Windows 7 Edition Comparison

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As Windows 7 upgrade price unveiled and the RTM release getting close, it’s a good time to review what the editions Microsoft offers to Windows 7 are and what the difference between them.

There are total 5 editions Microsoft offers to Windows 7, from starter all the way up to enterprise, which pretty much covered all levels of use. Whether you are a basic home user, or IT pro, or a savvy user in large enterprise, you will find one edition that suits your needs perfectly.

Starter Edition

The edition is the one Microsoft made just for small notebook PCs, and is only available through the OEM channel on the new PCs limited to the specific types of hardware. So you can’t buy it directly from any sales channel. The features on Starter Edition are quite limited but still supports the unique features that are only available on Windows 7, such as Jump Lists, Pin, Snap, and Windows Search. If you want to enjoy more multimedia entertainment on your PC, Microsoft recommends Home Premium.

Home Premium, Professional, and Ultimate

The following comparison chart on Microsoft says pretty much clear itself.

image24 - Windows 7 Edition Comparison

Sum it up,

  • Home Premium edition doesn’t support Windows XP mode, Windows Domain, Automatic Backup, BitLocker, and multi-language.
  • Professional edition, which equals Windows XP Pro and Vista Business, doesn’t have BitLocker and not support multi-language.
  • And of course, Ultimate edition has them all.

Enterprise

Windows 7 Enterprise is the Windows 7 edition with unique technology designed to address the needs of enterprise customers, and only available through Microsoft Software Assurance Licensing. It has a few features that are not available in other editions, such as:

  1. DirectAccess
    Give mobile users seamless access to corporate networks without a need to VPN.
  2. BranchCache
    Decrease time branch office users spend waiting to download files across the network.
  3. Enterprise Search Scopes
    Find information on network locations including SharePoint sites with a simple user interface.
  4. BitLocker & BitLocker To Go
    Help protect data on PCs and removable drives, with manageability to enforce encryption and backup of recovery keys.
  5. AppLocker
    Specify what software is allowed to run on user’s PCs through centrally managed, but flexible, Group Policies.
  6. Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI) Optimizations
    Improved user experience for VDI with multimon and microphone support. Plus the ability to reuse virtual machine (VHD) images to boot a physical PC.
  7. Multi Lingual User Interface
    Create a single operating system (OS) image for deployment to users worldwide.

See the other benefits Enterprise edition offers here.

If you haven’t tried the RC release, you can download it now and use it one year for free until June 1, 2010. And if you already tried and liked it, you better hurry upgrading now for half the price for all editions. The deal expires on July 11.

6 COMMENTS

  1. in others words, the windows 7 ultimate don't have more than i need with professional edition if i use English language and i cant protect my file with other software???

  2. Profession edition does look good enough in most of cases, only when BitLock and VHD boot are needed. @wporras, you raised a pretty good point that I guess MS thinks using BitLock to secure files isn't something that regular users will do.

    Cheers.

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