The AchieVer Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 We explain the differences between the three versions of Windows 10: Home, Pro and S You want a new PC or laptop and by now you've probably made up your mind as to whether it should be a Windows, Mac (or even Linux) device. Go for Windows and your choice is more complicated as there's Windows 10 S, Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. Let's narrow things down a bit and remove Windows 10 S from the equation. This is a new version of the OS that is aimed at students and teachers, though you may find it on some 'regular' laptops, such as the Surface Laptop from Microsoft. The key difference between 10 S and regular Windows 10 is that you are limited to installing apps from the built-in Windows Store. Everything else is exactly the same. If you need to install third-party apps on your laptop you will have to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, which is offered as a free upgrade on the Surface Laptop until 31 December 2017. At least in this respect, choosing between Windows 10 S and Pro shouldn't be too difficult - if you need anything you're missing you can simply upgrade. But an advantage of sticking to 10 S will be its improved security, since apps are only downloaded from the curated Windows Store, and then run in a safe container on the laptop. So that's Windows 10 S taken care of. What are the main differences between Windows 10 Home and Pro? There are many things both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro can do, but just a few features that are supported only by Pro. To simplify things we've listed only the Windows 10 Pro features that aren't also in Windows 10 Home in the table below. Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Create and join a domain (work network) No Yes BitLocker No Yes Group policy management No Yes Remote Desktop No Yes Hyper-V No Yes Assigned Access No Yes Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer No Yes Windows Store for Business No Yes Trusted Boot No Yes Windows Update for Business No Yes Max supported RAM 128GB 2TB If most of these features are meaningless to you, that's no surprise: most people don't need the extra features in Windows 10 Pro. It's really designed for businesses. Price Price is one of the other main differences, although you can now buy both versions cheaper than the official Microsoft prices - £119.99/$119.99 for Home, and £219.99/$199.99 for Pro. At the time of writing you can buy Windows 10 Home from Amazon for £89/$89, while Windows 10 Pro isn't much more expensive: it costs £95/$110 from Amazon. Just watch out for very cheap offers as you may be emailed merely an activation key which may or may not work. It's best to stick to the official retail versions - there are no upgrade versions as with previous versions of Windows. Windows 10 Pro features explained So what are those extra features in Windows 10 Pro and - more importantly - do you need them if you're considering upgrading or installing Windows on a PC or laptop that will be used at home? BitLocker BitLocker is encryption software which allows security conscious users to fully secure their drives from potential hackers. In Windows 10 Pro Microsoft has made some fine adjustments to the service. ‘With BitLocker,’ explained Joe Belfiore, the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group, ‘the end user faces an all or nothing decision for the entire drive to be encrypted, and it doesn’t provide for very much flexibility in the way files move around. We’re solving those problems.’ The new iteration of BitLocker allows users to encrypt individual files and keep them alongside unencrypted ones. Plus they can now be used in the same way on USB sticks, improving the way in which files can be shared between those with the proper clearance to read them. Remote Desktop Connection Both Windows 10 Home and Pro can start Remote Desktop Connection sessions, but only PCs running Windows 10 Pro can be remotely controlled. Windows 10 Home machines can only be assisted remotely, and this is mainly for an expert to show a home user how to change settings, for example. Windows Update for Business In Windows 10 Pro you get the option to defer updates, but this option doesn't really exist in Home. Microsoft forces patches and updates to Home machines automatically. You can stop them for a few hours, but that's it, even in the latest Creators Update. The ability to defer is designed to prevent buggy updates from affecting business PCs, and updates can be put off for several months. Hyper-V Virtualisation is another benefit of Windows 10 Pro, although few will want to use it. It's like having a built-in VirtualBox, although you'll still have to install Hyper-V on Windows 10 Pro manually. You'll also need to have a CPU which supports virtualisation. