Windows 8 PC Has Six Variants

btarunr · Mar 5, 2012

Poking around the registry of Windows 8 Consumer Preview, Windows8Beta discovered the operating system, at least the PC version, as having six variants. There are also mentions of ARM variants (for ARM tablets and notebooks), but let's look at the PC SKUs:

Windows 8 Starter Edition, for low-cost PCs, netbooks, nettops, etc., probably targeting emerging markets only
Windows 8 Home Basic, for value desktop PCs, netbooks, and notebooks
Windows 8 Home Premium, for mainstream desktops and notebooks
Windows 8 Professional, for home, office desktops and more functional notebooks
Windows 8 Professional Plus, for office desktops and notebooks in dense local networks, probably has extra management, data security features
Windows 8 Ultimate Edition, has the complete feature-set of the OS

View at TechPowerUp Main Site

pr0n Inspector · Mar 5, 2012

Just kill Starter already. That thing is disgusting.

freaksavior · Mar 5, 2012

Yay another variation of windows added. I think we only need 3 of them.

Home Premium
Professional
Ultimate

Katanai · Mar 5, 2012

Just get Ultimate. No need to waste your time with anything else. I lost a day recently because of Windows Home Premium. :cry:

I knew I should have installed Ultimate but it was a netbook and it came with Home Premium so I thought I'd give it a try. It turns out, of course this was the last thing I've discovered, you can't even change the language on Home Premium. The only option you have, if you bought a laptop with Home Premium and you want to change the language, is a 200$ upgrade to Ultimate. :banghead:

Microsoft at its worst again...

Frick · Mar 5, 2012

Katanai said:
Just get Ultimate. No need to waste your time with anything else. I lost a day recently because of Windows Home Premium. I knew I should have installed Ultimate but it was a netbook and it came with Home Premium so I thought I'd give it a try. It turns out, of course this was the last thing I've discovered, you can't even change the language on Home Premium. The only option you have, if you bought a laptop with Home Premium and you want to change the language, is a 200$ upgrade to Ultimate. Microsoft at its worst again...

Was that so hard to look at?

And for most people Ultimate is a complete waste of money. Even Home Basic or even Starter is enough for most people.

freaksavior said:
Yay another variation of windows added.

No, they're the same as for Windows 7.

qwerty_lesh · Mar 5, 2012

Frick said:
No, they're the same as for Windows 7.

pray do tell where I can buy a Windows 7 Professional Plus edition from?

Frick · Mar 5, 2012

qwerty_lesh said:
pray do tell where I can buy a Windows 7 Professional Plus edition from?

No wait, my mistake there. I was thinking about Office Pro Plus. Sorry about that. :eek:

But that shouldn't bother most people as only big corporations will see them. Probably.

radarblade · Mar 5, 2012

In my case I always get the one that has Windows Aero support with it.

entropy13 · Mar 5, 2012

qwerty_lesh said:
pray do tell where I can buy a Windows 7 Professional Plus edition from?

That would be Windows 7 Professional already. Most likely Windows 8 Professional Plus is the equivalent of Windows 7 Professional, while Windows 8 Professional would be like Windows 7 Professional but with less features.

Windows 7 Professional "Minus" = Windows 8 Professional
Windows 7 Professional = Windows 8 Professional Plus

H82LUZ73 · Mar 5, 2012

freaksavior said:
Yay another variation of windows added. I think we only need 3 of them.

Home Premium
Professional
Ultimate

I agree ,With Win7 with the gateway book I have It comes with so called (OEM) Win7 starter home .....All desktop user should just worry about the three Windows this guy posted ,As the low end Starter and Home Basic is just for OEM`s to install and give out the cd-key so you actually get stuck using the create system restore disk.

As for getting Win8 I am glad I renewed my Tech-Net sub,At $216 ($299 for basic new subs)It is a steal you get all the new OS and keys ,Also get the new Office.In other words if your going to spend the $299-$399 on Win8 Home Premium- Ultimate why not just spend it on the Tech-Net Subscription.

PLAfiller · Mar 5, 2012

For me professional is just fine. I have been isng W7 Pro 64bits for about 2 years. I don't see the point in spending more cash about the Ultimate. I can live without the 35 translations and the BitLocker thingy.

The starter edition is available only in the East European countries and it's a joke. Home edition as well (both of them).

