This question has probably been asked a few times, but do i really need the professional version? I mostly use my computer for gaming and browsing. I have been looking at this list of features in the professional version, but i don't see the need for most of them.
Solved, i went with the home version of windows. ✔
Last edited by Cerawy; 18 Apr 2021 at 10:25.
I wouldn't say so. Most of the professional features people don't use. However, on Amazon the difference is $3.
I would stick with Home edition. I also use my operating system for gaming, browsing the internet and listening to music mainly :)
It all comes down to needs and use.
Home as obvious is primarily for use in a Home environment where you do not need the features. In a working environment, bitlocker, hyperv etc are much more important.
Many prefer PRO even if they do not use advanced features simply because you have more control over the OS including update deferral.
Last edited by Brink; 17 Mar 2018 at 12:57. Reason: updated link
Even GPE is not that crucial as it is basically just an easier way to manage registry changes.
With PRO, you can defer feature updates for up to 365 days, and security for 30 days (might be 35 - cannot remember of top of my head).
One feature I use a lot is rdp but then again you can use 3rd party tools.
You can use 3rd party equivalents for most of the main features, but you still do not have the more precise control over the OS.
On the end, if you buy Home, but later decide you want PRO, you can upgrade, only paying the difference anyway.
Well, i cant really think of any changes in group policy that helped me, but im not going to rule out that some of them may be helpful, that's the only thing bugging me from buying the home version.
Pro is nothing compared to what it used to be, MS is degrading it to Home with an each upgrade. Home vs Enterprise would make a sense, but Pro is just Home with Pro name, 99% policies can be done as well, just manually. As for a few missing features, they can be easily installed or replaced with 3rd party software.
I have both, but I have installed Home on purpose to see, what can be done with it. :)
The group policy editor to be precise. What it does is to safely apply/modify registry settings working from a template. But (bar a few that Home is specifically coded to ignore) if you use Regedit you can apply the same changes manually. They work in Home the same as in Pro. Brink's tutorials often include a registry settings option alongside the group policy method.
In Pro you can defer both the Quality Updates (the monthly cumulatives) and the Features Updates (the upgrade to the latest Windows). For Features Updates you can choose to be on the slower release channel, the upgrade is delayed until it's considered ready for business use. There's also an additional delay you can set for up to 365 days. More details in the tutorial...What do you mean with update deferral?
Windows Update - Defer Feature and Quality Updates in Windows 10
I have Home on my main machine. The only Pro feature I hanker after is Hyper-V. For your intended use Home should suit your needs. For Gaming there is one Pro feature that may be relevant, the ability to control whether or not driver updates are included in windows update (I'm thinking of the video driver in particular). But this is another case where Brink gives the registry option as well as the group policy one. See...
Enable or Disable Driver Updates in Windows Update in Windows 10
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