Microsoft Windows XP Pro and Microsoft XP Home comparison

Windows XP Professional gives you all the benefits of Windows XP Home Edition, plus additional remote access, security, performance, manageability and multi-lingual features that make it the operating system of choice for businesses of all sizes and people who demand the most out of their computing experience.

Windows XP Professional

Designed for businesses of all sizes and for home users who demand the most from their computing experience, Windows XP Professional delivers the new standard in reliability and performance. It includes all the great features and new visual design of Windows XP Home Edition, plus premier security and privacy features, advanced recovery options, improved ability to connect to large networks, and much more.

Windows XP Home

Experience more than you thought possible with your home computer and the Internet. Windows XP Home Edition brings dependability and simplicity to your personal computer. It includes a cleaner, more intuitive visual design, advanced digital media features that make working with digital photographs or playing digital music simple and fun, and many new Windows experiences to explore.

The features in XP Home and XP Pro

• New user interface - makes it easy to find what you need when you need it.
• A reliable foundation you can count on – keeps your computer up and running when you need it most.
• Windows Media Player for Windows XP - single place for finding, playing, organizing, & storing digital media.
• Network Setup Wizard - easily connect & share the computers and devices in your home.
• Windows Messenger – the ultimate communications & collaboration tool with instant messaging, voice and video conferencing, and application sharing.
• Help & Support Center - easy to recover from problems and get help and support when you need it.
• Premier mobile support, providing access to information while you're on the go
  Advanced laptop support (incl. ClearType support, DualView, power management improvements) - so you get as much work done while you are on the road as while you are in the office.
• Wireless connections - automatic 802.1x wireless network configuration.
• Internet Connection Firewall - automatically shields your PC from unauthorized access when you're on the Internet.
• Internet Explorer 6 privacy support - maintain control over your personal information when visiting Web sites.
• Single Worldwide Binary - enter text in any language and run any language version of Win32 applications on any language version of Windows XP
• Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on - change the user interface language to get localized dialog boxes, menus, help files, dictionaries, and proofing tools etc.
  
  

Feature only available in XP Pro

• Remote Desktop – remotely access your Windows XP Professional PC, from another Windows PC, so you can work with all of your data and applications while away from your office.
• Offline Files and Folders - access to files & folders on a network share when disconnected from the server.
• Scalable processor support – up to two-way multi-processor support.
• Encrypting File System - protects sensitive data in files that are stored on disk using the NTFS file system.
• Access Control – restrict access to selected files, applications, and other resources.
  Designed to work with Microsoft Windows Servers and management solutions
• Centralized administration - join Windows XP Professional systems to a Windows Server domain to take advantage of the full range of powerful management and security tools.
• Group Policy - simplifies the administration of groups of users or computers.
• Software Installation and Maintenance – automatically install, configure, repair, or remove software applications.
  Roaming User Profiles - access to all your documents and settings no matter where you log on.
• Remote Installation Service (RIS) – support for remote operating system installations where desktops can be installed across the network.