XP home vs XP pro

[NoctisReitop]

I'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm planning to build a new system here in the next few days, and it seems I've forgotten my XP cd, 200 miles away. It'll be next month before I even see that cd again. SO: I'd feel pretty worthless if I had to buy another OEM home basic XP...

My question: What's the practical difference between XP home and XP Pro??? I was browsing the M$ website, and I became utterly flustered with all of the pseudo-differences and all that jargon that they like to describe their products as.

The other option is Vista, but it seems that the general consensus is to wait another 6-12 months. I don't really feel like digging up the xp/vista debate, for that's been done over and over... I'm sorry if the xp home/pro has been done too; I didn't find any info for the bit I looked. Let me know what you guys think.

[Jokerswild]

Here's a guide from Microsoft showing the differences.

Windows XP Home Edition Comparison Guide

[Carl Martin]

Life span of the product may also be of importance. I'm not sure what the differences in support level mean, but in January MS announced that XP Pro will be supported through 2014. XP Home will have "Mainstream Support" through 2009, and "Extended Support five years beyond that.

I suspect, however, that given the number of businesses and government agencies that now use XP Pro and have no real interest in Vista, some form of support for Pro will continue beyond 2014.

Having used all three XP versions, my preference is Pro.

Carl

[NoctisReitop]

What makes Pro your preference?

[Carl Martin]

Better networking, better security and access control for multiple users, file encryption, remote desktop, NTFS file system (for better stability)... oh, and a screen saver that says "Windows XP Professional" that will impress even those who don't know Windows from The Doors.

[Dread]

For me the biggest difference is the additional networking in Pro.

[One4yu2c]

Originally Posted by NoctisReitop

The other option is Vista, but it seems that the general consensus is to wait another 6-12 months.

Very true, as XP owners will not see much benefit in upgrading at present. The main benefit is DirectX 10 compliance, but the games just aren't here yet.

However, the keyword there is upgrade. While there's no pressing need for existing XP owners to make the investment, for new builds, we generally recommend jumping to Vista from the start. And especially in your situation where you own XP, but have to wait a month before having access to it, purchasing another copy (Professional or otherwise) would seem redundant.

[Yellowhello]

I only have experience with Pro, so that's the only one I can recommend.

[gvblake22]

I thought the NTFS was a basic feature of any Windows XP version?

[Jokerswild]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

I thought the NTFS was a basic feature of any Windows XP version?

It is as far as I know. My XP home had NTSF file system.