If you can prove you are student by just having your school email address then you can download tons of bytes of free Microsoft 2008 software from Microsoft’s Dreamspark. This is the place MSFT gives free software for the students.

The current offering available at this location -

Here are all free student software downloads from Microsoft which would otherwise cost many many $$.

> Visual Studio 2008 Professional Edition
> Windows Server 2008 Standard Edition
> SQL Server 2008 Developers Edition
> Expression Studio 2
> XNA Game Studio
> XNA Game Studio
> Microsoft IT Academy Student Pass
> Visual Studio 2005 Professional Edition

Other free tools

> Visual C# 2008 Express Edition
> Visual C++ 2008 Express Edition
> Visual Basic 2008 Express Edition
> SQL Server 2008 Express Edition
> Visual Web Developer 2008 Express Edition
> Visual Studio 2005 Express Editions
> Virtual PC 2007