Guide to Windows Vista Versions
There are several versions of Microsoft Windows Vista. The table below lists the main product features for each version.
| Key
to the table: |
| Fundamentals | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| SafeDocs backup and restore | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Backup (scheduled) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Backup (network-based) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Shadow copy client | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Encrypted File System (EFS) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Supports migration from XP | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Productivity | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| Desktop Window Manager (DWM) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Aero glass, animations, visual effects | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Productivity features (rolodex, tab previews, task bar previews) | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Unlimited screen resolution support | No
1024x768 |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Fast User Switching (FUS) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Communications | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| RDP/Remote Desktop | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| P2P Meeting Place (ad-hoc meetings, people discovery, presentation broadcast) | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Web Server (optional) | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Windows Fax client | No | No | No | No | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | |
| Digital Media & Entertainment | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| DVD Video Authoring | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Direct Media Mode | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Media Center (including Extender and games) | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Number of remote Media Center sessions supported | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5 | n/a | n/a | n/a | 5 | |
| Movie Maker HD Publishing | No | No | No | Yes | No | No | No | Yes | |
| Advanced Photography features | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | Yes (opt) | |
| Premium Games (3D Chess, Shanghai Solitaire) | No | No | No | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | |
| Windows Media Player 11 and related components | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Networking | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| Number of supported network connections | 0 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 10 | |
| Domain join support | No | No | No | No only |
Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 1:1 Network projection | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| SNMP support | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | |
| Internet Connection Sharing (ICS) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes (Opt) | Yes | Yes (Opt) | Yes | |
| Mobility | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| PC-to-PC Sync | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobility Center | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Tablet PC functionality | No | No | No | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | |
| Auxiliary Display support | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Offline folders with client-side caching | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| PC management | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| Subsystem for UNIX-based Applications (SUA) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | |
| Secure Startup (Cornerstone) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (Opt) | |
| Single Session Virtual PC | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes (Opt) | Yes (Opt) | |
| Multi-Language User Interface (MUI) | No | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Yes (Opt) | |
Processor and memory support
What about processor and memory support? Most Windows Vista product editions will be available in both 32-bit and 64-bit (x64) versions. Here's how the various versions support each processor type, and how much RAM they allow.
| Processor and memory support | |||||||||
| Feature | Str | Home N | Home B | Home P | Bus N | Bus | Ent | Ult | |
| Supports 32-bit processors (x86) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Amount of RAM supported on 32-bit systems | 256 MB | 8 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | Max physical |
Max physical |
Max physical |
Max physical |
|
| Supports 64-bit processors (x64) | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Amount of RAM supported on x64 systems | n/a | 8 GB | 8 GB | 16 GB | 128 GB+ | 128 GB+ | 128 GB+ | 128 GB+ | |
| Number of physical CPUs supported | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
There's been some confusion about the difference between multiple processors and multiple processor cores (for example, both Intel and AMD are currently selling dual-core CPUs, and quad-core chips are on the way). While all of the Vista product editions support only one or two physical processors, none are limited to the number of processor cores they will support.