Pro vs Home

  • Thread starter Thread starter Parley
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Parley

I was wondering if there is a good list somewhere of the XP pro vs XP home
features and a comparison of the various pros and cons of each.

I have been using Win2k since its first release and figure it's about time
for an upgrade. I am a power user but my wife is really a novice at
computers so the OS should be powerful but the learning curve from Win2k
should be minor.

Thanks for your input and opinions.

Parley
 
If you plan on upgrading over your existing Windows 2000
installation, then you can only use Windows XP Pro to perform
the upgrade (retail version only).

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

Windows XP Supported Upgrade Paths
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;292607&Product=winxp

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

Be Smart! Protect your PC!
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


| I was wondering if there is a good list somewhere of the XP pro vs XP home
| features and a comparison of the various pros and cons of each.
|
| I have been using Win2k since its first release and figure it's about time
| for an upgrade. I am a power user but my wife is really a novice at
| computers so the OS should be powerful but the learning curve from Win2k
| should be minor.
|
| Thanks for your input and opinions.
|
| Parley
 
Thanks for the link. I usually backup all of my data a format my harddrive
when I upgrade. It just leaves me with a less cluttered harddrive. If I
realize I need something, I just go to my backup and restore it.
But, looking at the comparison, why would any one use Home? Are there any
features, bells and whistles, that Home has that Pro is missing?
 
In
Parley said:
I was wondering if there is a good list somewhere of the XP pro vs XP
home features and a comparison of the various pros and cons of
Click to expand...
each.


XP Professional and XP Home are exactly the same in all respects,
except that Professional has a few features (mostly related to
networking and security) missing from Home. For most (but not
all) home users, these features aren't needed, would never be
used, and buying Professional instead of Home is a waste of
money.

For details go to

http://www.winsupersite.com/showcase/windowsxp_home_pro.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/whichxp.asp

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.asp

Also note that Professional allows ten concurrent network
connections, and Home only five.

I have been using Win2k since its first release and figure it's about
time for an upgrade.
Click to expand...


My view is that you're going about this backward. A change of
operating system should be driven by need, not just because there
is a new version available. Are you having a problem with Windows
2000 that you expect XP to solve? Do you have or expect to get
new hardware or software that is supported in XP, but not in
2000? Is there some new feature in 2000 that you need or yearn
for? Does your job require you have skills in XP? Are you a
computer hobbyist who enjoys playing with whatever is newest?

If the answer to one or more of those questions is yes, then you
should get XP. Otherwise most people should stick with what they
have.

I feel even more strongly about the above in your case than for
those who are running Windows 9X. The differences between 2000
(really NT 5.0 under the hood) and XP (NT 5.1) are slight (see
below). You get relatively little for your money by upgrading.

One last point: if you do decide to go to XP, and you want to
upgrade, rather than clean install, your only choice is XP
*Professional*. An upgrade from 2000 to XP Home is not supported.

I am a power user but my wife is really a
novice at computers so the OS should be powerful but the learning
curve from Win2k should be minor.
Click to expand...


The learning curve is indeed minor. There are only a few
differences:

Msconfig
System Restore
Driver Rollback
Better Help System
Better Virtual Memory Handling
Clear Type
 
Thanks for the link. I usually backup all of my data a format my harddrive
when I upgrade. It just leaves me with a less cluttered harddrive. If I
realize I need something, I just go to my backup and restore it.
But, looking at the comparison, why would any one use Home? Are there any
features, bells and whistles, that Home has that Pro is missing?
Click to expand...

Make sure that the backup program is XP friendly. Otherwise, you'll have
backup archives that are inaccessible from within the new operating system.
 
Other's have given you most of what you need to know and the answer is
basically one's own needs and usage patterns. Essentially, the major
differences center around security and permissions as in Group Policies.

XP Home, cannot log on to a Domain and to make security and file ownership
changes, users must enter Safe Mode. Also, XP Home does not have the Group
Policy Editor. That said, many people simply don't have the need for Pro,
they don't log on to a domain, are the only user and file ownership is only
an issue if they reformat. Hence, a lot people simply don't need to spend
the extra money for Pro. Hence, the biggest "con" for Pro is cost versus
user need. Pro is a superset of Home, as such, there are no options
included with Home that Pro does not have but as mentioned above, there are
some features that Pro has that Home does not have.
 
Greetings --

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.

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

"Which is better?" That depends entirely upon the uses to which
you put your computer, the network environment in which you'll operate
it, your specific security needs, and your level of computer
knowledge. If you're comfortable with Win2K, you might prefer WinXP
Pro, as it's security controls are very similar to Win2K's.


Bruce Chambers
--
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