# Win XP version differences (?) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 17, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013 "2006-04-17T15:38:57Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/1 "2006-04-17T15:38:57Z")
I’m looking for a notebook PC to buy for my college bound son. The online bigname seller whose name rhymes with hell lists 3 different versions of Windows XP that are available; Home, Media Center, and Pro. What are the differences? I use Home personally, and don’t have any problems with it. The big difference between Home and Pro is that Pro is going to support all of that remote software updating and system management, which is unnecessary for a home system. So, what is the Media Center edition? Home, plus extra drivers for cameras and screens? He wants his notebook to be able to support his electronic gaming, FWIW. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/2 "2006-04-17T15:49:00Z")
Well, have a look and see whether you need the Media Center features (you can read about them [here](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/mediacenter/evaluation/features.mspx)). If you don’t, it’s probably just as easy to stick with regular XP Home. Also, if you’re at all interested in anecdotal evidence, i’ve heard quite a few people complain about Media Center. In some cases, they just can’t get it to work and it messes up things like video card drivers etc. Now, it could be that this happens in only a small minority of cases, but i’ve heard enough complaints to suggest that there might be some issues. Also, there’s very little that Media Center does that can’t be done using Home, and/or using other (often free) software. I’ve only ever played with Media Center a few times, but when i did it seemed to me to be more about eye candy than about really useful extra features. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/3 "2006-04-17T15:50:57Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > So, what is the Media Center edition? Home, plus extra drivers for cameras and screens? That’s basicaly it, AFAIK–it seems to be geared toward those who want to use their PC as their TV/TiVo/home theater/video editor/etc. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/4 "2006-04-17T16:11:19Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > … What are the differences?.. I use Home personally, and don’t have any problems with it. The big difference between Home and Pro is that Pro is going to support all of that remote software updating and system management, which is unnecessary for a home system. … - - - As far as the differences between Home and Pro, the networking aspect is one of the big differences. Another big difference is that Pro supports multiple CPUs where Home does not [-though this is not as much an issue for a laptop as it might be for a desktop install-]. XP Home will support both cores of a _dual-core_ CPU, but Home will not list out the true number of cores properly–in the device manager, it will only indicate one CPU with one core. …Pro will display multiple CPUs (up to four I think) and will also correctly indicate the number of cores on each. The disadvantage to Pro on a multi-CPU machine is that (at least in many instances) Pro is licensed on a per-CPU basis. To run two CPU’s means paying for two licenses. ~ ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/5 "2006-04-17T16:15:57Z")
Some college departments may require Pro, usually for joining domains. I’d check with the college. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/6 "2006-04-17T16:37:56Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > Some college departments may require Pro, usually for joining domains. I’d check with the college. I got that one covered. I went there myself within the past couple of years, and XP Home works just dandy with the network setups there. ---
**Author:** ![yoyodyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/a9a28c/32.png) [@yoyodyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyodyne)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/7 "2006-04-17T16:58:16Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > I got that one covered. I went there myself within the past couple of years, and XP Home works just dandy with the network setups there. You still might want to check, unless he’s going for the same major you had. At my university they require every student to have a PC. Some colleges require a laptop. Some of those require Pro, and some don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Spezza](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a698b9/32.png) [@Spezza](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spezza)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/8 "2006-04-17T17:19:10Z")
> [@yoyodyne](#): > > You still might want to check, unless he’s going for the same major you had. At my university they require every student to have a PC. Some colleges require a laptop. Some of those require Pro, and some don’t. Most all universities recommend Pro - everybody seems to, I don’t know why. Regardless, unless the student is some kind of CS major there would be no reason why Home would not work. The “extras” Pro offers are generally limited to advance users, so university IT cannot/will not demand a mass of first-year students be “geeks”. Spend the extra money you would upgrading to Pro on something else… more memory, nicer monitor, etc. ---
**Author:** ![DarrenS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/977dab/32.png) [@DarrenS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DarrenS)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/9 "2006-04-17T17:34:40Z")
Microsoft page on differences between Home and Pro: [http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/home/howtobuy/choosing2.mspx) ---
**Author:** ![ZeroZero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/f04885/32.png) [@ZeroZero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZeroZero)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/10 "2006-04-17T18:08:10Z")
I have read that after 2006 Microsoft will no longer support Home version of XP, due to the impending release of VISTA. To me that is a much more concern. You need to make sure whatever you got, it will be upgradeable to VISTA, among other things make sure your RAM and memory will be enough as VISTA will be most unlike any other WINDOWS product. I don’t know if that is true, about no supporting the home version of XP, but a lot of computer magazine are quoting this as fact. MS will support the professional version of XP still ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [April 17, 2006, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/win-xp-version-differences/353013/11 "2006-04-17T18:24:10Z")
> [@ZeroZero](#): > > I have read that after 2006 Microsoft will no longer support Home version of XP, due to the impending release of VISTA. This was originally the plan, but is no longer true. According to the [Microsoft Support Lifecycle](http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-gb&x=16&y=12&C2=1173), “Mainstream support [for XP Home] will end two years after the next version of this product is released.” That is, support will end two years after Vista is released.