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Difference Between Windows 8 And Windows 8 Pro

Last Updated on October 7, 2020 by admin 4 Comments

As some of you know, Windows 8 comes in four editions: Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro, Enterprise, and Windows 8 RT. While Windows 8, Windows 8 Pro and Enterprise are for traditional PCs, the other edition Windows 8 RT is designed for tablets that run on ARM chips.

Computer users who plan to install Windows 8 on a desktop or laptop need to choose an edition between just two: Windows 8 and Windows 8 Pro.

Windows 8 vs Windows 8 Pro

If you are going to use your PC at home, it’s highly likely you want the Windows 8 edition. It’s the basic edition of Windows 8 (compared to Pro) but includes every feature present in Windows 8 Pro edition except BitLocker and BitLocker To Go, Group Policy, Domain Join, Client Hyper-V, Encrypting File System, and Remote Desktop (host).

So, if you are a home user and don’t need above mentioned advanced features, Windows 8 is the ideal edition for you. The only catch is that none of Windows 8 editions include Windows Media Center program by default and only Windows 8 Pro edition users will be able to purchase and install Media center add-on. That is, if you can’t live without Windows Media Center, you need the Pro edition to purchase and install the Media Center add-on. Users of Windows 8 edition can, of course, install third-party media center programs such as the XBMC.

The other edition, Windows 8 Pro is designed for tech enthusiasts and business/technical professional users. This edition includes all the features in Windows 8 plus some advanced features such as Client Hyper-V, Group Policy, and Domain Join.

And the best thing is that users running any edition of Windows 7 (Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium, Professional & Ultimate) can upgrade to Windows 8 or Windows 8 Pro without losing files, installed programs, and Windows settings.  While upgrading from XP and Vista are also supported, XP & Vista users won’t be able to bring along installed programs. You can check out our upgrading from XP, Vista, & Windows 7 to Windows 8 guide for more details on the upgrade options.

Check out the official chart detailing the key differences:

Difference Between Windows & Windows 8 Pro Editions

In simple words, go for Windows 8 edition if you are upgrading from Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, or Home Premium edition, and chose Windows 8 Pro if you’re coming from Professional or Ultimate edition.

Filed Under: Windows 8 Tagged: Windows 8, Windows 8 Tips

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Comments

  1. kiyani king says

    March 29, 2015 at 11:50 am

    my window8 Elite have no sound why

  2. Peter says

    April 15, 2013 at 9:50 am

    Our new computer came with Win 8 basic. We want to go back to Win 7 Pro 64-bit and install from previously purchased disk. Can you advise if there would be problems? We have made recovery disks today just in case?
    Thanks

  3. ZeroInfinite says

    January 5, 2013 at 3:39 pm

    You can get Windows Media Centre free from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/feature-packs
    Until 31 Jan 2013

  4. Andrew says

    October 19, 2012 at 6:28 am

    Simply and perfectly explained. Thanks!

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