Windows 7 Professional vs. Home Premium

So I've done some research and kept up with all the info pouring out over the past few months and I'm trying to decide which version of Windows 7 to buy. Here are a few questions you smarties can probably answer with ease!:

1. I'm looking at getting the Full not upgrade copy of either version I end up choosing. Now upgrade copies only let you upgrade from a previous XP/Vista installation. Does the Full edition let you upgrade as well if you choose to do so instead of a clean wipe and install?

2. Home Premium vs. Professional - I know in Professional you get domain features, encryption, remote desktop. (I may really want Remote Desktop to be able to log into my machine at home from work or on the road etc, so annoying it's not included standard anymore since Vista) However are there any features that are "omitted" from Professional in this higher version? What might they be?

3. Anyone got a quick linking or remember the pricing for full editions?

4. How many licenses per copy do you get, 3?

5. What editions are YOU getting and why?

Thanks in advance!

I'm not very smart, but I will go for Ultimate, the answer is simple: I've tried all Vista editions and Ultimate was ON THE TOP with the PERFORMANCE. I think same with Win 7. I don't need some of the features, but the Vista experience..

Something I wish they would have incorporated was the ability to unselect certain components you didn't want in the Ultimate edition. Like I could care less about Bitlocker on a home machine. When you're paying THAT much for an edition it should be pretty customizable.

Honestly a Home, Professional and Ultimate trio would have been the smartest way to sell and brand 7. Maybe allow you to select and choose what features you wanted past Professional and charge piece by piece for it.

Upgrade versions only allow in-place upgrade exactly like a full retail copy would. You can only do an in-place upgrade of Vista, not XP, for like-Editions or lower-to-higher, and both must be same x86/x64 architecture - you cannot in-place upgrade x86 to x64 (this also applies to the Windows Easy Transfer function).

You can do a clean install with either upgrade or retail disc, but how the upgrade version will handle the previous licensing verification is still under speculation, whether you need an activated XP or Vista partition on disk, or just have the original installation disc, or enter the original key, nobody knows for sure.

Edit: There is only one license per copy. And you can customize in the Control Panel / Programs and Features - there's a link on the left "Turn Windows features on or off".

MrAleX said:

I'm not very smart, but I will go for Ultimate, the answer is simple: I've tried all Vista editions and Ultimate was ON THE TOP with the PERFORMANCE. I think same with Win 7. I don't need some of the features, but the Vista experience..

Well apparently you're not, because the performance is the same for all the versions. If you don't need the features why on earth would you pay for them?

as sonyman stated performance will be the same irispective of SKU.

in my opinion, it is simple, if you do not know if you need the features, buy the home premium, if you miss something after, do an anytime upgrade. IF THAT IS TO COMPLICATED FOR YOU, I'm sure you have not the skill's to use the features from the higther versions.

My initial question was if there's any features in Home Premium that are removed in a greater version. This was done in the past with Vista.

RDP is pretty important to me I'd love to be able to check on my comp from the road or work. Someone mentioned disabling or uninstalling other features from add/remove system components. Does that include things like Bitlocker, etc?

My initial question was if there's any features in Home Premium that are removed in a greater version.

No.

PetiePal said:

My initial question was if there's any features in Home Premium that are removed in a greater version. This was done in the past with Vista.

RDP is pretty important to me I'd love to be able to check on my comp from the road or work. Someone mentioned disabling or uninstalling other features from add/remove system components. Does that include things like Bitlocker, etc?

hey friends just use Ultimate not this stripped crap what they call even Premium or Pro..