Vista Home Premium vs. Business

I am debating between these two operating systems b/c while I don't need the business features of Business, being a home user myself, I am looking at a business line of laptops (Dell Latitude E-series), and Dell won't install Home Premium on my machine. (They will install Home Basic or Ultimate or even XP Pro).

So...for you home users out there, how many think you could do without the Media Center features of Home Premium and just stick with Vista Business?

I've debated this for weeks now and it's time to make a decision.

David

PS--I don't know if 32-bit vs. 64-bit makes a difference, but I am thinking of starting with 32-bit and then maybe trying 64-bit to see how it works out.

 

I don't use WMC, so Business is fine for my desktop. I just use WMP for my music and VLC for watching videos, as I don't need anything sophisticated even though WMC does look very nice. I am 17 so don't feel that you are getting an opinion from a business-oriented person. As far as the x86 vs. x64 goes, I mainly use 32 bit for some nicer compatibility and the ability to run command-prompt based floppy disk writers (still need them for some things like I believe Memtest and other programs) and use unsigned beta drivers. I know that 64 bit feels noticeably faster but since basically all my programs are 32 bit I might as well skip the emulation of the 32 bit environment and use the real thing.

-J.B.

 

I personally think that Media Center is pointless unless the machine is connected to a TV and cable feed 24/7 and being controlled by a remote control. I just don't see how it's any better than using Media Player, iTunes, Winamp or other 3rd party media software.

I opted for Vista Business because I wanted the pretty Aero interface, but didn't want the added bloat of Media Center.

If you really want the Media Center feature of Premium, just spring for Ultimate, which includes all the features of both Premium & Business.

You probably don't need 64-bit, unless the laptop you're purchasing has support for 4GB of RAM or more. 64-bit is a more secure OS, but many older Windows' applications will be incompatible. In any case, a Google search of " vista 32-bit vs 64-bit" will probably help in your decision.

Just my 2-cents, of course. Good luck!

 

I just learned that Vista Business includes Windows Movie Maker but NOT Windows DVD Maker. Do you find this to be a problem? Is burning movies to dvd easy via Roxio or similar software? My new Dell Latitude E6400 will come bundled with Roxio software. I'm not sure which, but could be this:

http://www.roxio.com/enu/products/creator/suite/overview.html

I think I could do without Media Center perhaps, but I would like to be able to make my own DVD movies.

BTW, which OS runs faster (i.e., consumes less system resouces), Business or Home Premium?

 

It won't make any significant difference.