Ultimate vs Enterprise Windows 7

Microsoft Windows has been the number one computer operating system for the past 2 decades. To suite their customers, Microsoft produces different editions of their operating system to fit their prospective clients. With Windows 7, the Ultimate and Enterprise editions are on the top end of their offerings. The two pretty much have the same specifications and are virtually identical to the end user. The main difference between Ultimate and Enterprise is the targeted user. Enterprise is targeted towards companies who deploy the operating system in their offices. The Ultimate version of Windows 7 has the same features as the Enterprise version but it is aimed towards home users.

This difference is clearly apparent when you look at how you can purchase either version of Windows. Just like most other versions of Windows, the Ultimate edition can be purchased individually and can be activated using the usual phone and internet methods. The enterprise edition is slightly different as you would not get it through retailers and OEMs. It is only available via Microsoft Software Assurance and only in large volumes. Buyers of the Enterprise Edition also get a number of benefits due to Microsoft Software Assurance, but these are already beyond the differences of Enterprise and Ultimate. Activation is also slightly different for the Enterprise Edition as it is rather tedious to individually activate each license if you have hundreds, or even thousands, of computers with distinct licenses. Activation of the Enterprise Edition is done via Volume License Key, commonly referred to as VLK, and only uses a single license key.

Another slight difference between Ultimate and Enterprise editions is in the duration of support that will be provided by Microsoft. Microsoft assures support for the Enterprise Edition up to 2020 at the earliest. In contrast, users of the Ultimate edition only have assured support up to 2015 at the earliest. It is quite odd that the more expensive edition shares the same support duration as the Home Premium Edition, with the cheaper Professional edition sharing the longer duration of the Enterprise Edition.

For ordinary users, the Enterprise Edition is not really an option. But, the Ultimate edition is a viable alternative to those who want the full list of features that Windows has to offer.

1.Ultimate is available to home users while Enterprise is only available companies
2.Ultimate is available in individual licenses while Enterprise is only sold in volume
3.Microsoft support for Ultimate extends to 2015 while support for Enterprise extends to 2020

Difference Between | Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons

Key Difference: The Windows 7 Professional is an edition designed specifically for small business owners. It includes all of the features of the Windows 7 Home Premium and adds a few additional features of its own. Windows 7 Enterprise is one of the highest versions of the Windows 7 operating system offered by Windows. The system offers all of the features that are available with the operating software. However, this system if offered only through volume licensing to companies that have a Software Assurance contract with Microsoft.

Windows 7 Professional and Windows 7 Enterprise are two different types of operating system versions offered by Microsoft. Microsoft has divided the operating system into different versions, with the cheapest one offering the least amount of features and vice versa. The company has done this so that not everyone has to pay for high-end features that they may never use. Hence, many people can purchase the versions according to their needs and usage. Windows 7 Professional is aimed at small-business owners and offers features such as ability to connect to different business networks, mobility features, security, etc. However, the Enterprise offers high-end features that are targeted for IT companies and developers. There is a catch though, the Enterprise is only available through volume licensing to companies that are a part of Microsoft’s Software Assurance contract.

The Windows 7 Professional is an edition designed specifically for small business owners. It includes all of the features of the Windows 7 Home Premium and adds a few additional features of its own. This is the third-most expensive edition that is available on the market. The CD includes both the 32-bit and the 64-bit versions that let’s the user decide which architecture they want to incorporate depending on their RAM usage and the amount of data processed. The main function of the Professional edition is its ability to connect to business networks with Domain Join. Professional also offers mobility features such as ability to detect the closest printer based on the network that is logged on, as well as data protection capabilities. It includes additional features such as Restore Previous Versions, HomeGroup, advanced backup options and Windows Media Center.

