Home > What’s the difference between the Windows 8 Pro, VL and N versions?

What’s the difference between the Windows 8 Pro, VL and N versions?

Posted on August 27, 2013 by

If you count all the Windows 8 32bit and 64 bit versions along with the Pro and Enterprise editions, there ends up being a dizzying array of versions.

This is confusing, especially as you’re considering which version to buy based on offered features.

The VL means Volume License which means a single copy can be activated multiple times with a unique key. Usually, Windows 8 Enterprise is sold under the VL type but it’s not impossible for Windows 8 Pro to share the same designation.

The N means Windows doesn’t have Windows Media Player so you’ll need to buy it separately if you want it. But, to be honest, with free players like VLC player that supports almost every codec known to man, it doesn’t make sense to purchase Windows 8 Pro N just to get Windows Media Player.

This is how the Windows 8 version break down:

Windows RT
Windows 8
Windows 8 Pro
Windows 8 Enterprise

Windows RT is installed on the Microsoft Surface tablet. Since it’s built for tablets it doesn’t have all the features of the other Windows editions. For example, it only has a partial desktop, only supports Windows Store Apps, doesn’t come with Windows Media Player and can’t join a corporate domain. On the positive side, Surface does comes bundled with Microsoft Office and despite a $900 million dollar write down on the tablet, Microsoft is allegedly working on a faster, sleeker Surface tablet called the Surface 2.

Windows 8, without any suffixes, is what most people have in mind when considering Windows 8. This is what’s known as the Core or Basic edition of Windows and is aimed at the home market. The majority of consumers will purchase Windows 8 Core.. Unless you’re buying Windows 8 for your company or prefer the Surface tablet, you’ll want this version of Windows. The upgrade is currently $119.99 USD.

Windows 8 Pro is analogous to Windows 7 Pro and Ultimate. Businesses and gadget geeks will buy this edition so they can use integrated features such as Remote Desktop, Group Policy and BitLocker,

Windows 8 Enterprise is geared toward businesses like Pro but also contains extra features such as BranchCache and Windows To Go to help IT departments organize their Microsoft assets.

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Posted in What Is, Windows 8 Tagged with: Microsoft

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Dakhamat Mohammad

Thank’s
I have a desktop HP Compaq dc7900 with this spaces:
wich version run perfecly on my pc
- Dustin McFadden
  
  I would say that any of them would run just fine, but the Core version of Windows 8 would probably be the one you’d really need to get. If you plan on upgrading your RAM, make sure you’re buying a 64-bit version of Windows 8 so that you can use more than 4GB of system memory.
  - Dakhamat Mohammad
    
    ok thank you ❤Dustin McFadden❤
    - Dakhamat Mohammad
      
      Screenshot.
      - Normonator
        
        You cannot overclock through the bios on that board, as it is a cheap OEM board, and most OEM boards do not support options for overclocking. Your only route would be to try software overclocking, but I would never recommend that as it usually just ends up causing major problems with little to no benefit.
      - Dakhamat Mohammad
        
        hhhh funny avatar Normonator ❤ please give me the name or link download of this software I dont care if this cpu damaged.
      - Normonator
        
        Here is a link to a list of software that can be used for that purpose. I couldn’t tell you which one would work best on that board, but try at your own risk.
        
        http://www.techradar.com/news/software/applications/best-overclocking-software-15-top-apps-721381
        
        CPU Tweaker is one I have used before…
      - Dakhamat Mohammad
        
        ok but CPU-Tweaker support only these Cpu :
        
        – Intel Core i3.i5.i7.
        
        – AMD Phenom
        I cant find a program for intel core 2 duo,please give a name or link of program I can use to Core 2 duo
        thanks
- Himanshu Gautam
  
  I have a desktop AMD
Snazzy Snook

Doesn’t even make sense, in one sentence you say: The N means Windows doesn’t have Windows Media Player so you’ll need to buy it separately if you want it. Then in the following sentence you say :But, to be honest, with free players like VLC player that supports almost every codec known to man, it doesn’t make sense to purchase Windows 8 Pro N just to get Windows Media Player.
Now I ask does that make sense at all ? Does N have or not have the damn media player ?
- SharePirate
  
  obviously the person writing the article is either of this one: drunk; got a messed up thoughts; and doesnt know a proper grammar 🙂
- David
  
  He’s saying with free players out there, it doesn’t make sense to buy the N version if you are going to buy windows media player later. Maybe if he/she put “then” before “get windows media player” it would make sense but the point is if you want media player, you probably should just buy the regular version of it instead of the n version.
  - scavenger
    
    You can’t buy Windows Media Player standalone so that wouldn’t make any sense either. The only alternatives would be to either buy and reinstall the OS with a non-N variant or download WMP for free from Microsoft and install it – there, problem solved. It’s not a matter of money, it’s an anti-trust move that forced MS to realease a version of Windows without WMP.
- cleopete
  
  It makes lots of sense if you can read at a fourth grade level. Read your own post. No, it does not have the damn media player, but you would have to be kind of stupid to want to pay extra to get something you really don’t need. VLC is much better anyway.
  - scavenger
    
    You should start by enrolling in that grade then, the sooner the better.
    The author’s mistake was two-fold. Firstly, Snazzy Snook is right, he contradicts himself by both saying N versions have and don’t have Media Player. What? A quantum OS! Secondly, it would have been much better to explain things plainly and let the user decide what is worth doing or not doing, for example: Microsoft was required to create the “N” editions of Windows after the European Commission ruled in 2004 that it needed to provide a copy of Windows without Windows Media Player tied in.
    - BruBra
      
      You are all stupid… my god.. blind leading the blind. The sentence makes sense… you are the morons… go open up a damn science book and go get you grade 10 ya dummies…
      - Dexter
        
        You are the moron, he said that ”Windows Pro N doesn’t have Windows Media Player so you’ll need to buy it separately if you want it.” That means that Windows 8 Pro N dosn’t have WMP and the he said that you must be ”stupid” to buy Windows 8 Pro N only to get WMP…
      - scavenger
        
        So why would he make a statement that makes no sense?
        If the N variant isn’t shipped with WMP why would he then say: “it doesn’t make sense to purchase Windows 8 Pro N just to get Windows Media Player”? It’s not that it doesn’t make sense, it’s impossible/stupid to buy the N version to get WMP since WMP isn’t in it.
      - scavenger
        
        What a retard…
        The N version doesn’t have WMP, so the article is wrongly phrased by saying: “it doesn’t make sense to purchase Windows 8 Pro N just to get Windows Media Player”
        
        You can’t purchase Windows 8 Pro N to get WMP because the damn WMP isn’t shipped with the N variant. You people can’t even read and you’re talking grades?! lmao
  - root
    
    cleopete you are an idiot at fourth grade level
- Arnav Arya
  
  Ohh that’s wright whut you said and as i experienced i say that the N & Enterprise version are really faster that those other versions and that media player is not at all good compared to other player as by my experience!
Andrew Stephens

Can someone clarify what is meant by “The VL means Volume License which means a single copy can be activated multiple times with a unique key”?
Does it mean that a single VL product key can be used to activate multiple installations of this edition of Win8?
- BattleOverride85
  
  Yes. In other words the same key can work on multiple installations of that edition…on multiple machines.
  
  Perfect example would be in a school or a corporation where they have multiple PCs.
Swapnil Kashikar

Nice. thank you for the informative post. cleared lots of doubt. 🙂
Cuz Racing

“N means Windows doesn’t have Windows Media Player”
SO
“purchase Windows 8 Pro N just to get Windows Media Player.”

i think “just to get” was surpose to be “to later end up getting”

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