Drone · Mar 5, 2012

Windows 8 PC Has Six Variants

Umm nope it's not 6. You didn't list Enterprise and ARM editions.

RejZoR · Mar 5, 2012

Idiotiq. 3 editions are enough. Starter for netbooks, Premium for desktop users and Ultimate for corporate and enthusiasts. With more it just gets confusing for no good reason. And make Starter less dumb. If Ultimate worked just fine on prehistroic netbook with Atom N270, 1,5GB RAM and GMA950, i see no reason it couldn't on modern dual cor netbooks that mostly have 2GB of RAM.

Yellow&Nerdy? · Mar 5, 2012

Let's hope that Ultimate doesn't cost 350$ again...

Depth · Mar 5, 2012

pr0n Inspector said:
Just kill Starter already. That thing is disgusting.

Starter is for an extremely cheap alternative targeted for developing nations. Think schools in Africa and the likes. If you find that disgusting you need to take a good look at your life.

Salsoolo · Mar 5, 2012

i can disable metro right?
coz metro is impractical for business/ productive use

DonInKansas · Mar 5, 2012

Hopefully there's a Metro-free version.

newtekie1 · Mar 5, 2012

We are just assuming these will make it to the end, Professional Plus could very well get axed long before release. Right now all we know is that they are playing with the idea, because the list has versions in it that we already know will never see the light of day, like the "Preview" Edition. I don't think Microsoft will be release that...

trickson · Mar 5, 2012

Microsoft must be hurting for some cash. Putting out another OS? I just got windows 7! WHY Microsoft WHY? Unless this OS can improve my system's performance by 15% I do not even want to think about "Upgrading". AND 6 different flavors? WTH Is going on at Microsoft?

Ahhzz · Mar 5, 2012

Because this was already in the works while 7 was being polished, and they had the "path" already planned out. Someone at M$ figures that if they just release it already, people will buy it anyway. What someone SHOULD have realized, is that corporations are just now starting to implement Win7, in our area anyway. I've got contacts in the three biggest industry facilities here, and they're at the same position I am with our clients: Skipped Vista, held out with XP reloads, and now moving them slowly and steadily to 7. We're not recommending, and actively discouraging, any considerations of moving to Win 8 until at least the end of 2013, or into 2014, and maybe later.

Frick · Mar 5, 2012

trickson said:
Microsoft must be hurting for some cash. Putting out another OS? I just got windows 7! WHY Microsoft WHY? Unless this OS can improve my system's performance by 15% I do not even want to think about "Upgrading". AND 6 different flavors? WTH Is going on at Microsoft?

Except the leap between XP and Vista three years between releases have pretty much been the norm. Nothing strange or new there.

trickson · Mar 5, 2012

Frick said:
Except the leap between XP and Vista three years between releases have pretty much been the norm. Nothing strange or new there.

Yeah but vista was just about as bad as windows ME was :laugh:

. Still I see no real need for windows 8. Besides I have no way of buying it any way. Sucks for me.

Frick · Mar 5, 2012

trickson said:
Yeah but vista was just about as bad as windows ME was .

"Ok."

Arctucas · Mar 5, 2012

In my opinion, there needs to be one more; Windows 8 Mobile.

Windows 8 Mobile would be Metro UI based.

All other versions would be non-Metro.

newtekie1 · Mar 5, 2012

trickson said:
Yeah but vista was just about as bad as windows ME was . Still I see no real need for windows 8. Besides I have no way of buying it any way. Sucks for me.

It is funny you say that, if I didn't get Windows 7 for free, I'd still be using Vista. There is nothing wrong with Vista really, and at this point after all the patches Vista is a very good OS. And if it wasn't for getting Win8 for free, I'd definitely stick with Win7/Vista.

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Windows 8 PC Has Six Variants

btarunr

Editor & Senior Moderator

pr0n Inspector

freaksavior

To infinity ... and beyond!

Katanai

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

qwerty_lesh

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

radarblade

New Member

entropy13

H82LUZ73

PLAfiller

Drone

RejZoR

Yellow&Nerdy?

Depth

Salsoolo

DonInKansas

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

trickson

OH, I have such a headache

Ahhzz

Super Moderator

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

trickson

OH, I have such a headache

Frick

Fishfaced Nincompoop

Arctucas

newtekie1

Semi-Retired Folder

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Power Supply	Seasonic Prime PX-1300
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Keyboard	Logitech
Software	Win11PRO