I think I said earlier that I had received a reply from our friends at Microsoft about my predicament - "..get it wrong once and you're barred , for a whole year.." to quote Alistair.

They provided me with a link to "re-verify" my student status, but it hasn't "released" my original Windows Live account, I still cannot start a download, even from another machine [eliminated my Vista machine!].

For reference, in case anyone wants to/has time to have a play, here is the reply from Microsoft with the re-verification link - haven't time to investigate further myself.

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"......

Thank you for your interest in DreamSpark.

I am sorry that you were unable to verify your status as a student at the DreamSpark site.

There is another way to verify yourself as a student. Please use the following unique URL to return to the Microsoft DreamSpark download site with your new status as a verified student:

https://downloads.channel8.msdn.com/auth/CodeVerify.aspx?key=BQ7DC-AJYP5-OOT2W-AD4ZF-6PK49

It is the hope of the DreamSpark program that free Microsoft developer tools will help you succeed and excel in developing new and innovative solutions in your domain.

If you have any questions, download issues, installation issues, or usage questions, please visit the Frequently Asked Questions (Students) page for information.
https://winshib.9starresearch.com/FAQ/Students.aspx

Thanks and Enjoy !! ...."

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>>> On 25/02/2008 at 17:51, in message <[log in to unmask]>, Alistair Young <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

Guanxi is Shibb! :) it just has a simple metadata parser, which is about
to replaced with the "real thing".
UHI is listed in the M$ WAYF though. We can also assert EPSA student but
as Simon pointed out, logging in is a one-shot thing. Get it wrong and
you're barred, for a whole year! Surely that can't be the case?

Alistair