A quick guide to Windows Vista Business Edition

Like previous versions of Windows, Windows Vista will be sold in various editions: Home Basic, Home Premium, Business, Enterprise and Ultimate, along with a special Starter Edition. Only Windows Vista Ultimate Edition will include every feature possible within Vista; all other editions will include only those features that Microsoft has determined different user profiles will actually need.

Some features are included across all the different SKUs, while specific features combine with only one or two other SKUs. For example, Windows Vista Business Edition will include Aero graphics, a feature common among all editions, but Tablet PC support will be available only with the Windows Home Premium and Ultimate Editions. Features specific to the Business Edition of Windows Vista — as opposed to those found in the Home Premium Edition — are Windows Meeting Space, Windows Sharing Wizard, Windows Fax and Scan, offline access to files and folders, Roaming User Profiles, USB and smart-card authentication, wireless network provisioning, control of device drivers and group policy.

Microsoft released the Business Edition well in advance of its January 30, 2007 general release date, and small businesses requiring five or more licenses can now purchase Windows Vista Business Edition. Some of the business features, such as Fax and Scan and Remote Access, work now, but their full feature set implementation will be dependent upon new releases of Exchange Server and Windows Server, the next version of which (code-named Longhorn) is expected at the end of 2007 or early 2008.

Gone from Windows Vista is the traditional file path of folders and files separated by slashes. And instead of remembering the exact folder in which you saved a particular document, image or media file, something called Windows Vista Instant Search will point to the correct document or program. Also, unlike many desktop search applets from Google and others, Windows Vista indexes your hard drive without much of a performance hit.