Do You Need Windows Pro?
Techquickie
·Techquickie
·2017-05-06
·
1,086 words · ~5 min read
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So, you're getting ready to build or buy a new computer, but one key decision
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remains. What operating system are you going to pick? And unless you're using a
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Linux distribution or buying a Mac, chances are you're going to end up with
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some version of Windows or another. Now, at first, this might seem like a
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non-decision. Just pick the 64-bit version of whatever the latest Windows
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is, and you're all set, right? Well, maybe not because ever since Windows XP,
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there have been home and professional
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editions of every Windows and some additional ones from time to time. And
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it isn't always obvious what the extra
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money, sometimes as much as another $100 US, will get you with a enhanced
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professional license. So, when does it actually make sense? Well, the answer
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depends not only on your needs, but also
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on which version of Windows you need to run, as many folks still need a copy of
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Windows 7 to run legacy applications. So, we'll be covering 7, 8, and 10 in
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this episode. Now, it's one thing if you're thinking about getting a
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professional edition just for the extra bells and whistles, but it's quite
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another if you need one to take advantage of your hardware, specifically
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memory. if you're running Windows 7 is a big factor here. The home premium
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version only supports up to 16 gigabytes
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of RAM and with many higherend computers these days having sometimes
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significantly more than that, that would be a reason to go pro. Windows 8 and 10
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support a much more generous 128
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gigabytes on their home editions. Although Pro could be a good option if
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you need more RAM than that for something like virtualization,
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especially as HyperV, Windows's built-in
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virtualization support is only available in Pro and higher. But other than
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supporting more memory than an elephant, what else do professional editions
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offer? Well, ever since Windows 7, Bit Locker, Microsoft's version of full disc
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encryption, which you can learn more about here, as well as encrypting file
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system, has required buying an addition beyond just the home version. Windows 8
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and 10 Professional include Bit Locker, while for Windows 7, you'll have to step
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up to the even more expensive Ultimate Edition. So, if you're storing sensitive
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data on your drive that you can't afford to have stolen, shelling out more money
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for a fancier version of Windows might be something to look into. And if you're
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watching this, the chances are you might be the de facto IT person for your
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friends or family or even work. And you might find the remote desktop connection
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feature in Pro useful as only computers
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with Pro Editions can be remotely controlled if you need to fix a problem
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or grab a file from another PC. Though it should be noted there are lots of
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remote control options other than the built-in one in Windows. We've actually
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talked about them before. But wait a second, Lionus. I mean, can't I just use
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third party tools for a lot of this stuff? Well, yeah. In fact, many of them
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are free. So, why should you give more money to Microsoft? Well, the answer is
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that more expensive versions of Windows still have some features that are hard
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to get by other means or just more difficult to do without switching
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operating systems entirely, such as setting up a domain at home, which can
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be useful if lots of people need access to the same resources. and if you'd like
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to fine-tune what they can and can't do.
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And if you can get your hands on an enterprise version of Windows 8 or
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later, you can actually use Windows to go, which essentially allows you to run
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an entire customized Windows session off of a USB flash drive, which is pretty
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freaking cool. So, even though the base versions of Windows have gotten more
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featurerich over the years, Pro and higher versions might still be worth a
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look if you'd like an experience that's a bit more powerful without having to
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run around and find third party tools for everything you want to do. Just
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don't call yourself an IT professional on your resume after picking up a copy
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of Windows Pro, especially if the only reason you bought Windows Pro was to
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virtualize 10 instances of Minecraft.
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Speaking of being a pro, Fresh Books. Are you running a small business or even
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like a sort of getting bigger business? Fresh Books is on a mission to make your
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life less stressful and more organized
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through their easy to use tool for crafting and sending professional
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invoices and keeping track of your accounting. Stuff like how many hours
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you spent on a particular job, who you did it for. I mean, I I know I know I
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have been through that. I have forgotten things like that. Being able to accept
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and keep track of the deposits that have been paid for your work. It is freaking
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awesome. They even have a tool to manage your expense reports. The mobile app
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just lets you take a picture of your receipts and boom, pretty much handles
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the rest. Getting started on FreshBooks wouldn't be helpful if it wasn't
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extremely simple, even if you're not a numbers person. So, you just try it for
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free for 30 days by going over to freshbooks.com/techquicky, which is
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linked in the video description. Enter Techquicki in the how did you hear about
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us and find out if FreshBooks is right
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for you. Spend your time running your
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business rather than spending your time doing accounting for your business with
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like one of those big calculators with the like spool of paper that comes at
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the top. Come on, man. Get with the times. So, thanks for watching, guys. If
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you like the video, like it. If you disliked it, dislike it. If you want to leave a comment with suggestions for
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future videos, that is down there. If you want to subscribe so that you don't miss any of our future videos, that's
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also somewhere. All right. And also, don't forget to check out our other
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channels. I'm sorry, my outro scrolled past the teleprompter. Don't worry about
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it. See you next time.