Gadgetory

so you're getting ready to build or buy a new computer but one key decision remains what operating system are you going to pick and unless you're using a Linux distribution or buying a Mac chances are you're going to end up with some version of Windows or another now at first this might seem like a non-decision just pick the 64-bit version of whatever the latest Windows is and you're all set right well maybe not because ever since Windows XP there have been home and professional editions of every Windows and some additional ones from time to time and it isn't always obvious what the extra money some times as much as another hundred US dollars will get you with a enhanced professional license so when does it actually makes sense well the answer depends not only on your needs but also on which version of Windows you need to run as many folks still need a copy of Windows 7 to run legacy applications so we'll be covering 7 8 and 10 in this episode now it's one thing if you're thinking about getting a professional Edition just for the extra bells and whistles but it's quite another if you need one to take advantage of your hardware specifically memory if you're running Windows 7 is a big factor here the home premium version only supports up to 16 gigabytes of RAM and with many higher-end computers these days having sometimes significantly more than that that would be a reason to go pro windows 8 and 10 support a much more generous 128 gigabytes on their home editions although pro could be a good option if you need more RAM than that for something like virtualization especially as hyper-v windows is built-in virtualization support is only available in pro and higher but other than supporting more memory than an elephant what else do professional editions offer well ever since Windows 7 BitLocker Microsoft's version of full disk encryption which you can learn more about here as well as in crypting file system has required buying an addition beyond just the home version windows 8 and 10 professional include BitLocker while for Windows 7 you'll have to step up to the even more expensive Ultimate Edition so if you're storing sensitive data on your drive that you can't afford to have stolen shelling out more money for a fancier version of Windows might be something to look into and if you're watching this the chances are you might be the de facto IT person for your friends or family or even work and you might find the remote desktop connection feature in Pro useful as only computers with Pro Editions can be remotely controlled if you need to fix a problem or grab a file from another PC though it should be noted there are lots of remote control options other than the built-in one in Windows we've actually talked about them before but wait a second Linus I mean can I just use third-party tools for a lot of this stuff well yeah in fact many of them are free so why should you give more money to Microsoft well the answer is that more expensive versions of Windows still have some features that are hard to get by other means or just more difficult to do without switching operating systems entirely such as setting up a domain at home which can be useful if lots of people need access to the same resources and if you'd like to fine-tune what they can and can't do and if you can get your hands on an enterprise version of Windows 8 or later you can actually use Windows to go which essentially allows you to run an entire customized Windows session off of a USB flash drive which is pretty freakin cool so even though the base versions of Windows have gotten more feature-rich over the years Pro and higher versions might still be worth a look if you'd like an experience that's a bit more powerful without having to run around and find third-party tools for everything you want to do just don't call yourself an IT professional on your resume after picking up a copy of Windows Pro especially if the only reason you bought Windows Pro was to virtualize 10 instances of Minecraft speaking of being a pro FreshBooks are you running a small business even like a sort of getting bigger business freshbooks is on a mission to make your life less stressful and more organized through their easy-to-use tool for crafting and sending professional invoices and keeping track of your accounting stuff like how many hours you spent on a particular job whoo you did it for I mean I know I know I have been through that I have forgotten things like that being able to accept and keep track of the deposits that have been paid for your work it is freaking awesome they even have a tool to manage your expense reports the mobile app just lets you take a picture of your receipts and boom pretty much handles the rest getting started on fresh books wouldn't be helpful if it wasn't extremely simple even if you're not a numbers person so you just try it for free for 30 days by going over to fresh books calm forward slash tech quickie which is linked in the video description enter tech quickie and how did you hear about us and find out if fresh books is right for you spend your time running your business rather than spending your time doing accounting for your business with like one of those big calculators with the leg spool of paper that comes at the top come on man get with the times so thanks for watching guys you liked the video like it if you disliked it dislike it if you want to leave a comment with suggestions for future videos that is down there if you want to subscribe so that you don't miss any of our future videos that's also somewhere and also don't forget to check out our other channels I'm sorry my outro scrolled past the teleprompter don't worry about it see you next time