# Windows XP? Home or Office? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 24, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639 "2002-12-24T00:49:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/1 "2002-12-24T00:49:59Z")
Looking at new computers and can’t really find a good explaination of the differences between the home and office version of this particular operating system. Situation: small, home-based business. Advice? ---
**Author:** ![Hail\_Ants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/dc4da7/32.png) [@Hail\_Ants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hail_Ants)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/2 "2002-12-24T01:00:25Z")
Actually the two are XP Home and XP **Professional**. Office is the set of apps (Word, Excel etc.) [Here’s some info from Microsoft…](http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/pro/howtobuy/choosing.asp) ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/3 "2002-12-24T01:39:20Z")
Home is fine for a stand alone computer, Professional might be needed if it is networked in certain ways like if it is networked to a win 98 computer with password protected harddrives. With pro you can enter the password once, with home you will have to enter the password several times, sometimes in the middle of doing something. For my usage I think home should do it but I have that situation above and it is a royal PITA but I dont’ want to drop password protection. ---
**Author:** ![WillGolfForFood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/82dd89/32.png) [@WillGolfForFood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillGolfForFood)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/4 "2002-12-24T02:00:15Z")
I believe that you need XP Pro if you’re networking to Microsoft domain controllers. That situation normally doesn’t apply to home-based businesses (if you don’t know what a domain controller is, then you don’t have one). ---
**Author:** ![Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rex_fenestrarum/32/7265_2.png) [@Rex\_Fenestrarum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rex_Fenestrarum)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/5 "2002-12-24T02:43:40Z")
Biggest differences: XP Home cannot logon to a NT\2000 domain, XP Home does not support multi-processor (SMP) computers, and XP Home does not support Remote Desktop. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/6 "2002-12-24T02:43:47Z")
Thank you all for your informational replies and the link. (I looked all over for that darn page, knew there had to be one). Looks like I just need the home version. I love this board! ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 7:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/7 "2002-12-24T07:25:07Z")
No you don’t. You want to get the Pro edition. ---
**Author:** ![Maxxxie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f14d63/32.png) [@Maxxxie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maxxxie)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 1:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/8 "2002-12-24T13:21:24Z")
Bare, I totally agree with Urban Ranger. Don’t waste your money on the Home edition. It’s a watered-down piece of crap. If you’re a gamer, _maybe_ Home would be ok. You said you’re using this for business - go with Professional. Max 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/9 "2002-12-24T15:23:53Z")
My $0.02 is that because of the reentering of passwords that I must do I would really like pro, but I don’t feel it is worth the extra 100. I would rather be pissed as M for not including this feature in the home edition then be pissed at M$ for having me spend $100 for a feature that should be included. Perhaps just go for pro and just be pissed at the extra $100 if starting from scratch. Then again if this is a stand alone computert (not networked, or very simply networked like occationally to a laptop) then home should be more then enough. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/10 "2002-12-24T15:39:57Z")
MS has a $75 rebate if you choose XP Pro instead when you buy a new computer. I read Pro only has a little bit more code, but they sure make some dough on it. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/11 "2002-12-24T16:55:11Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*No you don’t. You want to get the Pro edition. \*\* Are you the Pope of some religion and we should take your word blindly? The OP asks for differences between the two and your post contributes nothing. It would be much better if you could tell us what you know and let us decide what we want. ---
**Author:** ![Urban\_Ranger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e9c0ed/32.png) [@Urban\_Ranger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Urban_Ranger)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/12 "2002-12-24T17:26:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > My $0.02 is that because of the reentering of passwords that I must do I would really like pro, but I don’t feel it is worth the extra 100. I would rather be pissed as M for not including this feature in the home edition then be pissed at M$ for having me spend $100 for a feature that should be included. > > Perhaps just go for pro and just be pissed at the extra $100 if starting from scratch. Then again if this is a stand alone computert (not networked, or very simply networked like occationally to a laptop) then home should be more then enough. AFAIK, the Pro and Home edition have the same code base, except that the Home edition gets castrated. Many people I know regreted that they didn’t fork out for the Pro edition and now they are jumping through hoops trying to do things on their computer. Not a pretty sight, but funny to see all these people cursing Bill Gates out. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/13 "2002-12-24T17:39:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Urban Ranger \* > \*\*AFAIK, the Pro and Home edition have the same code base, except that the Home edition gets castrated. \*\* **Urban Ranger** , again this is not helpful. If what got castrated is something I don’t need then I am saving money by not buying it. Can you please give some facts which may allow the readers to make up their own minds? This is the forum for factual answers not for opinions. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/14 "2002-12-24T18:07:31Z")
Too late, too late, the die is cast and the computer has been ordered to take advantage of the free shipping deadline. In my particular case the home version will do just fine it seems as it is a stand alone machine. No offense **Sailor** , but **Urban Ranger** has shared more information in this thread than you have with your sniping and it probably won’t matter for future searchers in the archives because the search function wouldn’t let me search XP because it is only two letters long. Thanks again everyone, and you too **Sailor** for doing your part in policing General Questions. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/15 "2002-12-24T18:18:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bare \* > No offense **Sailor** , but **Urban Ranger** has shared more information in this thread than you have with your sniping You got it backwards. I do not have information to share or I _would_ share it. I have an interest in this issue as I am considering the same question and I am looking for factual answers. **Urban Ranger** has not contributed anything I find helpful in my decision. He is telling us _his_ preference but not _what_ is the factual difference between the two XPs and that is what I would find helpful. Knowing he dislikes one or the other does not help me at all. My post was asking him for further information but I guess he just wants everybody to take his word that what he likes is what we shall like. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/16 "2002-12-24T18:24:55Z")
Gotchaya. Obviously I didn’t understand. ---
**Author:** ![kanicbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kanicbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kanicbird)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/17 "2002-12-24T18:29:09Z")
> [@](#): > > but funny to see all these people cursing Bill Gates out. And I’m sure that is exactly what M$ wants their customers to do. My vote for **sailor** as honary mod. (ment as a complement, even though we disagree on how dryers work 😉 ) ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/18 "2002-12-24T18:33:14Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by k2dave \* > \*\*And I’m sure that is exactly what M$ wants their customers to do. > > My vote for **sailor** as honary mod. (ment as a complement, even though we disagree on how dryers work 😉 ) \*\* Did you mean honorary or ornery? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [December 24, 2002, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-home-or-office/144639/19 "2002-12-24T18:34:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by bare \* > \*\*Did you mean honorary or ornery? \*\* He’s two, two, _two_ mods in one!