Vel Straty Posted March 10, 2006 Share Posted March 10, 2006 I would go for the Win XP Pro.I have used quite a bit of Win Svr 2003 but mostly for a home use on a little network, I would stick with Win XP Pro because of the hassles that you have to do when converting it to a workstation.But personally, I like the server one.However, this goes for all versions of Windows, is that I hate those things that come installed along the systems bought at stores / places. You know those useless progs that just clogs up the system. Trying to uninstall those just wastes your tie considerably. (but if its work, and you get payed by the amount of time that you spend, then we all have to like those useless programs!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripken204 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 right now i would say xp pro, until more drivers are out i would say 64bitnow to reply to my comment from over a year ago, x64 is the best. its so fast, its based off of server 2003, all my devices/hardware works just fine. i higly recommend it over the 32bit windows. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Googler24022 Posted July 25, 2006 Share Posted July 25, 2006 What does Xp pro have to offer over the Home version? I know it has such things as gpedit and other little nick nacks but is that all the difference is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DakotaSunRunner Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Hi,I use windows XP sp2 windows media center edition. I like it, have had no real problems with it and does all I want it too. I run a Intel Pentium D processor 3.0 Ghz with a gig of ram. All seems to be working well, I cannot find anything wrong with windowsXP media center at all, in fact, I find it to be a very good OS.Everyone has their own ideas I guess of what is best, but all in all, if the OS works and does a good job for you, then that is all that is necessary. People have been discussing and argueing for years now which is the best OS and if asked of 10 different people, you will get 10 differents opinions and ideas of what they think is best.The worst system on earth that microsoft ever made ( I have been a computer technician for 10 years now ) was Windows ME, but even then, you will find people who think it is great. In time I shall change over to 64 bit, but I see no reason to do that right now as there would not be a plentiful real benefit to it. Just my opinions of course, Dakota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ideas Man Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 That really is an open question, it does kinda depend on what the core requirement is. For home users, I still don't understand why they need pro, except that it's 'better' and Tommy the computer expert down the street has it. 90% of home users do not need anything that pro offers over home, yet still buy pro and then complain it's too expensive (go figure, would you go out and buy a top of the range sports car if all you were ever gonna do is drive down the street every day?).If you're a power user, then I'd pick Pro (I have it, and I actually USE the added functionality provided, not just to have it say 'pro' ).They all have their respective markets, if I wanted to watch telly, I'd have picked MCE, if I wanted to run a web server or any server, then I'd have picked Server 2003. See, need to be more specific. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmshah Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 (edited) I'll say that for value per dollar, XP wins the competition.Since there's no mention of price here, I'll go with 2003 server. I've got the trial version of Enterprise Edition here, and I'm blown away. I left it on for over a week before I got my new hard drive and its was absolutely rock solid. Just as fast the moment I turned it off as when I first turned it on. I've never been able to say that about XP... it's good, just not as good.The fact that DirectX 9.0c and WMP10 are built into SP1 is a nice plus too.In fact when I wanted to restart or shutdown it asked me why I wanted to do so. It would not allow me unless I provided an answer.The worst system on earth that microsoft ever made ( I have been a computer technician for 10 years now ) was Windows ME, but even then, you will find people who think it is great. DakotaI was in US visiting my daughter when it was launched & found it strange that people lined up overmight to buy the $49/= upgrade version. It was actually a half breed between 98 & 2k, basic interface of 98 but missing option of booting to dos and added device driver support. I still install it on some older low spec machines simply for its built in device driver support.I have a feeling that M$ must have been in need of a lot of cash from retail sales & came out with this half baked version. Other than this there was no justification. Edited July 26, 2006 by pmshah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmshah Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 right now i would say xp pro, until more drivers are out i would say 64bitnow to reply to my comment from over a year ago, x64 is the best. its so fast, its based off of server 2003, all my devices/hardware works just fine. i higly recommend it over the 32bit windows.You don't need x64 version windows. I have installed 32 bit xppro on a few Athon64 3200+ running at 2ghz. Everything runs so much faster as compared to Pentium IV & Athlon XPs running at substantially higher speed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ripken204 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 have u ever tried x64? its even faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prx984 Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 i like xp pro, im using it on my dell inspiron and my desktop.my dell laptop is getting quite old and showing its age with some of the plastics starting to get brittle, but it still works perfectly fine and resonably fast for its age.i dont think i will be upgrading too soon, based on the fact i have no money lol. but when i have some money i might be getting a new laptop. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shindo_Hikaru Posted July 26, 2006 Share Posted July 26, 2006 Windows XP Home Edition-New user interface - makes it easy to find what you need when you need it. -A reliable foundation you can count on – keeps your computer up and running when you need it most.