Windows XP Professional and Home can run on nearly any PC manufactured in the last few years. These days, most new systems come with XP Home installed (because it's cheaper). But is that the version of Windows XP you want? If you use Windows in your business or consider yourself a PC hobbyist, leave Home alone.

     As its name suggests, XP Professional is designed for business and power users. If you take your XP Pro laptop to work or school, you should have no difficulty connecting the system to a secure network. XP Home users may not be able to do this, or the connection may require you to install special software (contact your network administrator) or accept less-stringent security. XP Pro supports offline files, which means that you can work on documents stored on the network even when your computer isn't connected (for example, if you take your laptop on the road). The offline copies of the files automatically synchronize with the network versions when you restore the connection; not so with XP Home. XP Pro's Remote Desktop feature lets you see and work with another PC's Windows desktop (and its apps and documents) via a network or Internet link. XP Home has the software for connecting to an existing shared XP Pro desktop, but it can't share its own desktop remotely.

     Security is another reason to go with XP Pro. That version supports the NT file system (NTFS), so you can encrypt folders for greater privacy. If XP Home users want to password-protect a folder, they must adopt a workaround like the one described in last month's Windows Tips column. XP Pro also provides more-secure access to network resources (drives, folders, and files).

     People who love to customize and take control of their computer will prefer XP Pro's Group Policy Editor for tweaking myriad system settings. And Pro's Automated System Recovery feature restores your machine from a backup when problems occur. XP Home doesn't even offer the Windows Backup utility as an option.

     Before you buy a PC, ask which version of XP you're getting on your system. Don't go with XP Home just to save a few bucks (XP Pro can add $60 to $100 to the price of a system). But if your new PC is exclusively for home, and you aren't concerned about the lack of security and customizing features, take the Home road. Just don't say I didn't warn you.