Windows7How

Windows 7 Editions

August 19, 2009

An adequate edition, even for the choosy ones

10 or 15 years ago, it was so simple to purchase a Windows operating system. You go to a store, or order it online, and that was it! No different editions of the same version and no various options depending on whether the edition was meant for developed countries or otherwise. On the other hand, though, everyone had to pay for just one, universal version, that is, to pay for features they may never need. This is why Microsoft started releasing two versions of the XP operating system; one for the home users, the other for the professional. And then Vista came with all its editions, for home users or advanced, for individuals or companies, with additional visual and system functions and a lot more. Because of this, a lot of users had trouble deciding the right edition for them. They were unsure of what was included into the many versions. If, after the purchasing of the edition, they were not satisfied with the included features, they had to purchase another edition, in a way change Vista for Vista and at the same time risk losing a feature that was not included into the more advanced edition. And, as many times before, Windows 7 comes to the rescue. It will be distributed in several editions, each edition targeted for a particular group of users. All of the editions will include the necessary features for that group of users.

Windows 7 Starter Edition is the most basic edition targeted for notebooks that will be mostly used for browsing the internet and managing basic tasks. This is why, in this edition you can perform up to three tasks at the most. From the new features, only the taskbar and the possibility for Homegroup are included.

Windows 7 Home Basic is a very intriguing edition. This version will not be distributed on the markets of well developed west European countries, USA, Canada, or Australia. It is targeted for the users in the fast developing countries such as: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia and so on. Compared to the Starters edition, there are not a lot of differences except for some visual improvements, plus the possibility for live preview of the content of the taskbar window, internet sharing and so on.

Windows 7 Home Premium, according to Microsoft, is one of the two possible options, which could satisfy the needs of the most home users. This edition has a full support of the aero effects, entering commands through a touchscreen and recognizing handwriting. You can create a Homegroup, and thanks to the many multimedia features and support, you will be able to play and create audio and video files.

Windows 7 Professional is an edition for advanced home users or small companies. Besides the options from the Home Premium edition, you have the Remote desktop feature at your disposal, the encryption methods for better protection of sensitive data, and modes (presentation and Windows XP mode). This edition and the Home Premium one, according to Microsoft, should satisfy 90% of the home users’ needs.

Windows 7 Enterprise is edition for the big corporations and it cannot be purchased individually. Only corporations that request a huge number of licenses through the Microsoft Software Assurance will be able to use this edition. For better security of sensitive data, Enterprise will be equipped with BitLocker drive encryption, and multilingual support.

Windows 7 Ultimate, as the name implies, is the ultimate edition that will offer the power of the Enterprise package to the individual users. These features are available through the upgrade of Windows 7 Home Premium and Home Professional.

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Tags: basic, edition, enterprise, family pack, premium, professional, starter, ultimate, upgrade, version, win 7, win7, windows 7