At the time of publication, Windows 7 is Microsoft's latest operating system for personal computers. Available in six editions, two of the lower-end versions are the Home Premium, which are installed on mid-range PCs; and the Professional, which is geared towards computers used by small business users. Although Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional share several features, there are a few things that set them apart.
Main Features
As with past iterations of Windows, both Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional offer standard features such as search and task bars, system restore and startup repair, and productivity accessories such as calculator and Wordpad. The operating systems also have the Internet Explorer browser and HomeGroup for sharing data between PCs in a home-based network. Microsoft adds a few more features to the Professional edition such as XP Mode for backwards compatibility of business software with Windows XP and Remote Desktop Connection for computer access without operating the computer itself.
Security
Windows 7 Home Premium and Professional both have a backup and restore feature for your most important files, Windows Firewall and Defender for protection against viruses and unwanted software, parental controls for regulating child use of the PC and Credential Manager for storing information required for logging in to websites or computer networks such as user name and passwords. Microsoft adds backup for computer networks to Windows 7 Professional.
Entertainment
The Home Premium and Professional editions of Windows 7 have Windows Media Center, an application that integrates digital multimedia functions such as music and video playback, television shows and CD/DVD recording into a central home-entertainment hub. The application include Windows Media Player 12, which is the application that plays audio and video, as well as serves as an interface for viewing images. Other entertainment-focused features include multiplayer games and media streaming enhancers such as Play To and Remote Media Streaming.
Information Technology Accommodation
Because Windows 7 Professional is marketed to corporate users, Microsoft includes features that are a little more specific for working environments, particularly for information technology professionals responsible for overseeing their company's computer network. With Windows 7 Professional, users can access offline files or retrieve files even if one is outside the computer network; use the Encrypting File System to protect hard disk data; and possess Group Policy controls for business-wide administrative and troubleshooting tasks. All these features are not available with the Windows 7 Home Premium operating system.
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