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):
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 tradeoffsif 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:
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.
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.
