Windows Vista Home Basic and Home Premium are both positioned for personal use. For most users, both editions offer enough features to be fully equipped to serve their needs.

Comparison chart

Windows Vista Home Basic versus Windows Vista Home Premium comparison chart
Edit this comparison chartWindows Vista Home BasicWindows Vista Home Premium
  • current rating is 3.07/5
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  • 5
(43 ratings)
  • current rating is 3.17/5
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(52 ratings)
Price (full package) $200 $240
Security - Windows Defender and Windows Firewall Yes Yes
Instant Search Yes Yes
Internet Explorer 7 Yes Yes
Elegant Windows Aero desktop (glass menu bars, Windows Flip 3D, Live Thumbnails) No Yes
For laptops – Windows Mobility Center No Yes
Tablet PC support No Yes
Collaboration tool – Windows Meeting Space No Yes
Use secondary displays – Windows SideShow No Yes
Windows Media Center No Yes
Windows Complete PC Backup and Restore to protect against hardware failure No No
Windows Fax and Scan No No
Scheduled Backup for automatically backing up files No Yes
Remote Desktop Connection No No
Network and Sharing Center Yes Yes
Windows BitLocker Drive Encryption for data protection No No
Windows DVD Maker No Yes
Premium Games – Chess Titans, Mahjong Titans, Inkball No Yes
Windows Movie Maker in High Definition No Yes

About the Author

Nick Jasuja

Nick Jasuja has over 15 years of technology industry experience, including at Amazon in Seattle. He is an expert at building websites, developing software programs in PHP and JavaScript, maintaining MySQL and PostgreSQL databases, and running Linux servers for serving high-traffic websites. He has a bachelor's degree in Computer Science & Engineering.

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