testing.
And for $350, you can get access to (almost) EVERY M$ PRODUCT. Yeah, you heard that right. Seven, Vista, XP, Office 2000 - 2010, etc. Its all there. The only things they don't have are Windows 3.1, and NT, as well as some early things. Of course, its all for testing. But thats what we do.

Its a good deal. Again, not telling you what you should do, just what could be done.

~Lordbob

 

[Lordbob75]

It will be great if you share info with us when u find free subs of Technet .

These are usually contained offers for IT Pros that they want business from their companies. I don't think the average tech enthusiast can get them. (No matter how much we love M$)

~Lordbob

 

[Airbot]

You also won't get Visual Studio, or Vista Business, or Expression Web thru the Technet Plus sub, to name a couple. But for Win 7 and Office 2010 when it comes out, well worth it IMO too.

 

[KazeNoKoe23]

Thanks for all the advice, guys! I think we'll take the plunge after reading your suggestions.

 

[segobi]

but not if you give away the serial etc. (you get up to 10 serials per product on technet! or more) or sell them thats illegal. So again technet is not meant for cheap asses who spend $350 and get every MS product for free including multiple licenses/keys... its all for testing.. mostly for devs or the it dept. of companies. Use these licenses on your every day machines on your own risk! trying to sell these keys may end up in being banned, sued by MS and your customer..

 

[DataMan47]

The only things they don't have are Windows 3.1

They do have that. Along with MS-DOS.

you can then legally install Windows 7 or anything else that Microsoft makes on up to 10 computer systems

If by "legally", you mean that you pass WGA and stuff, yes. If by "legally" you mean that it's actually legal, no, it's not; strictly speaking, using TechNet in that way is piracy because the terms of the license strictly prohibit you from doing anything other than evaluation and testing. Of course, Microsoft doesn't enforce any of this... for now (just like how even though they don't crack down on leaked evaluation builds of Windows, it doesn't make it technically right in a court of law if you ever happen to be sued).

 

[copernicus]

Something tells me MS is gonna start changing their terms of technet accounts soon...

A lot of the people here who are like me are CONSTANTLY tinkering with their computers. As far as I (we?) am concerned, this is testing.

lol

 

[Lordbob75]

Something tells me MS is gonna start changing their terms of technet accounts soon...


lol

But that is testing. Would you not agree? M$ would not want to give up a big source of revenue (people like me). As far as I am concerned, I am doing exactly what the terms say I can use it for.

And KazeNoKoe, hope you like it. TechNet gets things early as well I believe. As said above, just don't sell or give away the keys. Use them for testing among your own computers, and you will be fine.

~Lordbob

 

[DataMan47]

But that is testing. Would you not agree? M$ would not want to give up a big source of revenue (people like me). As far as I am concerned, I am doing exactly what the terms say I can use it for.

And KazeNoKoe, hope you like it. TechNet gets things early as well I believe. As said above, just don't sell or give away the keys. Use them for testing among your own computers, and you will be fine.

~Lordbob

Microsoft could easily make the TechNet keys time-limited (e.g., automatically invalidated by the activation/WGA servers after one year) or they could have the activation/WGA servers invalidate the keys when the account expires (so that if you do use TechNet as a way to "buy" Windows, at least you're forking over the $250 each year). Nowhere in the agreement did they say that the keys had to be perpetual (it just happens to be that way right now), and since the key are supposed to be used only for testing, Microsoft could say (fairly truthfully) that such a policy change would have no significant impact on legitimate TechNet users. If Microsoft ever got serious about TechNet piracy, they easily implement these changes.

I just don't like the idea of that Damocles Sword hanging over my head.

 

[KazeNoKoe23]

but not if you give away the serial etc. (you get up to 10 serials per product on technet! or more) or sell them thats illegal. So again technet is not meant for cheap asses who spend $350 and get every MS product for free including multiple licenses/keys... its all for testing.. mostly for devs or the it dept. of companies. Use these licenses on your every day machines on your own risk! trying to sell these keys may end up in being banned, sued by MS and your customer..

There was never any intent to use any keys other than for personal use on our home machines. Selling "legit" keys to someone else who wanted 7 so we could, say, make up the money we spent on TechNet was never a consideration. I could really care less about generating XP or Vista keys as neither of us use those OS's anymore. Windows 7 is the primary reason we want a TechNet subscription. If some software is released on TechNet in say 6-9 months that I would like to test, then that's another reason to have it, but there's definitely no intention of using it to profit off generating legit Windows keys and selling them to other people.

Also, I have another question. Even on the Canadian page, it lists the cost of the subscription as $349 USD. Does that get automatically converted to Canadian dollars so it ends up as about $400 CAD? Or is it $349 CAD as well? If any Canadians here have bought the TechNet subscription, could you let me know? Thanks.