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations It's worth noting that Microsoft has announced this new version of Pro which is made specifically for more powerful PCs. It will arrive with the Fall Creators Update. Built for 'high-end' machines, the firm promises 'unique support for server grade PC hardware and is designed to meet demanding needs of mission critical and compute intensive workloads'. Features include a resilient file system, persistent memory, faster file sharing and expanded hardware support. Domain and other business features Group Policy Management and access to the Windows 10 Business Store are other features reserved for WIndows 10 Pro. Microsoft also lists the ability to join Azure Active Directory, with a single sign-on to cloud hosted apps. Only Windows 10 Pro support joining (or creating) a domain, which allows PCs to be added to a corporate network. With Windows 10 Home, you can't do this and you're pushed to use a Microsoft account rather than a local user account. This means any laptop or PC you want to use at work and access files on servers will almost certainly need to be running Windows 10 Pro. Assigned Access lets a sysadmin restrict a Windows tablet to run only a certain app (a very specific benefit which will apply to only a few). Some features were removed compared to previous versions of Windows. We've outlined the worst Windows 10 sacrifices in our separate guide. Which features do they have in common? All versions of Windows 10 come with Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, that can make calendar entries, take dictation, open applications and local files, search the web, and give directions, all from voice commands on your PC. Cortana is now available for Android and iPhones, alongside the full integration it enjoys on Windows Phone. You can read here how to use Cortana in Windows 10. The Microsoft Edge browser is also available on both versions. This break from Internet Explorer is an interesting one, and Edge certainly has enough features to make it a worthy adversary to Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, although it still falls behind on add-ons. It offers a stripped-down Reading Mode to declutter articles online, an Instapaper/Pocket style Reading List for saving articles you don’t have time to read there and then, plus the ability to annotate and share web pages. For more information check out our how to use Edge browser in Windows 10 guide. As Windows continues its voyage into a touch-compatible future, Microsoft has made some significant adjustments to the user interface on both Home and Pro. Gone is the overbearing and oft confusing Windows 8 touch-first layout, replaced instead with a modern take on the Windows 7 desktop. This doesn’t mean touch has been left behind; instead Windows can now detect the type of hardware you are using and offer the appropriate interface. This feature is called Continuum and should make the new Windows far more attractive to the majority of users, most of whom don’t own a touchscreen laptop or Windows tablet. A welcome addition to Windows 10 is a fully integrated version of Virtual Desktops. This feature has been around in past iterations of Windows, but always required additional software to get it going. Now you'll be able to create different workspaces on your PC very easily thanks to a new Task View option. You can also drag and drop open applications onto different desktops, making the whole process smooth, fast, and simple. To learn more about this helpful feature read our guide to using virtual desktops in Windows 10. The other main upgrade to Windows that can be found of both Home and Pro is universal apps. This idea is a simple one, in which any universal app you buy from the Windows Store will work on any of your devices, be they PC, tablet, phone, or even the Xbox One. Conclusion Windows 10 Home will suffice for the vast majority of users who just want to browse the web, do a little work, and manage their media files. The benefits of the Pro version focus on security and compatibility, but of course the value of these features will come down to whether you actually intend to use them or not, and most home users won't. Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
You want a new PC or laptop and by now you've probably made up your mind as to whether it should be a Windows, Mac (or even Linux) device. Go for Windows and your choice is more complicated as there's Windows 10 S, Windows 10 Home and Windows 10 Pro. Let's narrow things down a bit and remove Windows 10 S from the equation. This is a new version of the OS that is aimed at students and teachers, though you may find it on some 'regular' laptops, such as the Surface Laptop from Microsoft. The key difference between 10 S and regular Windows 10 is that you are limited to installing apps from the built-in Windows Store. Everything else is exactly the same. If you need to install third-party apps on your laptop you will have to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, which is offered as a free upgrade on the Surface Laptop until 31 December 2017. At least in this respect, choosing between Windows 10 S and Pro shouldn't be too difficult - if you need anything you're missing you can simply upgrade. But an advantage of sticking to 10 S will be its improved security, since apps are only downloaded from the curated Windows Store, and then run in a safe container on the laptop. So that's Windows 10 S taken care of. What are the main differences between Windows 10 Home and Pro? There are many things both Windows 10 and Windows 10 Pro can do, but just a few features that are supported only by Pro. To simplify things we've listed only the Windows 10 Pro features