Which version of windows 7? home premium or pro?

[ace123]

hi, i'm looking to buy windows 7 but i'm unsure of which version to buy. i will be gaming and playing some games which were made for windows xp. i know that the pro version has xp mode. will my pc use less power if i play the games in xp mode rather than in windows 7 mode or does that not make a difference?

 

[mhelm1]

Which game? Some on here could be playing already with Win 7 home.
Otherwise I'd get Pro just to be sure( you also get backup/restore and domain join)
See Below:
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/products/compare
As far as saving power I doubt it will make any difference.

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

Hi ace123,

The chart that mhelm1 gave you should be helpful. In most cases I recommend going with home as it meets the needs of most users who want Windows 7 on their personal computers. However, for you it sounds like XP Mode may be helpful since you have multiple games that were made for XP so I'd go with Professional.

Let us know what you decide.

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach

 

[ace123]

hi, thanks for the replies. i've decided to go with home premium but i have another question. i only plan to use windows 7 on one pc. i'm aware of the different types of versions for all three editions of windows. oem, upgrade and full. if i buy the oem and my computer gets a virus or the hdd gets damaged etc. will i still be able to use the oem version if i reinstall windows to the same machine? or will i need to buy windows 7 again? i don't really want to pay the cost for the full version as i don't intend to transfer the licence to another machine and i'd rather save $80 and spend it on something else.

 

[mhelm1]

Yes, as long as you have the same mobo, and cpu. If your mobo dies then you'll may have to get a new key from Microsoft but that's only a phone call away.

 

[cassandraf_winteam]

Yes, but sometimes making significant changes to the computer will require reactivation. If you have any problems activating, you'll just need to call Microsoft and explain the situation so they can ensure that you're not trying to move it to another computer or use it on two computers - http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/18715-activate-windows-7-phone.html

Cheers,
Cassandra
Microsoft Windows Outreach