Windows 8 Editions For You

Windows 8 is available for consumers in three editions. Table 5: Windows 8 editions Edition Architecture Description Windows 8 x86/x64 This is the mainstream consumer version of Windows 8. It provides all of the main benefits of Windows 8 discussed earlier. Windows 8 Pro x86/x64 Windows 8 Pro includes all the features of Windows 8, plus features for encryption, virtualization, PC management, and domain connectivity. Windows Media Center is available for purchase as an economical “media pack” add-on to Windows 8 Pro. If you are an enthusiast or you want to use your PC in a business environment, you will want Windows 8 Pro. Windows RT ARM Also known as Windows on ARM or WOA. This edition is available pre-installed on PCs and tablets powered by ARM processors. It helps enable new thin and lightweight form factors with impressive battery life. Windows RT includes touch-optimized desktop versions of the new Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Upgrade Paths One question that frequently follows a discussion of editions is “What are the paths to upgrade to these editions?” A table is provided below. In addition to upgrade paths, Windows 8 provides “Migration” options during installation. This helps make it much easier to get Windows 8 installed and retain your user accounts, files, and configuration options, even when your current Windows version does not have a direct upgrade path to your desired Windows 8 edition. The table uses the following values: Yes: Upgrade path. Mig: Setup offers to migrate files, or files and settings. FP: There is a feature pack you can install for this path. -: No migration path. Table 6: Windows 8 upgrade paths Upgrade From: Windows 8 Windows 8 Pro Windows RT Windows XP SP3+ Mig Mig - Windows Vista® SP1+ Mig Mig - Windows 7 Starter, Home Basic, Home Premium Yes Yes - Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate Mig Yes - Windows 8 Preview Editions (Developer Preview, Consumer Preview, Release Preview) Mig Mig - Windows 8 Yes FP - Windows 8 Pro Mig Yes - Windows RT - - - In Windows 7, you can move between editions with Windows Anytime Upgrade (WAU). Windows 8 uses a similar mechanism―feature packs. This is discussed in the “Add Features to Windows 8” topic in the Activation module of this course. Because Windows 8 now provides easier migration paths even when there is not a direct upgrade path, you can also move between editions and retain your files and settings. See the Setup module in this course for more information on Migration options. Features by Edition The table below shows a more detailed list of features, with an indication of which editions include each feature. Table 7: Windows 8 features by edition Feature name Windows 8 Windows 8 Pro Windows RT Start screen, Semantic Zoom, Live Tiles x x x Windows Store x x x Apps (Mail, Calendar, People, Messaging, Photos, SkyDrive®, Reader, Music, Video) x x x Microsoft Office (Word, Excel®, PowerPoint®, OneNote®) x Internet Explorer® 10 x x x Device encryption x Connected standby x x x Microsoft account x x x Desktop x x x Installation of x86/64 and desktop software x x Updated Windows Explorer x x x Windows Defender x x x SmartScreen® x x x Windows Update x x x Enhanced Task Manager x x x Switch languages on the fly (language packs) x x x Better multiple monitor support x x x Storage spaces x x Windows Media Player x x Exchange ActiveSync® x x x File history x x x ISO / VHD mount x x x Mobile broadband features x x x Picture password x x x Play To x x x Remote Desktop (client) x x x Reset and refresh your PC x x x Snap x x x Touch and Thumb keyboard x x x Trusted boot x x x VPN client x x x BitLocker® and BitLocker To Go® x Boot from VHD x Client Hyper-V® x Domain Join x Encrypting File System x Group Policy x Remote Desktop (host) x Many of the features listed in the preceding table will be familiar to you already. Those that are new on Windows 8 will be discussed in this course.