Windows 7 Home Premium is probably adequate for most users, and is available from ZipZoomFly for $87 with free shipping after a $10 rebate:

32-bit OEM: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011108

64-bit OEM: http://www.zipzoomfly.com/jsp/ProductDetail.jsp?ProductCode=10011180

Here's a list comparing the features included in Windows 7 Home/Pro/Ultimate: http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/compare/default.aspx

The main thing that Ultimate adds over Professional is BitLocker disk encryption. TrueCrypt is an excellent alternative and 100% free and OSS.

However, backups capabilities between Home and Pro ARE different. With Win7, backups are greatly improved and there's no need for an outside backup program for 95% of users. Home is limited to local backups like to a directly attached USB disk, which is fine. Pro adds writing that backup to a network drive. The backups are stored efficiently and contain differential changes. I write my Win7 backups to a Linux server connected via Samba, but any "shared network drive" (in Windows terms) will work.

Professional also adds remote desktop using RDP. Home users probably don't care much about this. VNC or "GoTo My PC" are alternatives, but RDP is vastly superior, IMHO. All of these remote desktop methods have security issues and you'd want to setup a separate VPN/tunnel to use either RDP or VNC when you're away from home.

There are probably other differences between the Win7 versions, but those were the big things for me.

Thank you #1 and #2.

Ben's has really come up in quality as the posters have either matured from yelling about somebody's momma, or have been banned. Witness the above comments. Thanks, everybody.

#4 I think you are correct on all counts. Check the forums (where there are usually less rules) to see that lots of people have been banned.

#4 I think you are correct on all counts. Check the forums (where there are usually less rules) to see that lots of people have been banned.

Another feature only in Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise (and 2008 R2 Server) is substantially improved Remote Desktop support for multiple monitors on the client when the host is running Windows 7 Ultimate/Enterprise. The client computer just needs the v7 Remote Desktop client, which is available for OSes all the way back to Windows XP.

- Eric, InvisibleRobot

And folks used to be double-posting all the time, right #5 and #6?! Totally kidding...you're all right...the level of discourse has improved 200%, and I'm a LONG-time reader.

Well, it's nice to not be called an rodeo cowboy for sharing facts at least once this year.

Ultimate DOES have other features that can be useful to some. I recall MS mentioning that Win7 Ultimate could boot from a hbd/VDI file just like Win-2008R2 Server. Not very useful for Mom, but may be useful for IT Pros.

I am a mod on another site and I would have banned the no good doers too.

FU and your Mum #4, just for memories!!!!!

Everyone's matured but Mr. Ed is still upset about the time he got called a fàggot.

Win7 Home Premium has Remote Desktop, works fine.

For backup - get a Windows Home Server, you won't regret it.

I guess that means m0f0 is gone?

OINK OINK OINK

m0f0 is gone? Well, that deserves a big "smirk"!

-- Yeah right. Like you can really be "banned" from any forum. All they can ban is your user name. So what. If you really want to participate still, then you just re-register under a newly created name.
-- You can't ban an entire ISP address.