-Windows Media Player for Windows XP - single place for finding, playing, organizing, & storing digital media. -Network Setup Wizard - easily connect & share the computers and devices in your home. -Windows Messenger – the ultimate communications & collaboration tool with instant messaging, voice and video conferencing, and application sharing. Help & Support Center - easy to recover from problems and get help and support when you need it. -Advanced laptop support (incl. ClearType support, DualView, power management improvements) - so you get as much work done while you are on the road as while you are in the office. -Wireless connections - automatic 802.1x wireless network configuration. -Fast start-up & power management improvements - faster boot and resume times. -Multitasking - allow multiple applications to run simultaneously. -Scalable processor support – up to two-way multi-processor support. -Keeps your data secure and maintains your privacy -Internet Connection Firewall - automatically shields your PC from unauthorized access when you're on the Internet. -Internet Explorer 6 privacy support - maintain control over your personal information when visiting Web sites. -Communicate efficiently with others around the world -Single Worldwide Binary - enter text in any language and run any language version of Win32 applications on any language version of Windows XP. -Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on - change the user interface language to get localized dialog boxes, menus, help files, dictionaries, and proofing tools etc. Windows XP Professional -New user interface - makes it easy to find what you need when you need it. -A reliable foundation you can count on – keeps your computer up and running when you need it most.-Windows Media Player for Windows XP - single place for finding, playing, organizing, & storing digital media. -Network Setup Wizard - easily connect & share the computers and devices in your home. -Windows Messenger – the ultimate communications & collaboration tool with instant messaging, voice and video conferencing, and application sharing. Help & Support Center - easy to recover from problems and get help and support when you need it. -Advanced laptop support (incl. ClearType support, DualView, power management improvements) - so you get as much work done while you are on the road as while you are in the office. -Wireless connections - automatic 802.1x wireless network configuration. -Remote Desktop – remotely access your Windows XP Professional PC, from another Windows PC, so you can work with all of your data and applications while away from your office. -Internet Information Services (IIS) version 5.1 – host your own Web site on the Internet or your intranet. -Offline Files and Folders - access to files & folders on a network share when disconnected from the server. -Fast start-up & power management improvements - faster boot and resume times. -Multitasking - allow multiple applications to run simultaneously. -Scalable processor support – up to two-way multi-processor support. -Keeps your data secure and maintains your privacy -Internet Connection Firewall - automatically shields your PC from unauthorized access when you're on the Internet. -Internet Explorer 6 privacy support - maintain control over your personal information when visiting Web sites. -Encrypting File System - protects sensitive data in files that are stored on disk using the NTFS file system. -Access Control – restrict access to selected files, applications, and other resources. -Centralized administration - join Windows XP Professional systems to a Windows Server domain to take advantage of the full range of powerful management and security tools. -Group Policy - simplifies the administration of groups of users or computers. -Software Installation and Maintenance – automatically install, configure, repair, or remove software applications. -Roaming User Profiles - access to all your documents and settings no matter where you log on. -Remote Installation Service (RIS) – support for remote operating system installations where desktops can be installed across the network. -Communicate efficiently with others around the world -Single Worldwide Binary - enter text in any language and run any language version of Win32 applications on any language version of Windows XP. -Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on - change the user interface language to get localized dialog boxes, menus, help files, dictionaries, and proofing tools etc. Of couse their more features in XP PRO, but i though i should just lay down the ground rules. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbolt 2864 Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 I would use x64, but due to imcompatibilty to software and drivers I use I'll avoid using that for the time being. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CoffeeFiend Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 (edited) I wasn't sure if the previous answer would be clear/simple enough (it just lists a bunch of features, no real comparison).Filesystem security (ACLs, users/groups, etc) are simplified in the home version. That's the biggest point against the home version IMHO (if you share files between PCs).There's also remote desktop (same thing, only if you have more than one PC and also want to remotely log onto the other one - and also that solutions like VNC aren't what you want/need, otherwise mainly irrelevant)One that's becoming a bit more problematic lately (but just a little bit) is multiprocessor support (SMP). That is multi CPU - *NOT* multi core. XP Home supports one processor only (doesn't matter if it's dual core, no problems), XP Pro supports two (regardless of # of cores). So if you're getting a dual Opteron... Go XP Pro.After that, it's mainly stuff most people won't use:-can't join domains (you know anyone who runs ActiveDirectory at home??? Obviously, no GPO either)-doesn't have IIS 5.1 (a severely crippled webserver, one ought to use the "real" thing instead)-doesn't have EFS (big deal... just use TrueCrypt!)-dynamic discs not supported (betcha you didn't even knew about those )-no automated system recovery (which is ~100% useless from what I've seen)...and a bunch of stuff we won't even bother getting into (more stuff nobody uses at home or that makes no sense whatsoever in that environment, and that non-IT folks have likely never heard of before)XP Home is good enough for most people really.As for x64... Lots of my hardware lacks 64bit drivers last I checked... And none of my PCs are 64bits anyways Next one will be a nice and fast Athlon64 X2, but right now I'm not worried about it one bit. Edited July 27, 2006 by crahak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nitroshift Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Each to its own: at home I use XP x64 (eats chunks of instructions twice as great as the x86, in theory at least) and at work I have a mixed environment - w2k3 enterprise server on the server and XP Pro x86 on the workstations. In my opinion x64 is better than x86, although one may have a hard time finding drivers... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amish Posted July 27, 2006 Share Posted July 27, 2006 Just Choose Which one is the bestThe Best have been left out: OSX, Linux, *BSD, BeOS... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wannabeguy Posted July 28, 2006 Share Posted July 28, 2006 Xp Pro all the way man ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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