Introducing the Windows Vista Family

Windows Vista is available in four retail versions and one corporate edition, all available worldwide, along with a handful of specialized versions tailored to specific markets. Although at first glance that might seem like too many choices, there's actually a solid rationale behind the mix of products. Here's a brief introduction to each member of the Windows Vista family (for a more detailed look at what features are included with each edition)

• Windows Vista Home Basic This entry-level edition, the successor to Windows XP Home Edition, includes the core elements of the new Windows Vista interface, notably Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, Windows Movie Maker, and Windows Mail. It's perfectly suited for simple e-mail and web browsing, and it runs most programs written for Windows Vista. It rips and burns CDs (but not DVDs), and it works well on a simple home or small business network. Using Windows Vista Home Basic, you're limited to either the Windows Vista Standard interface or the Windows Vista Basic interface.

• Windows Vista Home Premuim As the name suggests, this edition includes all the features found in Windows Vista Home Basic, plus the noteworthy additionn of the Windows Vista Aero user experience and Windows Media Center features. (For all practical purposes. this is the successor to Windows XP Media Center Edition.) It also adds support for Tablet PC features (assuming you have compatible hardware), a more tobust Backup program. the ability to creat and edit DVDs, and support for high-definition content in Windows Movie Maker.

• Windows Vista Business Like its predecessor, Windows XP Professional, this edition is designed for use in the workplace. Using Windows Vista Business. you can connect to a corporate domain, create image-based backups, encrypt files, host a Remote Desktop session, take full advantage of Tablet PC features, and use roaming user profile-to name just a few of its many business-oriented features. Although this edition offers basic multimedia capabilities, such as the ability to play video clips and music CDs, it doesn't include Windows DVD Maker, or Windows Media Center.

• Windows Vista Enterprise This edition is not for sale through retail channels and is available only to corporate and institutional customers through Volume Licensing programs. It's essentially identical to Windows Vista Business, with the addition of Windows BitLocker drive encryption, support for multiple languages in the Windows user interface, and additional licenses that allow you to run up to four additional copies of Windows Vista using Virtual PC 2007.

• Windows Vista Ultimate The most expansive (and expensive) retail edition of Windows Vista combines all the features found in the other editions. Thus, it includes Media Center features, just like Windows Vista Home Premium, and support for multiple physical CPUs and the Volume Shadow Service, just like Windows Vista Business. It also includes access to suite of premium products and services called Ultimate Extras.



If you decide that you need a more potent Windows Vista version than the one you're currently running, you can take advantage of a new feature called Anytime Upgrade to purchase and upgrade license. The process uses your existing installation media to perform an in-plade upgrade that proserves data and settings.