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Windows 7 Product Editions: A Comparison
Back in February, I wrote an article, Windows 7 Product Editions, in which I discussed the various SKUs (stock keeping units, or product editions) that Microsoft would provide with its next operating system. Now, with nearly fully-functional versions of each product edition available to the public, I thought I'd provide a series of tables comparing each Windows 7 product editon, similar in scope to the work I did documenting Windows Vista.
I believe these tables will help you pick which Windows 7 product edition makes the most sense for you, based on your needs and wants. Let's dive right in.
Note: This set of tables has been updated for the final, shipping versions of Windows 7. Unlike similar comparisons, these tables were generated using not by simply observering each product edition, but also by using Microsoft's internal reporting mechanisms to determine exactly which features are, in fact, available in each version. For this reason, I can reasonably state that this is the most complete and accurate list of Windows 7 features anywhere. That said, I'm still human and could have made mistakes transcribing the information. If you see anything wrong or missing, or would like to see a certain feature added, please contact me.
Finding what you need
Availability
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Retail packaging |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Ult. only |
| Can purchase electronically |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Ult. only |
| Pricing: Full version |
|
|
$199.99 |
$299.99 |
$319.99 (Ult) |
| Pricing: Upgrade version |
|
|
$119.99 |
$199.99 |
$219.99 (Ult.) |
| Bundled with new PCs in major markets |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Ult. only |
| Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
|
| WAU pricing/To Home Premium |
$79.99 |
$79.99 |
|
|
|
| WAU pricing/To Professional |
|
$114.99 |
$89.99 |
|
|
| WAU pricing/To Ultimate |
$164.99 |
$164.99 |
$139.99 |
$129.99 |
|
| Virtualization rights (Can be installed in a virtual environment) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
User interface features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Windows Basic UI |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Standard UI |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Aero UI ("Glass") |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Aero Peek |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Aero Snaps |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Aero Shake |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Aero Background |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Libraries |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Flip |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Flip 3D |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Live Taskbar Previews |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Live Preview (Explorer) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Jump Lists |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Search |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Security features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| More granular UAC |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Action Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Defender |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Firewall |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| IE 8 Protected Mode and DEP support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Update (can access Microsoft Update) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Fast User Switching |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Parental Controls |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Performance features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Windows ReadyDrive |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows ReadyBoost |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| SuperFetch |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| 64-bit processor support |
No |
No |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Physical processor support |
1 |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
| Processor core support |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
Unlimited |
| Max RAM (32-bit) |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
4 GB |
| Max RAM (64-bit) |
n/a |
n/a |
16 GB |
192 GB |
192 GB |
Reliability features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Windows Backup |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| System image |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Problem Steps Recorder |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Backup to network |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Encrypting File System (EFS) |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| BitLocker |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| BitLocker To Go |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| Automatic hard disk defragmentation |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Previous Versions |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Create and attach (mount) VHD |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Bundled applications
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Internet Explorer 8 |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Gadgets and Gallery |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Games Explorer with basic games (FreeCell, Hearts, Minesweeper, Purble Palace, Solitaire, Spider Solitaire) |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Premium games (Internet Backgammon, Internet Checkers, Internet Spades, Mahjong Titans) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Calculator |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Paint |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Snipping Tool |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sticky Notes |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Journal |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Fax and Scan |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows PowerShell and ISE |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| WordPad |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| XPS Viewer |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Digital media and devices
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Windows Photo Viewer |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Basic photo slide shows |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Media Player 12 with Play To |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Media Player Remote Media Experience |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| MPEG-2 decoding |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Dolby Digital compatibility |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| AAC and H.264 decoding |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| DVD playback |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Can install MPEG-2 (DVD playback) add-in |
Yes |
Yes |
n/a |
n/a |
n/a |
| Windows Media Center |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Number of TV tuners supported |
|
|
4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.) |
4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.) |
4 of each type (analog, digital, etc.) |
| Windows DVD Maker |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Device Stage |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sync Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Networking features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| SMB connections |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
20 |
| Network and Sharing Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| HomeGroup sharing |
Join only |
Join only |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Ad-hoc network create and join |
Yes |
Yes, but accessible only via Start Menu Search |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Improved power management |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Connect to a Projector |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Remote Desktop |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Remote Desktop Host |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| IIS Web Server |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| RSS support |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Internet Connection Sharing |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Network Bridge |
Yes |
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Offline files |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Mobility features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Windows Mobility Center |
Yes (No presentation mode) |
|
Yes (No presentation mode) |
Yes |
Yes |
| Windows Sideshow (Auxilliary display) |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Sync Center |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Tablet PC functionality |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Multi-Touch support |
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Enterprise features
| |
Home Basic |
Starter |
Home Premium |
Professional |
Enterprise & Ultimate |
| Domain join (Windows Server) |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| XP Mode licensed |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| AppLocker |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| Boot from VHD |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| BranchCache |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| DirectAccess |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| Federated Search (Enterprise Search Scopes) |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Language Packs |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
| Location-aware printing |
|
|
|
Yes |
Yes |
| Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications |
|
|
|
|
Yes |
--Paul Thurrott
March 30, 2009
Updated March 31, 2009; April 26, 2009; May 29, 2009; June 27, 2009; August 1, 2009; August 7, 2009; November 11, 2009
Updated for the final shipping version of Windows 7 on July 28, 2009
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Find out more
Read more about the differences between the various Windows 7
product editions in my article, Windows 7 Product Editions.
Related Reading: Windows 7
Windows 7: Need to know
Review
Product Editions Comparison
Product Editions Overview
Windows 7 Tip of the Week
Availability
Pricing
FAQ
Screenshots
Install and upgrade guides
Windows 7 Clean Install Screens
Upgrading to Windows 7: Intro
Upgrade from XP to Windows 7
Upgrade from Vista to Windows 7
Clean Install with Upgrade Media
Windows 7 Upgrade Scenarios
Windows 7 Deployment
Windows 7 features
** Windows 7 Feature Focus **
Microsoft Security Essentials
Windows Live Movie Maker
Windows 7 Features in WHS PP3
Internet Explorer 8
Windows 7 Play To
Windows 7 Device Stage
Windows 7 Multi-Touch Shots
Windows 7 Multi-Touch
Media Center: Netflix, Internet TV
The Windows 7 Netbook Experience
Activation Technologies Update
Commentary
Windows 7: Mark Russinovich
Best Tech of 2009: Windows 7
A Look at the Windows 7 Ads
Is Windows 7 Enterprise Ready?
Making the Business Case: Win7
The Fat Lady Sings
Windows 7: The New NT?
Windows 7 Starter
Windows 7: Windows Touch
Rescue Me: Win7 Compatibility
When Should Business Deploy 7?
Windows 7: Choice is Good
Windows 7: Simple vs. Easy
Windows 7: What's In A Name?
Shipping Seven
Part 1: January 2008
Part 2: April 2008
Part 3: Microsoft Speaks
Part 4: Pre-PDC Presentation
Part 5: From M3 to Beta
Part 6: Public Beta
Windows 7: Past, Present & Future
Windows 7 vs. Snow Leopard
Part 1: Oh, It's On!
More soon...
Windows 7 Secrets
I don't just know Windows 7, I wrote the book! Check out my latest book, Windows 7 Secrets!
But wait, there's more!
Visit my Windows 7 Activity Center to view every Windows 7 article I've ever published, dating back to 2007. And check out my Windows 7 posts on the SuperSite Blog!
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