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.

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