CompTIA A_ Certification All-In-One Exam Guide, Seventh Edition - Michael Meyers [40]
The ability to log on to a Windows domain A Windows Home PC may log into any single Windows server, but you must have a user name and password on every single server. With a domain, you can have one user name and password that works on all computers that are members of the domain.
Encrypting file system With Windows XP Professional, you can encrypt a file or a folder so that only you can read it. Windows XP Home edition lacks this feature.
Support for multiple processors Windows XP Home does not support more than one physical CPU. Windows XP Professional supports two separate CPUs.
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NOTE CPU support is based on physical CPUs, not the number of cores in a single CPU. See Chapter 5, “Microprocessors,” for details on multi-core CPUs.
Support for Remote Desktop A Windows XP Professional PC may be remotely accessed from another computer by using the Remote Desktop (Figure 4-7). You cannot access a Windows XP Home system in this fashion.
Figure 4-7 Remote Desktop
Support for NTFS Access Control The NTFS file system is capable of powerful controls on what users may do to a file or folder. Windows XP Home doesn’t give you the ability to control these NTFS permissions individually. When you look at the properties of a file or folder in Windows XP Home, you’ll notice that there is no Security tab. Instead, Windows XP Home’s Sharing tab (Figure 4-8) shows that only one folder, the Shared Documents folder, is open for sharing—very different from XP Professional.
Support for group policies Do you need to keep users from using a certain program? Do you want to prevent them from changing the screensaver? What do you want to do if they try to log in three times unsuccessfully? That’s the job of group polices. Well, if you want this level of control on your system, get Windows XP Professional, because XP Home doesn’t support them. Group policies are discussed in Chapter 26, “Securing Computers.”
Figure 4-8 Windows XP Home Sharing tab
A few more differences exist between Windows XP Professional and XP Home, but these are the ones you’re most likely to run into. Basically, if you want serious control of the folders, files, users, and network, you need XP Professional.
Windows XP Media Center
Microsoft Media Center is a specialized XP version that includes the very handy Windows Media Center program (Figure 4-9). Media Center is a Personal Video Recorder (PVR) program that enables you to watch and record television (you’ll need a TV tuner card) and organize all of your media, from photos to music.
On the Microsoft Media Center Web site, Microsoft declares that the Windows XP Microsoft Media Center edition is based on Windows XP Professional; however, other than the Media Center program, Windows XP Media Center’s capabilities are identical to those of Windows XP Home.
Windows Vista
Even though Windows 7 is available, Windows Vista is the latest version of Windows on the current CompTIA A+ exams. It’s important to recognize Vista and know what choices you have when deciding which version of Vista you need for a particular PC. Windows has a number of versions of Vista, each geared toward a particular market segment. Let’s look at the most common versions of Vista.
Windows Vista Home Basic
Windows Vista Home Basic is roughly equivalent to Windows XP Home. Microsoft gears it to home users not needing more advanced multimedia support.
Figure 4-9 Microsoft Media Center
Windows Vista Home Premium
Windows Vista Home Premium (Figure 4-10) is the same as Windows Vista Home Basic, but it adds an upgraded Windows Media Center PVR application, similar to the one found in Windows XP Media Center.
Windows Vista Business
Windows Vista Business is the basic business version and has all the security, file-sharing, and access controls seen in Windows XP Professional.
Windows Vista Ultimate
Windows Vista Ultimate combines all of the features