Similarities

• Both Home Basic and Home Premium feature many of Windows Vista's security upgrades such as the firewall and antispyware protection of Windows Defender. Both include an updated Internet Explorer with a secure protected mode allowing safer browsing. Both versions are available for either 32- or 64-bit systems, and both support multiple core CPUs. Microsoft claims all versions of Vista are faster than XP because of the advanced caching system using RAM in ways XP didn't to streamline loading data.
  
  

Vista Home Basic

• Home Basic does not support systems with more than one physical CPU while other versions of Vista do and the 64-bit Home Basic only supports up to 8GB of RAM. Two of the largest things missing from the basic version is the new Aero user interface found in other versions and Windows Media Center. While Home Basic has Windows Media Player, it is unable to edit video or burn it to DVD natively.
  
  

Home Premium

• Windows Vista Home Premium has everything Windows Vista is known for, including the Aero user interface. Home Premium includes Windows Sideshow, which allows certain products like home theater equipment, smart phones and home appliances to communicate with Windows Vista. While the Basic version features Windows' backup and restoration features, the Premium version allows you to set up scheduled backups. Home Premium's 64-bit version can handle eight more gigabytes of RAM than the Basic version, allowing 16GB.
  
  

Pricing and Availability

• Despite Windows 7 being released in 2009, many new computers are still released with Windows Vista. You can also buy standalone versions of the operating system to either install on your system or upgrade your current Windows XP or earlier computer. In April of 2010 Windows Vista Home Basic costs about $50 and Home Premium about $75. For an additional $15 you can purchase Windows Vista Ultimate, which has every feature of all four other versions of Windows.
  
  

Expert Opinion

• In reviews of both versions, Cnet.com claims neither Home Basic or Home Premium offer enough good reasons to make the upgrade from Windows XP. They claim the biggest improvement is stability, with less system crashing than under Windows XP. According to Cnet, Home Basic is designed for older computers or low-end systems and is comparable to a slightly enhanced version of Windows XP with Service Pack 3 installed.