Professional vs. home edition

[Sharla]

I am shopping for a new computer, since the processor on
my old one is not fast enough for XP. My husband says we
must have XP professional, not home edition. Most
computers in stores come only with home edition and
therefore would require a separate upgrade. If we order
direcltyl from a manufacturer, we can have more options
for getting the computer with XP pro installed. What are
the significant difference between the two editions and
what advantages does professional provide?

 

[george]

I am shopping for a new computer, since the processor on
my old one is not fast enough for XP. My husband says we
must have XP professional, not home edition. Most
computers in stores come only with home edition and
therefore would require a separate upgrade. If we order
direcltyl from a manufacturer, we can have more options
for getting the computer with XP pro installed. What are
the significant difference between the two editions and
what advantages does professional provide?

this may provide you with the comparison you're looking for:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/evaluation/features.mspx
and
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/evaluation/features.mspx

personally I'd go for Professional. All possibilities this platform has to
offer, more precise methods of configuring security and even if you don't
need all the features right now, you never know how your usage of the OS
will evolve over time. In this day and age, not uncommon that it will.
my 2c.

george

 

[LVTravel]

You might go here to determine which version is right for you:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

 

[Ron Chamberlin]

Hi Sharla,

You can see a pretty good matrix of the differences at
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

Ron Chamberlin
MS-MVP

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

There's usually very little reason for the typical home user to
need WinXP Pro, but everyone's situation is different.

The two versions are _identical_ when it comes to performance,
stability, and device driver and software application compatibility,
but are intended to meet different functionality, networking,
security, and ease-of-use needs, in different environments. The most
significant differences are that WinXP Pro allows up to 10
simultaneous inbound network connections while WinXP Home only allows
only 5, WinXP Pro is designed to join a Microsoft domain while WinXP
Home cannot, and only WinXP Pro supports file encryption and IIS.
(Oh, and WinXP Pro usually costs roughly $100 USD more than WinXP
Home.)

Windows XP Comparison Guide
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Which Edition Is Right for You
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

Windows XP Home Edition vs. Professional Edition
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp


Bruce Chambers
--
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You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
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[Sharla]

Aha. That explains why we need XP pro. The number of
network connections is important in our situation.
Thank you!

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Greetings --

You're welcome.

Bruce Chambers
--
Help us help you:



You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on
having both at once. - RAH