QUERY: MCE vs XP PRO

[Andrew Wan]

I am wondering whether Media Center Edition is based off XP Home or XP
Professional? I definitely know that Home Edition is very restrictive, such
as:

== quote from http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp ==
Professional Edition: Superset of Home Edition
At its most basic level, XP Professional is a business- and power-user
oriented superset of Home Edition. Because this orientation, it includes
features that wouldn't be appropriate, or would be too complex, for the
typical home user. The most obvious difference is security, which is vastly
simplified in Home Edition. Each interactive user in XP Home is assumed to
be a member of the Owners local group, which is the Windows XP equivalent of
the Windows 2000 Administrator account: This means that anyone who logs on
to a Home Edition machine has full control. Likewise, the Backup Operators,
Power Users, and Replicator groups from Windows 2000/XP Pro are missing from
Home Edition, and a new group, called Restricted Users, is added. Hidden
administrative shares (C$, etc.) are also unavailable in Home Edition

== http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx ==

No IIS, no Remote Desktop, and many other advanced features.



So I really don't like the XP Home Edition and hoping someone who has
in-depth knowledge of MCE whether they can tell me that it's like the XP
Home Edition or XP Professional.

 

[Doug]

|I am wondering whether Media Center Edition is based off XP Home or XP
| Professional? I definitely know that Home Edition is very restrictive,
such
| as:
|
| No IIS, no Remote Desktop, and many other advanced features.
|
|
|
| So I really don't like the XP Home Edition and hoping someone who has
| in-depth knowledge of MCE whether they can tell me that it's like the XP
| Home Edition or XP Professional.
|


MCE 2005 gives you Remote Desktop, Multi-processor support, Automated System
Recovery, Dynamic Disk Support, Internet Information Services/Personal Web
Server, Encrypting File System, File-level access control same as XP Pro.

What it doesn't give you is a simple way to join a domain. (it can be done
but requires some effort) Microsoft 'traded' domain capability for Media
Center Extender capability.

--
Doug

I'm not an MVP a VIP nor do I have ESP.
I was just trying to help.
Please use your own best judgment before implementing any suggestions or
advice herein.
No warranty is expressed or implied.
Your mileage may vary.
See store for details.

Remove shoes to E-mail.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I am wondering whether Media Center Edition is based off XP Home or
XP Professional? I definitely know that Home Edition is very
restrictive, such as:

== quote from
http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp ==
Professional Edition: Superset of Home Edition
At its most basic level, XP Professional is a business- and
power-user oriented superset of Home Edition. Because this
orientation, it includes features that wouldn't be appropriate, or
would be too complex, for the typical home user. The most obvious
difference is security, which is vastly simplified in Home Edition.
Each interactive user in XP Home is assumed to be a member of the
Owners local group, which is the Windows XP equivalent of the
Windows 2000 Administrator account: This means that anyone who logs
on to a Home Edition machine has full control. Likewise, the Backup
Operators, Power Users, and Replicator groups from Windows 2000/XP
Pro are missing from Home Edition, and a new group, called
Restricted Users, is added. Hidden administrative shares (C$, etc.)
are also unavailable in Home Edition

== http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx
==

No IIS, no Remote Desktop, and many other advanced features.

So I really don't like the XP Home Edition and hoping someone who
has in-depth knowledge of MCE whether they can tell me that it's
like the XP Home Edition or XP Professional.

Like XP Professional with the Media Center stuff and without the ability to
join a domain.
(In the Windows XP family - everything is based off XP Professional except
Windows XP Home Edition and x64... and x64 has everything Professional
does.)

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I am wondering whether Media Center Edition is based off XP Home or XP
Professional?

MCE is a superset of XP Professional. It has everything in XP Professional
(*except* the ability to join a domain) plus its extra media features.

I definitely know that Home Edition is very
restrictive, such as:

I wouldn't call it "very restrictive." Yes, it's missing some extra features
found in XP Professional and MCE, but for the enormous majority of home
users, those features aren't needed and would never be used even if they
were present.

But only you can decide which features are inmportant to *you*

 

[Lem]

I am wondering whether Media Center Edition is based off XP Home or XP
Professional? I definitely know that Home Edition is very restrictive, such
as:

== quote from http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp ==
Professional Edition: Superset of Home Edition
At its most basic level, XP Professional is a business- and power-user
oriented superset of Home Edition. Because this orientation, it includes
features that wouldn't be appropriate, or would be too complex, for the
typical home user. The most obvious difference is security, which is vastly
simplified in Home Edition. Each interactive user in XP Home is assumed to
be a member of the Owners local group, which is the Windows XP equivalent of
the Windows 2000 Administrator account: This means that anyone who logs on
to a Home Edition machine has full control. Likewise, the Backup Operators,
Power Users, and Replicator groups from Windows 2000/XP Pro are missing from
Home Edition, and a new group, called Restricted Users, is added. Hidden
administrative shares (C$, etc.) are also unavailable in Home Edition

== http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx ==

No IIS, no Remote Desktop, and many other advanced features.



So I really don't like the XP Home Edition and hoping someone who has
in-depth knowledge of MCE whether they can tell me that it's like the XP
Home Edition or XP Professional.

Notwithstanding that MCE is typically described as a "superset of XP
Professional," some manufacturers -- notably Linksys, although I've seen
reports relating to software products as well -- will tell you that some
of their products will work with XP Home and XP Pro but not with MCE.
AFAIK, this only means that they have not fully tested the products with
MCE, but it also means that they will not give you any support in the
event that you have a problem and are using MCE.