It occurred to me recently that managing my finances through my bank's online services was becoming a real pain. I decided to start using
Microsoft Money 2007 to manage all my accounts. Instead of going down to my local Staples, I checked out
Windows Marketplace to see whether they had the program - and they did. I had never used Windows Marketplace before and honestly, I don't know many people who have used it to purchase software. While I was beta testing Windows Vista, I discovered that Windows Vista had a built-in application called Digital Locker Assistant that allows you to manage purchased software from Windows Marketplace. I just had never tried it.
Well, now the time was right to give Windows Vista's Digital Locker Assistant and Windows Marketplace a try.
I went to Windows Marketplace and searched for Microsoft Money. The results displayed all the Microsoft Money packages I could buy. Green "lock" icons to the right of the products identified the ones I could use with Windows Vista's Digital Locker Assistant.
I chose Microsoft Money 2007 Deluxe because it has a $20 mail-in rebate. When I clicked that link, I was taken to a specific product page that offers customer reviews and detailed product specifications. But I already knew this was what I wanted.
I clicked Add to Cart and went through the standard procedure for entering the type of payment (my credit card) and purchasing the software.
If you're using Windows Vista, the Digital Locker Assistant should start after you make the purchase and move on to downloading the software. However, if it does not, you can launch Digital Locker Assistant by clicking Start, choosing Control Panel, and clicking Programs. Then, under Get Programs Online, click Manage programs you buy online (digital locker).
Once Digital Locker Assistant launches, you will be prompted to enter the same Windows Live ID you used to sign in to Windows Marketplace when you purchased the software. This worked perfectly for me, and I was able to begin downloading Microsoft Money 2007.
By right-clicking on your purchase and choosing Download from the menu that appears, you can instruct the Digital Locker Assistant to download that purchase. After the download is complete, you can install the application you just bought by right-clicking on the purchase listed in Digital Locker and clicking Install. Doing this with Microsoft Money 2007 was extremely easy and with off without a hitch.
Any purchased software from Windows Marketplace will show up in your Digital Locker Assistant in Windows Vista as long as the green lock icon appears to the right of the software item. In Windows Vista, all your purchased software downloads are stored at C:\Users\Username\Documents\digital locker downloads.
Using the Digital Locker Assistant and Windows Marketplace made it super simple to purchase the software I needed. It was a great first experience and I intend to use it in the future. In addition to the software available for purchase, you'll find a lot more on Windows Marketplace, including free content as well as games. It's worth checking out if you haven't already tried it. Oh, and did you know you can buy Microsoft Office 2007 and Windows Vista directly from Windows Marketplace? Pretty sweet!
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