that aren't also in Windows 10 Home in the table below. Windows 10 Home Windows 10 Pro Create and join a domain (work network) No Yes BitLocker No Yes Group policy management No Yes Remote Desktop No Yes Hyper-V No Yes Assigned Access No Yes Enterprise Mode Internet Explorer No Yes Windows Store for Business No Yes Trusted Boot No Yes Windows Update for Business No Yes Max supported RAM 128GB 2TB If most of these features are meaningless to you, that's no surprise: most people don't need the extra features in Windows 10 Pro. It's really designed for businesses. Price Price is one of the other main differences, although you can now buy both versions cheaper than the official Microsoft prices - £119.99/$119.99 for Home, and £219.99/$199.99 for Pro. At the time of writing you can buy Windows 10 Home from Amazon for £89/$89, while Windows 10 Pro isn't much more expensive: it costs £95/$110 from Amazon. Just watch out for very cheap offers as you may be emailed merely an activation key which may or may not work. It's best to stick to the official retail versions - there are no upgrade versions as with previous versions of Windows. Windows 10 Pro features explained So what are those extra features in Windows 10 Pro and - more importantly - do you need them if you're considering upgrading or installing Windows on a PC or laptop that will be used at home? BitLocker BitLocker is encryption software which allows security conscious users to fully secure their drives from potential hackers. In Windows 10 Pro Microsoft has made some fine adjustments to the service. ‘With BitLocker,’ explained Joe Belfiore, the Corporate Vice President of Microsoft’s Operating Systems Group, ‘the end user faces an all or nothing decision for the entire drive to be encrypted, and it doesn’t provide for very much flexibility in the way files move around. We’re solving those problems.’ The new iteration of BitLocker allows users to encrypt individual files and keep them alongside unencrypted ones. Plus they can now be used in the same way on USB sticks, improving the way in which files can be shared between those with the proper clearance to read them. Remote Desktop Connection Both Windows 10 Home and Pro can start Remote Desktop Connection sessions, but only PCs running Windows 10 Pro can be remotely controlled. Windows 10 Home machines can only be assisted remotely, and this is mainly for an expert to show a home user how to change settings, for example. Windows Update for Business In Windows 10 Pro you get the option to defer updates, but this option doesn't really exist in Home. Microsoft forces patches and updates to Home machines automatically. You can stop them for a few hours, but that's it, even in the latest Creators Update. The ability to defer is designed to prevent buggy updates from affecting business PCs, and updates can be put off for several months. Hyper-V Virtualisation is another benefit of Windows 10 Pro, although few will want to use it. It's like having a built-in VirtualBox, although you'll still have to install Hyper-V on Windows 10 Pro manually. You'll also need to have a CPU which supports virtualisation. Windows 10 Pro for Workstations It's worth noting that Microsoft has announced this new version of Pro which is made specifically for more powerful PCs. It will arrive with the Fall Creators Update. Built for 'high-end' machines, the firm promises 'unique support for server grade PC hardware and is designed to meet demanding needs of mission critical and compute intensive workloads'. Features include a resilient file system, persistent memory, faster file sharing and expanded hardware support. Domain and other business features Group Policy Management and access to the Windows 10 Business Store are other features reserved for WIndows 10 Pro. Microsoft also lists the ability to join Azure Active Directory, with a single sign-on to cloud hosted apps. Only Windows 10 Pro support joining (or creating) a domain, which allows PCs to be added to a corporate network. With Windows 10 Home, you can't do this and you're pushed to use a Microsoft account rather than a local user account. This means any laptop or PC you want to use at work and access files on servers will almost certainly need to be running Windows 10 Pro. Assigned Access lets a sysadmin restrict a Windows tablet to run only a certain app (a very specific benefit which will apply to only a few). Some features were removed compared to previous versions of Windows. We've outlined the worst Windows 10 sacrifices in our separate guide. Which features do they have in common? All versions of Windows 10 come with Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, that can make calendar entries, take dictation, open applications and local files, search the web, and give directions, all from voice commands on your PC. Cortana is now available for Android and iPhones, alongside the full integration it enjoys on Windows Phone. You can read here how to use Cortana in Windows 10. The Microsoft Edge browser is also available on both versions. This break from Internet Explorer is an interesting one, and Edge certainly has enough features to make it a worthy adversary to Chrome, Firefox, and Opera, although it still falls behind on add-ons. It offers a stripped-down Reading Mode to