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Because different kinds of computer users need different features in their operating system, Microsoft offers multiple editions of Windows Vista, each oriented to the needs of specific types of customers.
With Windows XP, Microsoft offered six editions: Home Edition, Media Center Edition, Professional, Tablet PC Edition, Professional x64 Edition and, in selected emerging markets, Starter Edition. Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional targeted the needs of specific types of customers, while the other editions aligned with specific PC hardware configurations.
The different Windows Vista editions are optimized around key audiences—consumers, small businesses, and medium and large organizations—and usage scenarios within each of these segments. The main goal of the Windows Vista lineup is to more closely align the product offerings with customer demand, rather than forcing customers to make tradeoffs between functionality and form factors. Now, for each major customer segment—consumer, small business, and medium and large business—Microsoft offers at least one entry-level edition and a premium edition.
For consumers in developed markets, Home Basic is the entry-level edition and Home Premium is the more fully-featured, mainstream edition.
Windows Vista Business is the mainstream SKU for businesses of all sizes. Windows Vista Enterprise is the premium business SKU, focusing on the needs of organizations with global, highly complex IT infrastructures. Windows Vista Enterprise is available only to organizations with desktops covered by Software Assurance agreements or with a Microsoft Enterprise Agreement that includes the Windows desktop component.
For the most demanding consumer and small business users who want to take advantage of every available feature in Windows Vista, Microsoft offers Windows Vista Ultimate, which includes all operating system features available across all customer segments. While Windows Vista Ultimate is a valuable offering for a wide variety of customers, the most significant customer audience is the “dual user”—the person who wants to have a single PC for both work and personal activities including digital entertainment. Small business users might also choose it for the advanced data protection capabilities of Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption.
A goal of the Windows Vista SKU strategy is to make key technologies more broadly available. For example, Windows Media Center, a separate product edition of Windows XP, is now included as functionality in the Home Premium and Ultimate editions of Windows Vista. And Tablet PC, also a separate Windows XP edition, is now included as a capability in the Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, Enterprise, and Ultimate editions. One more example is 64-bit computing—with Windows Vista, you no longer need to choose between 32-bit and 64-bit versions. Both versions are available with every product edition except Starter.
| |
Home Basic |
Home Premium |
Business |
Enterprise |
Ultimate |
| Key Features for All Users |
| Welcome Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| User Account Control |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Security Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Defender |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Firewall |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Internet Explorer 7 Fix My Settings |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Anti-phishing in Internet Explorer 7 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Anti-phishing in Windows Mail |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Update |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Service Hardening |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Performance self-tuning and hardware diagnostics |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Experience Index |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Next-generation TCP/IP stack |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| IPv6 and IPv4 support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows ReadyDrive |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Display Driver Model (WDDM) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ad hoc backup and recovery of user files and folders |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Scheduled backup of user files |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Backup of user files to a networked PC or device |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Incremental backup |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Automatic backup scheduling |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Complete PC Backup and Restore (image based) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Shadow Copy (restore previous versions of your documents) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Vista Basic user interface |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Aero user experience (glass, dynamic windows, and a smoother-performing desktop) |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Instant Search |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| File tagging |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Stacking and Group By View. |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Internet Explorer 7 with RSS feed support, tabbed browsing, and integrated search |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| .NET Framework 3.0 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows CardSpace |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows SuperFetch |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows ReadyBoost |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| I/O prioritization |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Automatic hard disk defragmentation |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| 64-bit processor support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Maximum RAM supported with 32-bit system |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
| Maximum RAM supported with 64-bit system |
8 GB |
16 GB |
128+ GB |
128+ GB |
128+ GB |
| Two processors (two processor sockets) support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Years of product support |
5 |
5 |
10 |
10 |
5 |
| Key Features for Home Users |
| Windows Mail |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Calendar |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Sidebar |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Photo Gallery—for organizing, editing, printing, and sharing photos and videos |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Themed slide shows |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows Media Player 11 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Native DVD playback |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows Media Center—for music, photos, videos, live and recorded TV, and online entertainment |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows Media Center—for recording and watching high-definition TV (U.S. and South Korea only) |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows Media Center—CableCard support (U.S. only) |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Support for Media Center Extenders, including Xbox 360 |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows Movie Maker |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Movie Maker HD |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Windows DVD Maker (Video DVD Authoring and Burning) |
|
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Games Explorer |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Updated games |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| New premium games |
|
Yes |
Yes* |
Yes* |
Yes |
| Parental Controls |
Yes |
Yes |
|
|
Yes |
| Universal game controller support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes* |
Yes* |
Yes |
| Speech Recognition |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Accessibility Settings and Ease of Access Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Key Features for Business Users |
| XPS Document support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Small Business Resources |
|
|
Yes |
Yes* |
Yes |
| Windows Fax and Scan |
|
|
Yes |
Yes* |
Yes* |
| Network and Sharing Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Network Diagnostics and troubleshooting |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved wireless networking |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Wireless network provisioning |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved peer networking |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved VPN support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved power management |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Simultaneous SMB peer network connections |
5 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
| Windows HotStart |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Mobility Center |
Partial |
Partial |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sync Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Offline Folder support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Tablet PC with integrated pen/digital ink input |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Tablet PC touch screen support |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Tablet PC handwriting recognition improvements |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Tablet PC usability and navigation improvements |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows SideShow |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Meeting Space |
View only |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved file and folder sharing |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ad hoc backup and recovery of user files and folders |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Scheduled backup of user files |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Backup of user files to a network device |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Key Features for IT Professionals |
| System image–based backup and recovery |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Encrypting File System |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Desktop deployment tools for managed networks |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Policy-based quality of service for networking |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Rights Management Services (RMS) Client |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Control over installation of device drivers |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Network Access Protection Client Agent |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Pluggable logon authentication architecture |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Support for simultaneous installation of multiple user interface languages |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
All worldwide user interface languages
(36 languages total) available |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Subsystem for UNIX-based applications |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Application Compatibility features |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| File-based image format (WIM) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
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Products 