Microsoft recommends Windows XP Professional for the education environment. Windows XP Home Edition is a limited subset of Windows XP Professional and does not take advantage of the extended capabilities around desktop management, mobility and multi-processor support. Windows XP Professional includes ALL of the benefits of Home Edition plus: Greater security, including the ability to encrypt your files and folders, to protect your sensitive data.

Windows XP Home is designed as an upgrade for Windows 9x/Me and therefore ships with the same type of consumer features found in Windows Me. The biggest difference is processor support: Windows XP Home will support only one processor, while Professional supports two. I have a full and detailed list available regarding the differences between the two editions available, however: Use this showcase to determine which version is for you.

Yes, both Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional have the built-in Internet Connection Firewall. The steps to turn on the firewall are identical. You might not be logged on as an administrator. You must be logged on as an administrator to turn on Internet Connection Firewall. When you first set up your Windows XP computer, the procedure guides you through the process of establishing an administrator account and password.

Windows Server 2003 x64 Editions and Windows XP Professional x64 Edition were introduced with the release of Windows Server 2003 SP1, all sharing a common codebase. It is this common codebase that allows SP2 to provide updates to all versions of Windows Server 2003 and the Windows XP Professional x64 Edition. In August 2004, Windows XP Service Pack 2 was released for the x86 editions of Windows XP.

MBSA does not flag local user accounts with blank passwords for computers running Windows XP using simple file sharing (includes computers running Windows XP Home Edition and computers running Windows XP Professional that are not joined to a domain and that have simple file sharing enabled). By default, these computers do not allow accounts with blank passwords to log on to the computer remotely over the network or for any other logon activity except at the main console logon screen.

No. You're only allowed to install it on one computer. You will be unable to activate XP on the other computer. You have to purchase additional licenses to install it on more than 1 computer. Every time my PC boots up, it takes about 2 minutes for the Network connections submenu in the Start, Settings menu to expand! Disable "Obtain IP Address Automatically" for the local area network connection.

Students living in the residence halls (Towers, Dadisman, Boreman, Arnold, Stalnaker, Pierpont, and Summit) should have Windows XP Professional for security reasons for connection to ResNet, WVU's Residental Network (internet connection). Windows XP Professional is much more reliable. Windows XP Media Center Edition is not recommended. Windows XP Professional was built to operate in a business-like environment utilitizing network technology such as ethernet and wireless connectivity.

Access your digital media anywhere in the home with Windows Media Center Extender devices, using your Media Center PC as your entertainment hub. Or go mobile with Portable Media Center running Windows Mobile software and enjoy high-quality digital video, recorded TV, movies, music, and photos—anywhere, anytime.

Windows XP Home Edition does not support any version of IIS and cannot be made to run IIS by any reliable method. Windows XP Home Edition was not designed to be a development platform for Web-based applications. Upgrading to Windows XP Professional will allow you to install IIS 5.1 on your system so you can develop with ASP.Net. IIS 5.

Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005, available preinstalled on Media Center PCs, allows you to pause and rewind live TV or radio, digitally record an entire TV series or program category, watch DVDs and videos, organize and play your music collection, and showcase digital photos. Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 makes it easier to access digital entertainment wherever you are. Here are some of the top features:

The only environment Microsoft intends for business use is now XP-Processional which is the latest release of Windows NT (2000). We encourage you to use Windows 2000 or XP-Professional. Some computer sales people, and even some uninformed technicians will recommend XP-Home but they don't know the strenuous demands an insurance office places on Windows.

Windows XP Professional include unlike Home Edition the follow features: SMP support, Roaming user profiles, Remote desktop, Access control, Encrypting file system, Offline files and folders, Remote installation service, Windows server domain support, Group policy, Software installation and maintenance, and Multi-lingual user interface support (add-on).

Yes. You can upgrade to Windows XP Professional from Windows 98, Windows 98SE, Windows ME, Windows NT 4.0 Workstation, Windows 2000 Professional, and Windows XP Home Edition.

No, however you can upgrade from Windows XP Home Edition to Windows XP Professional to get Remote Desktop. You can use Windows XP Home Edition as the client for accessing your Windows XP Professional computer running Remote Desktop.

It is better to uninstall Home edition saving all the data you need but Windows Professional may work adequately even if you don't. Though we will strongly recommend you to remove the operational system you originally had. Please, read Abode Installation Requirements. You need to have at least Windows 2000 to be able to install it. Even though you are not able to register the product online you will be able to receive automatic updates of the programs.

Microsoft did a very good job of splitting the two versions, and making sure that one group doesn't need the features of the other flavor of XP. The only issue I can see i Microsoft did a very good job of splitting the two versions, and making sure that one group doesn't need the features of the other flavor of XP. The only issue I can see is the multi-processor support you get from the Pro version, and if it will affect gaming. Click here to read Microsoft's comparison of the two.

No, Microsoft desktop operating systems (including Windows XP and Windows 2000 Professional) do not have a built-in Terminal Services CAL. For Windows 2000 Terminal Servers, the license server issues machines running Windows 2000/Windows XP Professional a "free" Terminal Services CAL from its built-in pool (and its use is permitted under the Windows 2000 Server EULA).

Localized versions are now available for Australia, Austria, China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Korea, Netherlands, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

Yes. Windows XP includes a technology called WPA (discussed above), which enforces a license Microsoft has been using for years (that is, you're supposed to buy one copy of Windows for each computer). However, there are ways in which you can minimize your costs. If you only need Home Edition, and you qualify for the upgrade version, buy two copies of that. Or use Microsoft's new Additional Family License (AFL) option to get 8 to 12 percent off the cost of the second installation.

Not legally, and I won't tell you how it can be done. The official policy is that each computer needs its own individual copy of the software.

Staff can obtain the ISO or ZIP image of Windows XP Professional from the network distribution site. Upon download, staff will receive a welcome email that contains the product key for installation.

There are several differences between Windows XP Home and Windows XP Pro. The main differences are that Windows XP Pro is better for networking as it has more features. For a full comparison of the differences, please click here.

No, Windows XP SP1 is already included in Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and Windows XP Media Center Edition.

Note that doing any of the below will erase all data in your hard disk! You can boot from a Windows 9x boot disk, reformat the XP partition and install a previous version of Windows. If XP is installed using NTFS file system, you'll first have to use FDISK to delete the partition, type FDISK at the prompt. Once you are at the menu, select "Delete Non-dos Partition.

Use the Unlocker utility. This file will unlock all file handles on the file/folder and even offer to delete it for you before the program locks it again!