declutter articles online, an Instapaper/Pocket style Reading List for saving articles you don’t have time to read there and then, plus the ability to annotate and share web pages. For more information check out our how to use Edge browser in Windows 10 guide. As Windows continues its voyage into a touch-compatible future, Microsoft has made some significant adjustments to the user interface on both Home and Pro. Gone is the overbearing and oft confusing Windows 8 touch-first layout, replaced instead with a modern take on the Windows 7 desktop. This doesn’t mean touch has been left behind; instead Windows can now detect the type of hardware you are using and offer the appropriate interface. This feature is called Continuum and should make the new Windows far more attractive to the majority of users, most of whom don’t own a touchscreen laptop or Windows tablet. A welcome addition to Windows 10 is a fully integrated version of Virtual Desktops. This feature has been around in past iterations of Windows, but always required additional software to get it going. Now you'll be able to create different workspaces on your PC very easily thanks to a new Task View option. You can also drag and drop open applications onto different desktops, making the whole process smooth, fast, and simple. To learn more about this helpful feature read our guide to using virtual desktops in Windows 10. The other main upgrade to Windows that can be found of both Home and Pro is universal apps. This idea is a simple one, in which any universal app you buy from the Windows Store will work on any of your devices, be they PC, tablet, phone, or even the Xbox One. Conclusion Windows 10 Home will suffice for the vast majority of users who just want to browse the web, do a little work, and manage their media files. The benefits of the Pro version focus on security and compatibility, but of course the value of these features will come down to whether you actually intend to use them or not, and most home users won't. Source
luisam Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 Now, look at the FUNNY side: When standard computer buyer goes to get his computer at some computer store, no one asks him which version of Windows would he like. They tell him: comes with Windows 10. So, this user in best case knows about Windows 7. Probably has no idea about Window S, Home or Pro and about issues like Windows Updates to 1809 etc. Also, the computer strore won't offer "options" and I bet they'll give him Windows 10 HOME. After some time, user might find out about PRO and might guess that it's a somewhat better choice, but should pay some good money to MICROSOFT to upgrade it from HOME to PRO with the risk of messing up his computer. So, user decides to keep HOME Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajdibi Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 If I remember right, Home doesn't have Group Policy Editor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The AchieVer Posted December 16, 2018 Author Share Posted December 16, 2018 This is the fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BDX Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 Author should have been more careful what to copy-and-paste from outdated sources. Examples: "If you need to install third-party apps on your laptop you will have to upgrade to Windows 10 Pro, which is offered as a free upgrade on the Surface Laptop until 31 December 2017." "It's worth noting that Microsoft has announced this new version of Pro which is made specifically for more powerful PCs. It will arrive with the Fall Creators Update." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The AchieVer Posted December 16, 2018 Author Share Posted December 16, 2018 24 minutes ago, BDX said: Author should have been more careful what to copy-and-paste from outdated sources. If you check the source of the post, you will see it’s dated 12/05/2018. You are free to raise your objections there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karlston Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 3 hours ago, The AchieVer said: If you check the source of the post, you will see it’s dated 12/05/2018 12th of May 2018 is old... at least for most of the world that uses d/m/y instead of the m/d/y US date format. The source is in the UK and clearly states the unambiguous "05 Dec 2018". (Don't get me started about the "Fall Update" nonsense, that's just as bad) Source: Date format by country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luisam Posted December 16, 2018 Share Posted December 16, 2018 9 hours ago, BDX said: Author should have been more careful what to copy-and-paste from outdated sources. I don't understand this useless discussion. In the source it's clearly stated that it was published by Martyn Casserly on 05 Dec 2018 . Probably the author used some other source for his info about Windows Pro update and when "copy/pasted" it, forgot to change "which is offered as a free upgrade" to paste tense, "which was offered as a free upgrade". In any case, this comment should be made on www.techadvisor.co.uk and not on this forum! Actually, I found this article really interesting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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