So, if the student sticky is lacking????

[mgaraf00]

Is there a conspiracy going on here?
I'm having to log in every time I try to post!!

Yep, school e mail and there is no junk mail (AKA SPAM).
The only time I use the school e-mail is with downloading CADD software.

MicroStation V8 and Inventor still work.
Both AutoCAD and Solidworks died after 30 days.

[Dadgad]

Welcome to the forum, by the way.
I think that is because you are a new member, and I think until you have about 10 posts there are some restrictions.
You are not using the LOGOUT link to end a session are you?
If so you will need to relogin.

[Tiger]

You need to click the Remember Me-option when you log in, then you should be logged in for a while.

[JD Mather]

I downloaded the 2012 AutoCAD and it lasted 30 days.

You are getting a lot of bad, inexperienced advice here. (it is not only the student who is lacking)
Your student license is for 3-yrs, but first you must understand -

All Autodesk software from any (legitimate) source initially installs in 30-day trial mode to give you time to make sure it is working correctly as you can only activate your license twice.

All Autodesk software from any (legitimate) source is the same.
It is your personal serial number that determines the license behavior (student, commercial or edu institutional).....

Therefore -
for 30-days each time you started the software you were prompted to run in 30-day trial mode or to click Activate to activate your free 3-yr license. Your instructor is supposed to know this information.

Students can download and install/activate any and all releases avialable at http://www.autodesk.com/edcommunity

When you donwload the software a personal Serial Number is created (check your My Software link on that site if you didn't record the number.
A general Product Code is also displayed.

You install the software (you can delete the compressed download and the extracted install files after installation, you might want to burn a back-up disk).
You run for several days or weeks in 30-day trial mode to make sure all is well.
Before the 30-day trial expires you click Activate and follow the on-screen instructions to activate your FREE 3-yr license. (in some cases you might get a blank screen with only two radio buttons displayed an no instructions. If this happens - search Google on Autodesk Blank Activation for instructions).

During the activation process your computer creates an Activation Request Code that is based on only that particular machine and your personal Serial Number. Autodesk returns an Activation Code back to your machine in the background automatically activating your license (and also generates an email to you with the same codes for record keeping). As the Activation Request Code is generated by your computer - the resulting Activation Code will only work on that computer.

All of this is covered in some detail (including step-by-step videos) on the student website. (go watch the videos)

When you complete the process you will get a computer-generated email thanking you for your Autodesk software purchase. Don't worry, everyone gets this thank-you, your software license was free for student use.

You can always check your current license status by going to Help>About (Autodesk product)>Product Information and view the License Expiration date.

If you ever need to convert a student license to a commercial license you do not need to uninstall anything - just follow above Help>About... click change serial number and follow the instruction to activate the new license.

Before installing you should turn off anti-virus (including TSR) and turn off UAC. (turn them back on after installation)

If you have done anything wrong search Google for the Autodesk Clean Uninstall instructions to start over. (no - you can't do this to keep getting another 30-days, this information is kept on an unused portion of the HDD and even a reformat does not touch)


In my experience students who post here have a short attention span - so if they are given incorrect information they often don't come back here and discover that.

You will need to buy it

Wrong answer.

It sounds like you downloaded the wrong version.

All are the same - it is the Serial Number that determines "version".

I was under the impression it was the activation code that determined if it were pro or student.

The student was right about this.

Three years is a very generous window of opportunity, you can learn how to drive lots of software in that amount of time.

Actually, each release is a different serial number and therefore a different activation and therefore the student essentially has a perpetual license as long as they are a student and as long as they keep updating and as long as Autodesk continues this free student license program. (some students are a little slower and take a little longer to graduate (took me 4 yrs to get AAS, 8 yrs more to get BS, 11 more years to get.... well you get the picture).

Both AutoCAD and Solidworks died after 30 days.

Did you activate the licenses for these 2 products?

[mgaraf00]

I copied the info you posted and will try to follow it as soon as I can.
I did try to activate it, but I must have either failed to save the code or could not find it.