Windows 7
Windows 7 introduced Libraries, Home Group, and the pinned task bar at the bottom of the screen.
There are 6 main editions of Windows 7:
- Windows 7 Starter
- Windows 7 Home Basic
- Windows 7 Home Premium
- Windows 7 Ultimate
- Windows 7 Professional
- Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Starter
Windows 7 Starter was designed to be used with netbooks. There is only a 32-bit version, with a maximum support of 2 GB of RAM. Windows 7 starter did not include the following:
- DVD playback or Windows Media Center
- Windows Aero
- Internet Connection Sharing (ICS)
- IIS Web server
- Enterprise technologies (domain connection, BitLocker, EFS, etc)
Windows 7 Home Premium
Windows 7 Home Premium was built for the consumer market to be used in the Home. It did include DVD playback, Windows Aero, Internet Connection Sharing, IIS Web Server.
Enterprise technologies (domain connection, BitLocker, EFS, etc.) are not included.
Windows 7 comes in a x64 version and supports up to 16 GB of RAM and 2 physical processors.
Windows 7 Ultimate
Windows 7 Ultimate is a full featured version of Windows that was still meant to be used at home. It has the same features as Windows 7 Enterprise but was meant for the home user.
Windows 7 Ultimate includes domain support, Remote Desktop, Encrypted File System (EFS) and disk encryption with Bitlocker.
Windows 7 Ulimate has a x64 version which supports up to 192 GB of RAM.
Windows 7 Professional
Windows 7 Professional has the same features as Windows 7 Home Premium but was meant for a business professional setting and thus includes the ability to connect to a Windows domain and supports Remote Desktop Host and EFS.
Windows 7 Professional does not support Bitlocker
Windows 7 Professional has a x64 version which supports up to 192 GB of RAM.
Windows 7 Enterprise
Windows 7 Enterprise was meant for large organizations. This version is only sold in volume licenses.
Windows 7 Enterprise includes all the functionality of Windows 7 Professional but also includes multilingual user interface packages and Bitlocker support.
Windows 7 Hardware Requirements
Windows 7 x86 versions require:
- CPU: 1 GHz processor
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Free disk space: 16 GB
- Video: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Windows 7 x64 versions require:
- CPU: 1 GHz processor
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Free disk space: 20 GB
- Video: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM 1.0 or higher driver
Windows 7 Editions Summary
X = Feature not included
O= Feature included
| Edition | DVD Playback | Aero | ICS | Domain Member | EFS | BitLocker | x86 RAM | x64 RAM |
| Starter | X | X | X | X | X | X | 2 GB | N/A |
| Home Premium | O | O | O | X | X | X | 4 GB | 16 GB |
| Professional | O | O | O | O | O | X | 4 GB | 192 GB |
| Enterprise | O | O | O | O | O | O | 4 GB | 192 GB |
| Ultimate | O | O | O | O | O | O | 4 GB | 192 GB |
Windows 8
Windows 8 introduced a new user interface and got rid of the traditional “Start” button. This new interface was a Modern GUI (previously called Metro) that featured a tile-based user interface targeted toward touch screen support. Windows 8 included a Charms bar on the right side of the screen.
Windows 8.1
Windows 8.1 was a free update to Windows 8. It restored the desktop as the default interface and brought back the Start button on the desktop.
Window 8 / 8.1 Editions:
- Windows 8/8.1 (Core)
- Windows 8/8.1 Pro
- Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise
Windows 8/8.1 Core
Windows 8/8.1 core is the consumer home version. There are x86 and x64 versions. Windows 8/8.1 core integrates your Microsoft account into the operating system. You can use the same Microsoft credentials to login to all your Microsoft services and to gain access to the desktop. Windows 8/8.1 core also includes Windows Defender, which integrated anti-virus and anti-malware capabilities. Windows Media Player was included to play audio CD and DVDs.
Windows 8/8.1 Pro
Windows 8/8.1 is the professional version similar to Windows 7 Professional/Ultimate. Windows 8/8.1 Supports Bitlocker and EFS for full disk and file level encryption. Windows 8/8.1 also you to join a Windows domain and allows for group policy support for centralized management of Windows devices.
Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise
Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise is meant for large organizations and is sold in large volume licenses. It is fully featured and adds enterprise features such as AppLocker, Windows to Go, DirectAccess, and BranchCache
Windows 8/8.1 Hardware Requirements
Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise requires that the CPU have PAE (Physical Address Extension). This allows a 32 bit processor to use more than 4 GB of physical memory. The CPU must also support the NX Processor Bit. This bit allows the CPU to protect against malicious software. The CPU must also support SSE2 (Streaming SIMD Extensions 2). SSE2 is a processor instruction set used by application developers when creating drivers or apps for Windows 8/8.1.
Windows 8/8.1 x86 versions require:
- CPU: 1 GHz processor with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
- Memory: 1 GB RAM
- Free disk space: 16 GB
- Video: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM
Windows 8/8.1 x64 versions require:
- CPU: 1 GHz processor with support for PAE, NX, and SSE2
- Memory: 2 GB RAM
- Free disk space: 20 GB
- Video: DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM
Windows 8/8.1 Editions Summary
X=Feature not included
O=Feature included
| Edition | Windows Media Player | EFS | BitLocker | Domain Member | AppLocker | BranchCache | Max x86 RAM | Max x64 RAM |
| Core | O | X | X | X | X | X | 4 GB | 128 GB |
| Pro | O | O | O | O | X | X | 4 GB | 512 GB |
| Enterprise | O | O | O | O | O | O | 4 GB | 512 GB |
Windows 10
Windows 10 was designed to be a single platform that could operate on desktops, laptops, tablets, phones, and all-in-one devices. Windows 10 is now referred to as a “service” because Microsoft will do periodic updates to the operating system instead of coming out with completely new versions every few years.
Windows 10 Home
Windows 10 Home is for the home user. Windows 10 Home integrates with your Microsoft account. It also includes Microsoft OneDrive backup. Windows 10 Home includes WIndows Defender for anti-virus and anti-malware capabilities. Windows 10 introduces Cortana so that you can talk to and interact with your operating system.
Windows 10 Pro
Windows 10 Pro is designed for business scenarios. It offers additional management features. Windows 10 Pro includes Remote Desktop host to remote control computers. It includes support for full disk encryption with Bitlocker. Windows 10 Pro allows you to join a Windows domain for group policy management.
Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Enterprise
Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Enterprise editions are similar to each other. They both are obtained via volume licensing. They both support AppLocker that allows an administrator to control what applications can be installed and run. Both Eduction and Enterprise versions support BranchCache so that you can cache files locally at a remote location instead of constantly retrieving those files across the network. Both editions also allow for granular user experience (UX) control. Administrators can define the user environment, which is useful for kiosk and workstation customization.
Windows 10 Hardware Requirements
Windows 10 has the same requirements as Windows 8/8.1.
Windows 10 Edition Summary
X=Feature not included
O=Feature included
| Windows 10 Edition | Hyper-V | Bitlocker | Domain Member | AppLocker | BranchCache | Max x86 RAM | Max x64 RAM |
| Home | X | X | X | X | X | 4 GB | 128 GB |
| Pro | O | O | O | X | X | 4 GB | 2048 GB |
| Education/Enterprise | O | O | O | O | O | 4 GB | 2048 GB |
