Windows XP Home Edition & Windows XP Professional Edition?

Xp stands for ‘experience’. The Home and Professional editions of Windows XP are nearly identical. The only differences are additional features found in the Professional Edition that most likely won’t appeal to home users. Windows XP is based on Windows NT and Windows 2000 Technology. Microsoft is positioning the Windows XP Professional Edition to replace Windows NT4 and Windows 2000 Professional. In addition, the Windows XP Home Edition will be replacing Windows 95/98/ME. The Primary differences, aside from the price and the colors of the packaging, are as follows:

Windows XP Home Edition

Contains basic support for multiple users, but all users are ‘Administrators’ so there’s no way to setup user accounts with limit privileges. Further more, there’s no way to secure folders or files from other users on the same machine. Features built-in support for peer-to-peer networking.

Windows XP Professional Edition

Includes extended support for multiple users and profiles. As well as security between users. A user can be an ‘Administrator’ (has full power to make any changes to the system), or a less-privileged user with a customizable level of privileges. For example one user’s folder can be protected from other users on the same system. Also, you can set up a ‘guest’ account, allowing strangers to use a computer while limiting access to configuration tools and private files. 

Features built-in support for peer-to-peer networking plus support for joining a Windows NT domain. The Professional edition includes the following components not found in the Home Edition.

Administrative Tools (in the Start Menu and Control Panel)

Automated System Recovery (ASR) 

Backup

Boot Configuration Manager 

Driver Query

Group Policy Refresh Utility

Multi-lingual User Interface (MUI) add-on

NTF-S Encryption Utility 

Offline Files and Folders 

Open Files 

Performance Log Manager

Remote Desktop 

Scheduled Tasks Console 

Security Template Utility

Task kill

Task list

Telnet Administrator 

It also provides support for multi-processor system (two or four CPU’s) Dynamics Disks and Fax. Thus. For normal home use, the Home Edition would be a suitable