CompTIA A+

Identifying different Windows Operating System

Editions

Introduction
Lab Topology
Exercise 1 - Identify different Windows Editions
Exercise 2 - Explore Upgrade Pathways to Newer Windows Editions
Review

Introduction
A+
Windows Editions
Windows 10
Windows 11

Welcome to the Identifying different Windows Operating System Editions

Practice Lab. In this module, you will be provided with the instructions and devices
needed to develop your hands-on skills.

Microsoft started releasing the first version of the Windows Operating System in the
late 1980s. Since the first release of Windows 1.0, the Operating System has evolved
into one of the most used operating systems globally. The release of Window 10
displayed a revolution of a new operating system redefining the native applications
and features and adding several new functionalities to the operating system.

At the end of 2021, Microsoft released the latest version of the Windows Operating
system - