A. With Windows XP, the two Windows OS lines merge, so we'll no longer have Windows 2000/Windows NT and Windows Me/Windows 98—just Windows XP. However, we still have two different types of users: the office user and the basic home user with one machine. Hence the two versions of Windows XP: Windows XP Professional Edition, for those accustomed to Win2K Professional/NT Workstation, and Windows XP Home Edition, for those accustomed to Windows Me/Win98.
Although the XP Pro and Home Editions share the same common core code, they don't have the same features. The right version for you depends on the functionality you need. Think of XP Pro as a superset of XP Home. Below is a short list of supported features:
Backup—XP Pro has the standard Win2K backup program; XP Home has no backup program.
Dynamic Disks—XP Pro supports dynamic disks; XP Home doesn't.
IIS—XP Pro includes IIS; XP Home doesn't.
Encrypted File System (EFS)—EFS debuted in Win2K and lets you encrypt files on an NTFS partition, a very useful feature for mobile machines. XP Pro includes EFS; XP Home doesn't.
Multiprocessor—XP Pro supports up to two processors; XP Home supports only one (as did Windows Me/Win98).
Remote Assistance—Both editions support Remote Assistance, which lets someone from a Help desk connect to the client desktop to troubleshoot problems.
Remote Desktop—XP Pro adds to Remote Assistance by letting any machine running a Terminal Services client run one Terminal Services session against an XP Pro machine.
Domain Membership—XP Pro systems can be domain members; XP Home systems can't, but they can access domain resources.
Group Policy—XP Pro supports group policies; XP Home doesn't.
IntelliMirror—XP Pro supports IntelliMirror, which includes Microsoft Remote Installation Services (RIS), software deployment, and user setting management; XP Home doesn't support IntelliMirror.
Upgrade from Windows Me/Win98—Both XP Pro and XP Home support this upgrade.
Upgrade from Win2K/NT—Only XP Pro supports this upgrade.
64-bit Support—Only XP Pro will have a 64-bit version that supports the Itanium systems.
Network Support—XP Pro includes support for Network Monitor, SNMP, IP Security (IPSec), and the Client Services for NetWare (CSNW); XP Home doesn't.
For the best list of supported features, see the Feature Guide document (featguid.doc) on the root of the XP CD-ROM.
Reader Comments
This is a good starting point. I have a home PC running ME that I plan to upgrade to XP. This article talks about the things in Pro that are not in Home, but will I be giving up anything if I go Pro (audio, video, game support, home network support, etc.) vs Home?
Jerry Beck -April 18, 2001
Hi, i`m going to install Visual Studio .NET at my PC.
The OS is XP Home, can I install Active directory and IIS later? Or is it the best thing to use XP Pro?
Marc Klein -September 02, 2003
How come IBM iseries access (Client access. 5250 emulation) works on XP pro but not on XP home?
Butch Walker -October 03, 2003
We want to hear what you have to say! Fill out this form to post your comments with this article. We do, however, review comments before posting them, so it may take a day or so for your comments to appear. Your email is only used if our editors need to contact you. It is not used or stored for any other purpose, nor posted with your comments.
fartman -October 21, 2003
I find the article by John Savill very informative. My question is exactly the same as Jerry Beck's. What is the answer to Jerry Beck's reader comments?
Aloha, Ed
Ed -November 15, 2003
I upraded and still have all those things ,with more
Richard Holguin -February 01, 2004
windows home xp and outlook 2000. In call contact, feature does not work. Solution provided my microsoft help does not work
glen -February 02, 2004
It was a readymade stuff for me to decide for installing XP Pro on my Home PC
shriharijk -August 18, 2004
nice
Anonymous User -October 23, 2004
this is sht
Anonymous User -March 28, 2005
your all homos
Anonymous User -March 28, 2005
hav a nice day
Anonymous User -March 28, 2005
what happens for admin user i heard that the pro has more and home has only one administartor privillaged user can u verify it
Anonymous User -April 19, 2005
Someone told me that in windows Home edition there are no word, excel, powerpoint etc,. Whereas in professional, it got all these. Is it correct?? I am planning to buy a laptop for my personal use(SAS programming). Which one is recommended?? With Home Edition or with Professional?? Please clarify.
Anonymous User -May 12, 2005
SAS has trouble installing on XP Home (at least SAS v. 9)....
Anonymous User -June 09, 2005
very enlightening but yer all twats
Anonymous User -July 11, 2005
Somebody accidentally installed XP Pro over my XP Home Edition on my pc. How can I uninstall XP Pro and get Home Edition back?
Anonymous User -August 13, 2005
this information is pretty far out of date. Especially concerning the netwrok services and multi montior support.
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