what the main difference for which we must choose the particular version of windows XP

PRO

MEDIA

HOME

I didn't found any between media and Pro except one folder in system32

something like ehome or just like

home edition (pro has all this):

cant join domain

supports only simple file sharing (no ntfs/print permissions)

no dynamic disks

no EFS

only 1 cpu (pro can use 2)

no IIS

no remote desktop

no support for RIS

as far as MCE, is it supposed to intergrate well with home entertainment systems whatever that means. from what ive seen its basically the same as home edition with a alot of extra themes and colors

This is a sticky subject....just got done p*ssing off a few people in another thread about this:

http://www.msfn.org/board/index.php?showtopic=55424

In MCE you apparently can't join a domain by default, but you can with a few hacks I hear. Also, if you use MCE as a media center then you'll have to use MCE compatible hardware. You can't just use any tv tuner or video card as they need MCE drivers.

Pro is the FULL version. Does anything you may need it to do.

Home is a stripped down and crippled version.

Media is a version seriously bloated with media software.

Simply put, PRO is the best.

Pro is the best way to go

Professional for ever!! I'll never go back to Home...

Am I missing something here? Home really isn't as bad as everybody makes out. The comment about Home being crippled seems a bit harsh to me. I mean, ok, if Home was installed on a dual CPU computer then it would be crippled because the other CPU would be ignored but other than that, I can’t see how its crippled.

If you install Home Edition on a non-networked computer with one CPU, one harddrive and you’re the only person who uses it, I can’t think of one single advantage you’ll get from using this apparently magical Professional version.

In this scenario, Pro is NOT better. It’s only better if you need the extra features. In fact you’ll probably be better off in this scenario if you keep Home because a clean install uses less disk space. When I last installed Home for somebody at work, it only used around 1Gb of space and Pro uses 1.5Gb.

Of course, if you need at least one of its extra features then Pro is obviously the way to go. Personally, I use Professional because I would truly miss Remote Desktop, Administrative shares and Dynamic disks if I used Home.

A very good point...one which I have stopped suggesting because no one seems to understand. If you're paying money for it, then I can't see why you would want pro unless necessary.The two biggest reasons I can see for most is either joining a domain or dual CPU support. All the others are good, and to many very useful, but I can't say I've met anyone who said the needed Pro because of Remote Desktop...at least after I inform them that you can use VNC for free.

And to be clear, this is not an attack against RDP users...I use it daily, but only because I need Pro for domain support.