Windows 7 Enterprise is one of the most expensive versions of Windows 7 and this is because it offers a bunch of extra features that are not available on many of the other versions. The edition offers all features that are available with the Windows 7 Professional and adds an extra few features such as Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support. However, there is a catch; this edition is not available on the retail market and is only available thorough Microsoft’s Microsoft Software Assurance (SA). This means that this edition is only available to the companies (not people) that have tied up with Microsoft’s SA. It is also only sold through volume licensing. As it is part of Microsoft’s SA system, it offers several only SA benefits such as: a license allowing the operating of diskless nodes (diskless PCs) and activation via Volume License key (VLK).

All versions of Windows 7, except the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic version will play DVDs without the need for downloading any extra software. All versions of Windows 7 will receive Mainstream Support until January 2015 and Extended Support till January 2020.

This checklist is adapted from the diagrams provided by Microsoft to Neowin.net.

Windows 7 Professional

Windows 7 Enterprise

Difference Between | Descriptive Analysis and Comparisons

Key Difference: Windows 7 Enterprise is one of the highest versions of the Windows 7 operating system offered by Windows. The system offers all of the features that are available with the operating software. However, this system if offered only through volume licensing to companies that have a Software Assurance contract with Microsoft. Windows 7 Ultimate version shares the same features as the Windows 7 Enterprise; however, it is available for home users on an individual license basis.

Windows 7 Enterprise and Ultimate are two versions of the Windows 7 operating system by Microsoft. The different versions are often confusing for many people as they each have very small variations. Each version is divided in terms of features that are offered and the price of the edition. As the price of the edition increases, the more features are offered on it. Enterprise and Ultimate are often confusing for many because there is only one difference between the two. While enterprise offers all the features it is only available for companies that have tied up with Microsoft, while Ultimate also offers all the features that are available on Enterprise, but this edition is for home owners.

Windows 7 Enterprise is one of the most expensive versions of Windows 7 and this is because it offers a bunch of extra features that are not available on many of the other versions. The edition offers all features that are available with the Windows 7 Professional and adds an extra few features such as Multilingual User Interface (MUI) packages, BitLocker Drive Encryption, and UNIX application support. However, there is a catch; this edition is not available on the retail market and is only available thorough Microsoft’s Microsoft Software Assurance (SA). This means that this edition is only available to the companies (not people) that have tied up with Microsoft’s SA. It is also only sold through volume licensing. As it is part of Microsoft’s SA system, it offers several only SA benefits such as: a license allowing the operating of diskless nodes (diskless PCs) and activation via Volume License key (VLK).

Windows 7 Ultimate is one of the highest versions of the system offered by Microsoft. This version shares the same features as the Windows 7 Enterprise; however, it is available for home users on an individual license basis. This is the most expensive variant of Windows 7 and is offers all the features of the other versions and much more. The Ultimate version was created for users that wanted every type of upgrade available in their computers, along with for those that require high-end security features for their home systems. There are only a few features in Windows 7 Ultimate that could be proven useful for individuals, while others are better suited for IT Professionals. Additional features include: BitLocker Drive Encryption, 35 different languages to choose from, AppLocker (allows blocking of certain software from running on the comp), BranchCache, Direct boot from VHD, Virtual Desktop Infrastructure, DirectAccess, etc. These features are more beneficial to corporate companies that require more system protection.

All versions of Windows 7, except the Windows 7 Starter and Home Basic version will play DVDs without the need for downloading any extra software. All versions of Windows 7 will receive Mainstream Support until January 2015 and Extended Support till January 2020.

This checklist is adapted from the diagrams provided by Microsoft to Neowin.net.

Windows 7 Enterprise

Difference Between Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, VL, N Editions

Windows 10 comes in different editions i.e., Home, Pro, Enterprise, Education etc. Sometimes it can be quite confusing to check which edition or version suits our needs.

That’s why we have compiled a list of differences between Windows 10 Home, Pro and Enterprise editions.

Let’s discuss each edition one by one so that we can understand the difference between all these Windows 10 editions.

Windows 10 Home

Windows 10 Home mostly comes pre-installed in the laptops you buy. It contains all the major features included in Windows 10 like Cortana, Microsoft Edge, Continuum, universal apps etc.

