Windows XP editions
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Windows XP has been released in several editions since its original release in 2001.
Windows XP is available in many languages.[1] In addition, add-ons translating the user interface are also available for certain languages.[2]
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[edit] Home and Professional
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The first two editions released by Microsoft are Windows XP Home Edition, designed for home users, and Windows XP Professional, designed for business and power-users.
Windows XP Professional offers a number of features unavailable in the Home Edition, including:
- The ability to become part of a Windows Server domain, a group of computers that are remotely managed by one or more central servers.
- A sophisticated access control scheme that allows specific permissions on files to be granted to specific users under normal circumstances. However, users can use tools other than Windows Explorer (like cacls or File Manager), or restart to Safe Mode to modify access control lists.
- Remote Desktop server, which allows a PC to be operated by another Windows XP user over a local area network or the Internet.
- Offline Files and Folders, which allow the PC to automatically store a copy of files from another networked computer and work with them while disconnected from the network.
- Encrypting File System, which encrypts files stored on the computer's hard drive so they cannot be read by another user, even with physical access to the storage medium.
- Centralized administration features, including Group Policies, Automatic Software Installation and Maintenance, Roaming User Profiles, and Remote Installation Service (RIS).
- Internet Information Services (IIS), Microsoft's HTTP and FTP Server.
- Support for two physical central processing units (CPU). (Because the number of CPU cores and Hyper-threading capabilities on modern CPUs are considered to be part of a single physical processor, multicore CPUs are supported using XP Home Edition.)[3][4]
- Windows Management Instrumentation Console (WMIC): WMIC is a command-line tool designed to ease WMI information retrieval about a system by using simple keywords (aliases).
There is a hack that transforms Home Edition into Professional edition.
[edit] Windows XP Edition N
In March 2004, the European Commission fined Microsoft 497 million € (£395 million or US$784 million) and ordered the company to provide a version of Windows without Windows Media Player. The Commission concluded that Microsoft "broke European Union competition law by leveraging its near monopoly in the market for PC operating systems onto the markets for work group server operating systems and for media players". After unsuccessful appeals in 2004 and 2005, Microsoft reached an agreement with the Commission where it would release a court-compliant version, Windows XP Edition N. This version does not include the company's Windows Media Player but instead encourages users to pick and download their own media player. Microsoft wanted to call this version Reduced Media Edition, but EU regulators objected and suggested the Edition N name, with the N signifying "not with Media Player"[citation needed] for both Home and Professional editions of Windows XP. Because it is sold at the same price as the version with Windows Media Player included, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Fujitsu Siemens have chosen not to stock the product. However, Dell did offer the operating system for a short time. Consumer interest has been low, with roughly 1,500 units shipped to OEMs, and no reported sales to consumers.[5][6][7][8]
The N editions of Windows XP also do not include Windows Movie Maker, but Microsoft has made this available as a separate download.[9]
[edit] Windows XP Edition K and KN
In December 2005, the Korean Fair Trade Commission ordered Microsoft to make available editions of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 that do not contain Windows Media Player or Windows Messenger.[10] Like the European Commission decision, this decision was based on the grounds that Microsoft had abused its dominant position in the market to push other products onto consumers. Unlike that decision, however, Microsoft was also forced to withdraw the non-compliant versions of Windows from the South Korean market.
The K and KN editions of Windows XP Home Edition and Professional Edition were released in August 2006, and are only available in the Korean language. Both editions contain links to third-party instant messenger and media player software,[11] and the K editions continue to ship with media player and instant messaging capability, but the KN editions do not.
[edit] Starter Edition
Windows XP Starter Edition is a lower-cost version of Windows XP available in Thailand, Turkey, Malaysia, Indonesia, Russia, India, Colombia, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, Uruguay and Venezuela. It is similar to Windows XP Home, but is limited to low-end hardware, can only run 3 programs at a time, and has some other features either removed or disabled by default.
According to a Microsoft press release, Windows XP Starter Edition is "a low-cost introduction to the Microsoft Windows XP operating system designed for first-time desktop PC users in developing countries."
[edit] Specializations
The Starter Edition includes some special features for certain markets where consumers may not be computer literate. Not found in the Home Edition, these include localized help features for those who may not speak English, a country-specific computer wallpaper[12] and screensavers, and other default settings designed for easier use than typical Windows XP installations. The Malaysian version, for example, contains a desktop background of the Kuala Lumpur skyline.
In addition, the Starter Edition also has some unique limitations to prevent it from displacing more expensive versions of Windows XP.[13] Only three applications can be run at once on the Starter Edition, and each application may open a maximum of three windows. The maximum screen resolution is 1024×768, and there is no support for workgroup networking or domains. In addition, the Starter Edition is licensed only for low-end processors like Intel's Celeron or AMD's Duron and Sempron. There is also a 512 MB limit on main memory and a 120 GB disk size limit[13] (Microsoft has not made it clear, however, if this is for total disk space, per partition, or per disk). There are also fewer options for customizing the themes, desktop, and taskbar.
[edit] Market adoption
On October 9, 2006, Microsoft announced[14] that they reached a milestone of 1,000,000 units of Windows XP Starter Edition sold. In the mass market, however, the Starter Edition has not had much success. Many markets where it is available have seen the uptake of cracked or pirated versions of higher end versions of Windows instead.[citation needed]
[edit] Media Center Edition
This edition is designed for media center PCs. Originally, it was only available bundled with one of these computers, and could not be purchased separately. In 2003 the Media Center Edition was updated as "Windows XP Media Center Edition 2003", which added additional features such as FM radio tuning. Another update was released in 2004, and again in 2005, which was the first edition available for System Builders. Many of the features of Windows XP Media Center Edition 2005 (including screen dancers, auto playlist DJ, and high end visual screen savers) were taken from the Windows XP Plus! packages. These were originally shipped as add ons to Windows XP to enhance the users experience of their Windows XP machine.
[edit] Releases
There have been four releases of Windows XP Media Center Edition.
- Windows XP Media Center Edition (codename "Freestyle", Jan 2002), was only available