Professional vs. Home

[stethnorun]

Ever since WinXp, I've been getting the professional version of Windows. I'm looking into getting my girlfriend up to Win7 but didn't know if there was a real difference between the 2 versions that I would notice.

Only thing she really uses it for is normal internet stuff, video watching and gaming. What does Professional really get you over Home?

[EzyStvy]

There are many threads on this very subject...Several hace links easily found that outline the specific differences.

Short answer - Home would probably be fine.

[stethnorun]

Oh I looked and didn't see any topics about it in this section of the forum.

[ryuk999]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/win...e/default.aspx
That seems like it'd answer your question.

XP mode for any programs that are known to not be compatible with Windows 7 but with XP. Also the domain join only seems useful in a business network, so if your at home chances are it wont be used. You can also backup your system to a network, but I think you'd have to backup to a server.

[stethnorun]

Hmm...only thing might be the XP compatibility thing. But then again, I haven't had to use that feature yet and I've played pretty much all my current and semi-current games with no problems.

[ryuk999]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/com...s/default.aspx
Try using that for any programs you haven't tested

[stethnorun]

Originally Posted by ryuk999 http://www.microsoft.com/windows/com...s/default.aspx Try using that for any programs you haven't tested

Cool thanks! Well if I can get Professional for cheap, I'll do it but it looks like Home will work just fine as well. Thanks for the input all.

[strollin]

Unless you need to join a domain, Pro is pretty much a waste of money. If you need XP mode, you could install the OpenSource program VirtualBox and install XP in a virtual machine there. The difference is that you will need a copy of XP to install whereas MS XP mode installs a licensed copy of XP for you.