The things missing are mostly related to networking. The home edition can’t be joined to a Microsoft domain network and it does not include a group policy editor. However, you can install the group policy editor separately in Windows 10 Home.

If you are going to use Windows 10 on your home computer, Windows 10 Home is suitable for you. Other features not included in Windows 10 Home include Bitlocker, Enterprise Mode IE, Remote Desktop and Client Hyper-V.

Windows 10 Pro

Windows 10 Professional edition is mostly used in Office environments where joining a Windows Server domain is required. Windows 10 Pro comes with all the features of Windows 10 Home and features like Group Policy Management, Bitlocker Encryption, Remote Desktop, Hyper-V, Azure ability to join Active Directory, enterprise data protection and Windows Update for business etc.

Windows 10 Enterprise

Windows 10 Enterprise edition includes all the features of Windows 10 Pro plus additional features like Direct Access, Windows To Go creator, AppLocker, BranchCache, Start Screen control with Group Policy, credential guard, device guard etc.

Other Windows 10 Editions

Windows 10 Education

Windows 10 Education is specifically given to educational institutions and it has all the features of Windows 10. There are no feature limitations or restrictions in the Windows 10 Education edition. You can think of it as similar to the Windows 10 Enterprise edition.

Windows 10 Mobile

Windows 10 Mobile is designed for smartphones and tablets and includes basic consumer features including Continuum capability.

What does VL stand for?

You will see Windows 10 Enterprise VL editions. VL stands for Volume License. This means that a single license key can be used to activate multiple installations of Windows 10. This is usually used by large enterprises.

N and KN editions

Windows 10 N editions are specifically designed for Europe and Switzerland to comply with the European law. The N stands for Not with Media Player and does not come with Windows Media Player pre-installed.

KN is specially designed for Korean market and does not include Windows Media Player (WMP) and an instant messenger.

Hopefully this gives a brief comparison of all the Windows 10 editions. Wikipedia provides a very good comparison chart and for full detailed comparison, you can read the Microsoft Windows 10 comparison page.

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Usman Khurshid is a seasoned IT Pro with over 15 years of experience in the IT industry. He has experience in everything from IT support, helpdesk, sysadmin, network admin, and cloud computing. He is also certified in Microsoft Technologies (MCTS and MCSA) and also Cisco Certified Professional in Routing and Switching. Reach him at Twitter @usmank11

10 thoughts on “ Difference Between Windows 10 Home, Pro, Enterprise, VL, N Editions ”

I swear I downloaded the file for winx pro 64 version 1709. But when it finished it read win 10 home 1709 64. SO I tried direct download and same thing happened. So where do I get the actual iso of winx pro 64 1709?

You need to download from a machine that already has a Pro version OS

You forgot the mention LTSB LTSC and the S version

All too complicated. My problem is … no Store, and no Skype, I wonder what else…. What happened to them when I reinstalled Windows 10 pro x64 after a hard disk crash?

Thanks. This site has the best info on Windows 10. Microsoft seems to scatter the info around and makes the important info hard to find. These pages summarizes all the needed info.

thanks. i also saw an education edition

How do I create a EI.cfg so I can freely chose which license type with my windows 10?
Idea’s,suggestions even how to required.

Very easily. Just paste the following four lines into notepad, save as file ei.cfg and place it in the “sources” folder of your installation media (most likely a bootable thumbdrive that you created from the ISO image you downloaded with Microsoft’s media creation tool):
[Channel]
_Default
[VL]
0

I’m curious is there are (if any) differences in the allowed encryptions ‘bits’ levels for the Win10 US vs. the Win10N?

I recently upgraded from windows 7 ultimate to windows 10 pro, but faced some technical issue so downgrade my PC being download your ISO, Which worked fine to install into my PC and after that I need product key to activate my OS.
I searched via Google and found an Indian site ODosta Store
From where, I bought cheap license and activated my operating system without any issue, So I thought myself to share it with other users.
Thanks you very much.

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