Difference between XP Home or Pro?

Greenman

Hi,

Have on the desktop XP Pro, getting laptop with XP Home any real difference?

Thanks JD!!!

MiCr0

This has the answer

stevejazzx

stability...

Greenman

stevejazzx wrote:

stability...

Tell me more!!!

Greenman

MiCr0 wrote:

This has the answer

Communicating with real people is also nice!!! but thanks anyway!!!

SouperComputer

stevejazzx wrote:

stability

Absolute, unadulterated bull. :d



Not really a huge difference to an eveyrday end user. Basically, the most relevant features Pro offers are:

Multiprocessor Support
Ability to join domain\AD Networks
Ability to encrypt files
Ability to be a Remote desktop connection "server"


There are a few others, but they are the most important ones.

Generally if you have to ask, then home is best for your needs. Bear in mind that most college networks use a domain structure so if its for college, go pro if needs be.

MiCr0

Greenman wrote:

Communicating with real people is also nice!!! but thanks anyway!!!

this came up as the second site on the google search

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

stevejazzx

SouperComputer wrote:

Absolute, unadulterated bull. :d

http://www.statesman.com/money/content/shared/money/stories/technobuddy/qanda/04/qa041226.html
1:
Yet that's my experience. I've gotten more comfortable with my theory after publishing that opinion a few times. I've heard from a lot of professionals who have the same opinion. And if you'll notice, many computer sellers — while offering both versions — recommend XP Pro. A more stable operating system means fewer hassles when it comes to technical support.

Now, does that mean XP Home is bad? Nope. it's a huge improvement from Windows 98, 98SE and ME.
Bill Husted

http://windows.about.com/od/updatingupgrading/p/windows_xp_pro.htm
2.
Benefits of Windows XP Professional Over Other Versions of Windows:
Windows XP is generally more stable than previous versions, and the new interface used in Windows XP makes XP easier for most people to use.

One key benefit of Windows XP Professional over earlier versions of Windows is improved security. The Windows Security Center, Automatic Updates, and the Windows Firewall are all new in Windows XP. Windows XP Professional also allows for greater access control to files and folders, futher protecting your computer.

---

I've also read this opinion in a lot of magazines etc that just less problems with xp pro overall but in all honesty this is just something I've read and have no real technical knowledge of....

Peteee

stevejazzx wrote:

And if you'll notice, many computer sellers — while offering both versions — recommend XP Pro.

Maybe because XP Pro costs twice as much as home, and gets them more money?

XP Pro and Home are the same code, just some features are left out of home to justify the bigger price.

stevejazzx

Peteee wrote:

Maybe because XP Pro costs twice as much as home, and gets them more money?

XP Pro and Home are the same code, just some features are left out of home to justify the bigger price.

I never said that personally it's an extract from an online article should be pretty obvious from my post...

stevejazzx

SouperComputer wrote:

Absolute, unadulterated bull. :d

oh and this, remeber reading it a while ago it goes into some detail and outlines differences not commonly known, so in hindsight think you're comment might be a bit strong

quite a respected windows authority

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips/WindowsXP/UserTips/TroubleShooting/WindowsXPCommonProblemsandGotchas.html

conzy

They are the same OS!

They are identical other than some more business/networking orientated tools in the pro version..........

SouperComputer

stevejazzx wrote:

oh and this, remeber reading it a while ago it goes into some detail and outlines differences not commonly known, so in hindsight think you're comment might be a bit strong

quite a respected windows authority

http://www.windowsnetworking.com/kbase/WindowsTips/WindowsXP/UserTips/TroubleShooting/WindowsXPCommonProblemsandGotchas.html

If you research the issues listed, you will find they are not exclusive to XP Home, infact a lot of the KB articles refer to both OS, further strenghening my point. Hey, dont take my word for it, look at the MS KB articles.

They are different products, as your link rightly says. But they stem from the EXACT same code base where the bulk of OS stability (or instability depending on how you look at it) lies.

On a more subjective note, I have found computers used in home situations that were shipped with pro to be more troublesome and sluggish. This in part I would say would be due to the extra (Uneeded) services that ship with Pro. Of course you can disable these, but again we are dealing with everyday users here.

stevejazzx

conzymaher wrote:

They are the same OS!

They are identical other than some more business/networking orientated tools in the pro version..........

fair enough i certainly don't proclaim to be any expert but the article linked above says the opposite

soupercomputer wrote:

....refers to both the os

so that article I linked is rubbish, if that's true so be it, but the site seems to be pretty good and they do seem to be quite an authority on windows...and further googling has just brought more of the same i.e that there are a lot of things xp home is without making less stable than pro....

SouperComputer

so that article I linked is rubbish,

That's not what I said.

Its a handy resource for troubleshooting from the looks of things, but what I dont understand is that it only refers once to Home being inferior to Pro, in the way of a sweeping comment at the start with nothing to back it up. The title of the page refers to both "Windows XP Common Problems and Gotcha's".

sceptre

stevejazzx wrote:

so that article I linked is rubbish, if that's true so be it, but the site seems to be pretty good and they do seem to be quite an authority on windows...and further googling has just brought more of the same i.e that there are a lot of things xp home is without making less stable than pro....

It's already been mentioned but let's hammer it home once - the article doesn't list any differences between Pro and Home (not even the basic ones that aren't uber-sekrit), it merely states "and it is much less stable than XP Pro" without ever bothering to tell us why that might be so. I'd get better advice from my cat if I had one.

I'm not coming down hard on you but there's been far too much discussion (and weight) in this thread handed to these nine words that appear on this webpage without any explanation, backup or evidence provided whatever. A gut feeling of hearsay from unnamed "computer professionals" isn't worth much in the real world.

I say there's a difference of about 100 euros on the bundled OEM version, a few differences in security, networking and provided tools that almost nobody will use. For anyone considering Pro over Home and paying for it, it's a simple matter of whether the few added extras are worth 100 notes.

Mr. Presentable

OK, without all the uber-bull****, the biggest difference is that Home can "host" no more than 5 incoming connections concurrently, whereas this restriction doesn't exist with Pro. For the regular, non Lanparty hosting user, Home is fine. FWIW I have Home, Pro and Pro 64 on different machines. Each does its job as expected.