There you have it what is the difference b/t XP Home or Professional. I am buying a computer, and it is a 60$ upgrade. Try to convince me if it is worth my hard earned 60$

 

I went with Home. I figured if and when I needed Pro, I could upgrade. Almost a year...haven't needed it yet.

 

i use pro, why? i dunno... it makes me feel special.

 

You pretty much only need Pro if you're connecting to a corporate network. Here is a link on Microsoft's site that will help you choose.

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

 

i use pro on every computer (then again when its warez i see no reason )

 

Yeah unless you need to join a domain, run 2 CPUs, or need file level permissions, Home is fine.

 

okay thanks guys, I'll use my 60 bills on sumin else....any ideas?

Maybey some liqs,,,,hmmmmm

 

Get WINDOWS XP MEDIA CENTER EDITION...now that shit beats home and professional altogether....just got one.,...its awesome....that will be worth ur while if your comp. is partly used for entertainment

 

with home edition dont u have to register or sumthing, if you get pro i understand you can just reformat whenever you like instead of calling microsoft asking them to re-register your version of windows, i say skip it and find someone with the pro version and burn it off them

 

u can install a burned version, BUT u cannot activate it since MS will know...if u use the same key on two computers, one of them will be disabled....they know who has which key now...it used to be u can just burn ur buddy's but they have gotten smarter by assigning individual keys and making u activate them...by not activating once uve installed, in 30 days, ur comp(OS) wont work...trust me, ive tried

 

I reinstalled my XP pro a couple of times and activated the first time over the internet and the other times were over the phone. It was automated call and they gave me a new activation code and it worked just fine.

 

For a Home machine, Home should be fine....I use Pro, but I'm in IT...you figure it out.

 

I use Pro at home...its the upgrade to Home so why just not get it now because you know you will be upgrading to it in 3 mons.....always happens

 

It's not an upgrade, it's a different version altogether. Here are some differences:

Pro features that aren't in Home Edition
The following features are not present in Windows XP Home Edition.

Power user
Remote Desktop - All versions of Windows XP--including Home Edition--support Remote Assistance, which is an assisted support technology that allows a help desk or system administrator to remotely connect to a client desktop for troubleshooting purposes. But Only Pro supports the new Remote Desktop feature, which is a single-session version of Terminal Services with two obvious uses: Mobile professionals who need to remotely access their corporate desktop, and remote administration of clients on a network. You can access a Windows XP Remote Desktop from any OS that supports a Terminal Services client (such as Windows 98 and, interestingly XP Home). XP Home can act as the client in a Remote Desktop session; only Pro can be the server.
Multi-processor support - Windows XP Pro supports up to two microprocessors, while Home Edition supports only one.
Automated System Recovery (ASR) - In a somewhat controversial move, Microsoft has removed the Backup utility from the default Windows XP Home Edition, though it is available as an optional installation if you can find it on the CD-ROM (hint: it's in the /valueadd folder). The reason for this the integration of Microsoft's new Automated System Recovery (ASR) tool into Backup. In Pro, ASR will help recover a system from a catastrophic error, such as one that renders the system unbootable. ASR-enabled backups are triggerable from XP Setup, allowing you to return your system to its previous state, even if the hard drive dies and has to be replaced. Unlike consumer-oriented features such as System Restore, ASR is not automatic: It must manually be enabled from within the Backup utility in Windows XP Pro. In any event, while there is a Backup utility available for Home Edition, you cannot use ASR, even though mentions of this feature still exist in the UI. Confusing? Yes. But it's better than no Backup at all, which was the original plan.
Dynamic Disk Support - Windows XP Professional (like its Windows 2000 equivalent) supports dynamic disks, but Home Edition does not (instead, HE supports only the standard Simple Disk type). Dynamic disks are not usable with any OS other than Windows 2000 or Windows XP Pro, and they cannot be used on portable computers. Likewise, Home Edition does not include the Logical Disk Manager.
Fax - Home Edition has no integrated fax functionality out of the box, though it is an option you can install from the XP Home CD.
Internet Information Services/Personal Web Server - Home Edition does not include the IIS Web server 5.1 software found in Pro.
Security
Encrypting File System - Windows XP Professional supports the Encrypting File System (EFS), which allows you encrypt individual files or folders for local security (EFS is not enabled over a network). EFS-protected files and folders allows users to protect sensitive documents from other users.
File-level access control - Any user with Administrator privileges can limit access to certain network resources, such as servers, directories, and files, using access control lists. Only Windows XP Professional supports file-level access control, mostly because this feature is typically implemented through Group Policy Objects, which are also not available in Home Edition.
"C2" certification - Microsoft will attempt to have Windows XP Professional certified with the "C2" security designation, a largely irrelevant status, but one which will not be afforded to Home Edition.
Management
Domain membership - Home Edition cannot be used to logon to an Active Directory domain. For obvious reasons, the Domain Wizard is also missing in Home Edition.
Group Policy - Since Home Edition cannot be used to logon to an Active Directory domain, Group Policy--whereby applications, network resources, and operating systems are administered for domain users--is not supported either.
IntelliMirror - Microsoft lumps a wide range of semi-related change and configuration management technologies under the IntelliMirror umbrella, and none of these features are supported in the consumer oriented Home Edition. IntelliMirror capabilities include user data management; centrally-managed software installation, repair, updating, and removal; user settings management; and Remote Installation Services (RIS), which allows administrators to remotely install the OS on client systems.
Roaming profiles - This feature allows users to logon to any computer in an Active Directory network and automatically receive their customized settings. It is not available in Home Edition, which cannot logon to an Active Directory domain.
Corporate deployment
Multi-language support - Only Windows XP Professional will ship in a Multi-Language version or support multiple languages in a single install.
Sysprep support - Windows XP Pro will support the System Preparation (Sysprep) utility, while Home Edition will not.
RIS support - See the IntelliMirror heading in the previous section; Home Edition does not support RIS deployments.
64-bit Edition
Microsoft is shipping a 64-bit version of Windows XP for Intel Itanium systems that mirrors the Professional Edition feature-set.
Networking features
The following networking features are not included in Home Edition:
The user interface for IPSecurity (IPSec)
SNMP
Simple TCP/IP services
SAP Agent
Client Service for NetWare
Network Monitor
Multiple Roaming feature
User interface features
Windows XP Home Edition has some different default settings that affect the user interface. For example, Guest logon is on by default in Home, but off in Pro. The Address bar in Explorer windows is on in Pro by default, but off in Home. During the beta period, Microsoft had intended to use a business-oriented shell theme ("Professional") by default in Pro and the "Luna" consumer theme in Home Edition. But feedback from corporate users suggested that everyone liked the consumer-oriented Luna theme better, and development of the Professional theme was cancelled. Other user interface features that are present in Pro but not Home include:
Client-side caching
Administrative Tools option on the Start menu (a subset of the Admin tools are still present in Home, however).

