WinXP Media Center 2005 vs. WinXP Professional

[katy]

Could anyone tell us what the major difference(s) would be in these 2
versions of Windows XP?

We have always heard that Windows XP Professional is better than the Home
edition but would the Media Center 2005 be very comparable to the
Professional edition of WinXP?

Any thoughts are MOST welcome!
TIA,
katy

 

[Kevin]

Katy,

If you are setting up a home entertainment system then you need Media Center
2005. Otherwise, you can get along with XP Home Edition for just about
everything but running in a business or corporate environment. XP Pro is
designed for that niche.

Keep in mind that Microsoft does not sell the Media Center operating systems
on their own like XP Home or Pro. Media Center is only available as the
pre-installed operating system on OEM machines.

 

[Carey Frisch [MVP]]

Windows Media Center FAQ
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/faq.mspx

You cannot join your computer to a domain in Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;887212

--
Carey Frisch
Microsoft MVP
Windows XP - Shell/User
Microsoft Newsgroups

Get Windows XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security Technologies:
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxp/choose.mspx

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:

| Could anyone tell us what the major difference(s) would be in these 2
| versions of Windows XP?
|
| We have always heard that Windows XP Professional is better than the Home
| edition but would the Media Center 2005 be very comparable to the
| Professional edition of WinXP?
|
| Any thoughts are MOST welcome!
| TIA,
| katy

 

[Ken Blake]

In

Could anyone tell us what the major difference(s) would be in
these 2
versions of Windows XP?

We have always heard that Windows XP Professional is better
than the
Home edition

No, that's not correct. They are both equally "good" in
reliability, stability, etc. XP Professional is a superset of XP
Home. The only difference between the two is that Professional
has a few features (mostly related to networking and security)
missing from Home. For most (but not all) home users, even those
with a home network, these features aren't needed, would never be
used, and buying Professional instead of Home is a waste of
money.

but would the Media Center 2005 be very comparable to
the Professional edition of WinXP?

Yes, it's more than comparable. Media Center is a superset of XP
Professional. It *is* XP Professional, with the extra media
features added. For details on those extra features, go to
www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx