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Windows 7 Buyer's Guide: Which Edition is Right for You?

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 17:30:05 -0500

If you were frustrated by trying to figure out which edition of Windows Vista was the right choice ("hmm...If I use Vista Business, I don't get Windows Media Center, but if I use Vista Home Premium, I don't get image backup..."), Microsoft has done us all a favor by rethinking the feature sets for Windows 7.

Yes, there are still multiple SKUs to consider, but this time, you no longer need to worry about what's left out if you move up from one edition to another. To find out how the different US editions of Windows 7 compare in features, what Microsoft is doing to satisfy EU regulators, and what it will cost you to pre-order a Windows 7 upgrade now compared to waiting until it ships, keep reading.

Check out our Windows 7 Upgrade Guide here!

This Time, Windows 7 Editions Build On Each Other

There are three Windows 7 editions that will be sold at retail in the US market:

Home Premium
Professional
Ultimate

If you tried out Windows 7 in its public Beta or RC versions, you used a pre-release of the Ultimate edition, although it's possible to tweak the installation process to install other editions. So, what are the major "core" features of these editions of Windows 7?

According to Microsoft's "Which One Is Right for You?" page, here are the common features (many of which we will cover in current or upcoming Feature Focus articles):

Improved GUI and desktop navigation
Windows Search
Internet Explorer 8
Windows Media Center
HomeGroup (Windows 7-specific networking)

Microsoft's list leaves out some significant core features, though, including:

32-bit and 64-bit editions provided in retail/upgrade versions
Windows Aero desktop (with supported graphics cards and drivers)
Improved wireless networking
Improved network management for mixed Windows 7/Vista/XP networks
Improved audio and video codec support
Improved digital TV support
Windows Backup for both files and system image
Devices and Printers management interface
Device Stage enhanced driver support for multifunction devices

Why Home Premium?

By making image backup a core feature of Home Premium as well as higher SKUs, Microsoft makes it much easier to make Home Premium a "no second thoughts" choice for home or small office-home office users uncomfortable with Windows Vista Home Premium's omission of image backup but not needing the extra features of Professional or Ultimate editions.

Moving On Up - Windows 7 Professional

Microsoft has dropped the "Business" moniker for its small-business edition of Windows 7 and reverted to the "Professional" label it used in previous generations. And, unlike Windows Vista Business, which forced potential upgraders from Windows Home Premium to trade away Windows Media Center to get support for business networking and image backup, there are no tradeoffs if you decide to try Windows 7 Professional over Windows 7 Home Premium: every Home Premium feature is also included in Windows 7 Professional. So, what else is in there?

The major upgrades to Windows 7 Professional from Home Premium include:

Windows XP Mode
Automatic backup supports network shares as well as local hard disks
Domain network support

Why Go Pro?

If you...

...routinely move between domain and workgroup networks (such as a home or branch office network)
...need support for Windows XP-compatible applications that just don't run under Windows 7
...prefer to back up to a network share without using third-party backup programs

...Windows 7 Professional's a no-brainer choice.

Next: But what about Ultimate?

Windows 7 Ultimate - The Top, But Not So "Ultimate" Choice

Windows 7 Ultimate, like its Windows Vista ancestor, combines all the features of Windows 7 retail editions with features from Windows 7 Enterprise. However, unlike its predecessor, there will be no Windows 7 Ultimate Extras. So ends what many regard as a program that offered much more sizzle than steak.

According to Microsoft, the chief benefits of Windows 7 Ultimate over other editions include:

Support for BitLocker full-disk encryption
The ability to switch between languages on the fly

Why Move Up to Ultimate?

At first glance, unless you need to work with multiple languages on the same PC, Windows 7 Ultimate might look completely skippable. However, if you work with sensitive information, the improvements in BitLocker may persuade you to make the jump.

Windows 7's version of BitLocker can now encrypt external drives (including USB keys) so you can transport data between home and office without worrying about being mugged and winding up in the next data breach headline. If you don't want to upgrade both ends of a data-transport chain with Windows 7 Ultimate, BitLocker also includes a secure BitLocker to Go feature that enables Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP users with the proper credentials to access BitLocker-secure media in read-only mode.

Buy Vista or a Vista PC Now, Get Windows 7 Free Later

Buy a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate between June 26th, 2009 and January 31st, 2010 from sponsoring manufacturers and vendors, or buy these editions of Vista separately, and you qualify for a free upgrade to the equivalent Windows 7 edition.

Getting Windows 7 Very Cheap - If You're Fast on the Click

However, if you're not in the market for a new PC, and don't want to buy Vista now to qualify for a free Windows 7 upgrade, you can still get a cool upgrade deal if you use Windows XP or Vista - if you hurry. If you pre-order Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional upgrade editions right now, you can cash in on significant savings:

Home Premium upgrade $49.99 (down from $119.99)
Professional upgrade $99.99 (down from $199.99)

If you're currently running Windows Vista Ultimate (like I am) and decide you don't need BitLocker or multilanguage support, you can "upgrade" from Vista Ultimate to Windows 7 Professional. Note that these savings expire July 11th in the US, and are available from many retailers as well as from Microsoft's online store.

Waiting Will Cost You

What happens if you skip these offers? Buy Windows 7 at retail or non-promotional upgrade pricing and you'll have a hole in your wallet. See our own Paul Lilly's original article for details. As you might expect, upgrade pricing is for licensed users of Windows Vista or Windows XP.

Other Windows 7 Editions

Windows 7 Starter replaces Windows XP on netbooks, and will also be sold in developing countries. It omits image backup, Windows Aero, Windows Media Center, and 64-bit support.

As with Windows Vista, Microsoft will ship Windows 7 editions that do not include Internet Explorer into the EU to satisfy regulatory requirements.

If you're ready for Windows 7, now is a great time to upgrade your software or your systems. Hit Comment and tell us your tips for scoring a Windows 7 upgrade or vote for your favorite edition.

Mark is the author of the forthcoming book Easy Microsoft Windows 7, and is inspiring digital photographers everywhere with his new book The Shot Doctor: The Amateur's Guide to Taking Great Digital Photos.

IE8 Best at Stopping Social-Engineering Malware, Test Reports

Mark Edward Soper — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 17:53:07 -0500

Microsoft's latest browser, Internet Explorer 8, has gotten mixed reviews from MaximumPC.com readers (see comments here and here), but one question that's hard for any individual user to answer about any browser is "how secure is it?"

To find out, Microsoft asked NSS Labs to pit IE8 RC1 against its predecessor, IE7, as well as the following third-party browsers: Firefox 3.0.7, Safari 3.2, Chrome 1.0.154, and Opera 9.64. The objective: find out which browser did the best job at handling so-called social-engineering malware sites - the ones that try to con you into downloading malware disguised as something else ("Adobe Flash update," anyone?).

ComputerWorld reports that IE8 did the best job of fending off attacks from 492 malware-distributing websites, blocking 69% of attacks (details here [PDF link]). Here's how IE8 RC1 fared in comparison to the rest at blocking the bad guys:

IE8 RC - 69%
Firefox 3.0.7 - 30%
Safari 3.2 - 24%
Chrome 1.0.154 - 16%
Opera 9.64 - 5%
IE7 - 4%

Interestingly, ComputerWorld reports that Firefox, Safari, and Chrome all use Google's SafeBrowsing API, despite the big differences in success rates in stopping malware.

Microsoft was the sole funder of the study, which has caused some commentors to wonder how accurate it could be. See the update on PCMag's Security Watch story for a calmer re-evaluation of the funding issue, and to learn why depending upon your browser alone for protection isn't adequate.

What's your security experience with IE8? Hit Comment and let us know.

Overrated and Underrated Tech - Exposed!

Mark Edward Soper — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 21:56:45 -0500

Just as we nerds have overhyped some technologies, we've also overlooked some even better alternatives. PC World has put on its thinking cap and posted its picks for the ten most overrated technology products and services - and alternatives that deserve a closer look.

So, How Would You Rate These Contenders?

Ultra-portable laptops versus mini-laptops
Microsoft Zune versus Apple iPod Touch
Windows XP versus Windows Vista

So, which of these need their inflated reputations needled, and which ones deserve more love? Let's find out.

"The envelope please..."

PC World likes ultra-portable laptops better than mini-notebooks, citing their falling prices and much better performance. Zune get the nod over the iPod Touch, getting the love for its wireless sync, FM tuner music tagging, and streaming to other Zunes. And in the XP versus Vista battle, the preference goes to...Vista, for its better mobile device handling, multimedia file handling, networking...and even UAC gets some love for making the OS more secure.

The Peoples' Choice

Check out the complete list, then stop back by and tell us your favorites. Got nominations for a head-to-head faceoff? Tell us who wins - and why.

SSDs Replacing Hard Disks? Not Anytime Soon (and Here's Why)

Mark Edward Soper — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 16:58:03 -0500

While SSDs are getting plenty of attention from us (and everyone else) these days, it's way too early to shovel the dirt over the classic spinning-disk hard disk drive technology, eWeek suggests. You already know a couple of reasons: capacity and price per GB.

While 2.5-inch drives from Western Digital and Seagate broke the 500GB barrier last week, the biggest SSDs on the portable market are the 128GB Samsung drives and the forthcoming 160GB SSDs from Intel. SSDs don't come cheap, either: expect to pay $500-600 more for a laptop with an SSD onboard compared with a standard hard disk.

However, even if you can afford to give up some storage capaciy and a lot more cash, there are other reasons to think twice before turning your existing hard disk drive into a paperweight. At last week's DiskCon 2008 storage conference, experts cited by eWeek pointed out that NAND flash memory, the most common type of flash memory in use today, drops in performance with use, and that data retention is much shorter than with traditional disk drives.

So who's really excited about SSDs? Corporate data centers. In one case study described at DiskCon, a data center replaced hard disks with SSDs. The installation used one SSD for read, the other for write, and realized a 10x improvement in read/write speed and 5x less power consumption.

So, how do you feel about SSDs? Are you ready to pony up the extra dough and trade off some capacity to give SSDs a try today, or are you waiting until SSDs' price per GB, capacity and long-term behavior more closely mirror what hard disks provide today? Hit the Comments button and sound off.

Illustration adapted from Wikimedia under terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.5 license.