Windows XP Cookbook

Appendix A. Summary of Windows XP Versions and Service Packs

Introduction

There were no parallel home and office versions of Windows 95, 98 or Me, nor of Windows 2000 Professional which was accompanied only by Server versions. Windows XP is the first Windows operating system to be available in both Home and Professional versions. This makes maintaining (patching and updating) the operating system a lot less complicated for everyone, from Microsoft to home users. To most users the differences between XP Home and Professional are almost negligible, which is good news for users because you only have to deal with one look-and-feel. To system administrators placing hundreds or thousands of Windows PCs in a network environment, or simply managing a handful of them in a small office, the difference between XP Home and Professional is like night and day—at least for networking and maintenance.

Like every Microsoft operating system before it, Windows XP has gone through myriad security, bug, and feature patches, as well as two major comprehensive service packs. Patches and service packs apply equally to home and professional versions. The variations between the operating system versions and the significant changes to them through their common service packs are summarized in this Appendix.

Differences Between Windows XP Home and Professional Editions

Microsoft chooses to label these two versions of Windows as “editions.” Editions, versions—it’s all marketing, which means it all comes down to ...