 

Pro is not an 'upgrade' from Home. It's a different packaging of the same system software. Pro has things the casual home user doesn't need and which give the average home user little or no benefit. Likewise, Home is configured by default to be angled more toward the home user than Pro....which assumes a corporate user.

 

Not to get everyone going this morning but micorsoft considers it to be an upgrade......

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/h...ing/matrix.asp

 

Yes, because it has features that home users don't need. XP Pro is pricier, of course MS wants you to "upgrade"....and they got you, obviously.

 

Oh no.....they've never got me....ive "gotten them" for a long time now. I am in IT as well......if you know what i mean....

 

Hahahaha.....nice.

 

It's not an upgrade in the sense that Windows 98 was an upgrade from Windows 95. Yes, Microsoft lets you upgrade from Home to Pro, but what you're really paying for there is the extra features in Pro that don't exist in Home. The OS itself does not change, unlike when upgrading from one version of the OS to another.

They're the same OS, with some different features, abilities and default configurations. The guts are the same. For the average home user, Pro doesn't really add anything.

XP Pro and XP Home are different flavors of the same thing. Home is like vanilla ice cream, while Pro is like a sundae, with vanilla ice cream, fudge sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles and a cherry on top. You pay a little more for the toppings, but you're still getting the same ice cream.

 

I disagree.......Windows 98 was an upgrade from Windows 95 exactly the same way WinXPhome is to WinXPPRO. The OS never changed from 95 to 98. All it added was more plug and play support....hence the word upgrade. The only way this will change if you decide to do a clean install of the OS.

 

Let's not argue anymore, guys....especially over Win9x, the worst operating system known to man.

 

Good point.....its really slow today....if u couldnt tell. I'll only disagree one more time......Windows ME is the worst...IMHO

 

Well, I consider ME 9x as that's all it is. In fact, 95 was better than 98, which was better than ME...how's that for "Upgrading"?

By the way, if you're bored, I'm pimping out my Airline Mainenance Humor thread...it's funny!!!!!!