About this release
This is the professional edition installation image at the final service pack level, which is the state most people want if they are putting this operating system on a machine at all. Nothing has been stripped from the component store, so every optional feature, the full recovery environment and the language packs are present. The setup flow is the part that has been prepared, completing without stopping for a product key and arriving at an activated desktop.
The professional edition is the one worth keeping around on legacy hardware or in a virtual machine. It carries the encrypting file system, offline files, the ability to join a domain, and the presentation and remote desktop host features that the home editions never included. For an old workstation tied to a piece of hardware or software that will not run on anything newer, this is often the only edition that fits.
The image is standard enough for any of the usual imaging tools. Write it to a USB stick or a disc, boot it, and run through setup as normal, including the disk partitioning step and the choice between an upgrade in place and a clean install. The bundled driver set is broader than the original release, so more storage controllers are recognised without slipstreaming anything yourself.
What it does
- Complete professional edition with nothing removed from the component store
- Final service pack level rolled in so the update baseline starts current
- Encrypting file system and offline files support
- Domain join for machines that sit on a managed network
- Remote Desktop host, not just the client
- Full recovery environment and system repair options intact
- Windows XP mode available for the oldest legacy applications
- Thirty five setup and display languages included
- Broadened storage controller driver set over the original media
- Boots on legacy BIOS systems and UEFI where the firmware allows
Changes in this version
- Service pack and post service pack updates rolled into the image
- Added storage controller drivers for more modern disks
- Fixed a setup hang on systems with a large number of partitions
- Refreshed language pack set
- Updated root certificate set folded in
What the package contains
- Bootable installation image for the professional edition
- All setup and display languages
- Full recovery environment
- Notes on writing the image to USB with the common tools
- Readme with the install order written out step by step
Installation notes
Follow these in order. Most reports of a failed install come from skipping a step rather than from the package itself.
- Back up anything you care about, a clean install wipes the target partition.
- Write the image to a USB stick of 8 GB or larger, or burn it to a disc.
- Boot from the media, picking the correct entry for your firmware type.
- Choose your language, then pick custom install for a clean setup.
- Delete the old system partitions if you are wiping, then select the free space.
- Let setup run through its restarts and finish the first boot configuration.
System requirements
| Processor | 1 GHz or faster, 64-bit |
| Memory | 2 GB minimum, 4 GB recommended |
| Graphics | DirectX 9 capable with a WDDM 1.0 driver |
| Storage | 20 GB minimum, 40 GB or more recommended |
| Firmware | Legacy BIOS, or UEFI with a compatibility support module |
| Display | 800 by 600 minimum |
Things worth knowing
- Disconnect from the network during setup, this operating system is well past mainstream support and should not sit exposed online.
- Install chipset and graphics drivers from your hardware maker after the first boot, the generic set is a fallback only.
- On very modern hardware the storage controller may still need a driver loaded manually during setup.
Questions about this title
Can I upgrade in place from an older build?
Will it stay activated?
Is this edition domain capable?
Should I keep this machine online?
What people are saying
Put it on an old workstation tied to a scanner that has no modern driver. Booted, installed, activated, done.
The extra storage drivers meant it saw the SSD without me slipstreaming anything. Nice touch.
Runs great in a virtual machine for testing old software. Kept it off the network like the notes say.
Listing information
This entry is catalogued under Operating Systems and carries the tags below. Language coverage is Multilingual, 35 setup languages, and the supported platform list is Bootable installation image. Version SP1 build 7601 is the current catalogued build, last checked 1 week ago, and the entry has been in the index since it was added 4 years ago.