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Windows 7 Product Editions: A Comparison
Networking features
Home Basic | Starter | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise & Ultimate | |
SMB connections | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 |
Network and Sharing Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
HomeGroup sharing | Join only | Join only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ad-hoc network create and join | Yes | Yes, but accessible only via Start Menu Search | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Improved power management | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Connect to a Projector | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Remote Desktop | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Remote Desktop Host | Yes | Yes | |||
IIS Web Server | Yes | Yes | Yes | ||
RSS support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Internet Connection Sharing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Network Bridge | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Offline files | Yes | Yes |
Performance features
Home Basic | Starter | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise & Ultimate | |
Windows ReadyDrive | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows ReadyBoost | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
SuperFetch | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
64-bit processor support | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Physical processor support | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
Processor core support | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited | Unlimited |
Max RAM (32-bit) | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB | 4 GB |
Max RAM (64-bit) | n/a | n/a | 16 GB | 192 GB | 192 GB |
Enterprise features
Home Basic | Starter | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise & Ultimate | |
Domain join (Windows Server) | Yes | Yes | |||
XP Mode licensed | Yes | Yes | |||
AppLocker | Yes | ||||
Boot from VHD | Yes | ||||
BranchCache | Yes | ||||
DirectAccess | Yes | ||||
Federated Search (Enterprise Search Scopes) | Yes | ||||
Multilingual User Interface (MUI) Language Packs | Yes | ||||
Location-aware printing | Yes | Yes | |||
Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications | Yes |
Reliability features
Home Basic | Starter | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise & Ultimate | |
Windows Backup | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
System image | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Problem Steps Recorder | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Backup to network | Yes | Yes | |||
Encrypting File System (EFS) | Yes | Yes | |||
BitLocker | Yes | ||||
BitLocker To Go | Yes | ||||
Automatic hard disk defragmentation | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Previous Versions | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Create and attach (mount) VHD | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Security features
Home Basic | Starter | Home Premium | Professional | Enterprise & Ultimate | |
More granular UAC | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Action Center | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows Defender | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows Firewall | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
IE 8 Protected Mode and DEP support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Windows Update (can access Microsoft Update) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Fast User Switching | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Parental Controls | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |