Windows XP Media Center Edition

[Boria Condrey]

I have been looking into buying a new laptop. All the new laptops are
coming with Windows XP Media Center Edition. I currently use XP Pro on my
other computers. Is media center edition the same or better than pro? Will
I notice any difference?

Thanks

 

[sankarj12]

Windows Media Center DVDs are hard to come by, since Microsoft didn't
plan to distribute them on DVDs. If you want to get Media Center
Edition, then the best thing to do would be to buy a PC with MCE
installed. If you get a DVD it might be pirated, and you will run into
problems. The differences are noticeable. Media Center Edition
includes "Media Center". It allows you to view videos, pictures, and
music. It allows you to watch TV if you have a tuner card. It has a
fairly new theme called "Royale" but you can download it for free on
Microsoft's web site for other versions. It's a nice addition to XP.
Here is Microsoft's Media Center page:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/default.mspx.

Also, if you buy a PC with MCE installed now, you may be able to
purchase Windows Vista (which has everything that MCE has if you get
the right edition) at low or no cost. To me, that's the way to go if
you HAVE to have MCE.

 

[Malke]

I have been looking into buying a new laptop. All the new laptops are
coming with Windows XP Media Center Edition. I currently use XP Pro
on my
other computers. Is media center edition the same or better than pro?
Will I notice any difference?

Thanks

Media Center is XP Pro with media additions. However, you cannot join a
domain with it. If you need to join a domain, get XP Pro.

Comparison Guide -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

Five Editions of Windows XP Compared -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/compare.mspx

Malke

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I have been looking into buying a new laptop. All the new laptops are
coming with Windows XP Media Center Edition. I currently use XP Pro
on my other computers. Is media center edition the same or better
than pro?

Unless you need to join a domain (which very few home users do), it's better
than XP Professional. It's a superset of XP Professional, containing
everything in XP Professional (except the ability to join a domain) plus
MCE's extra media features.

Will I notice any difference?

That depends on whether you find those extra media features useful, but
perhaps not.

 

[Boria Condrey]

I don't know what you mean by "join a domain" so evidently I don't need it.
What does this mean?

The laptops I have been looking at already come loaded with xp media
edition. I am buying locally.

 

[caver1]

Media Center is XP Pro with media additions. However, you cannot join a
domain with it. If you need to join a domain, get XP Pro.

Comparison Guide -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx

Five Editions of Windows XP Compared -
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/evaluation/compare.mspx

Malke

If you do a google search there is a way to join a domain with MCE but
you will lose the extender capability. It is a registry hack.

 

[brianpower1977]

If you do a google search there is a way to join a domain with MCE but
you will lose the extender capability. It is a registry hack.

If you planning on using any audio devices with your laptop (eg.
external sound cards) DO NOT get ME, its a nightmare

here's a list of devices that wont work with this awful OS
http://www.sweetwater.com/sweetcare/ts/detail.php?Index=30163&keyword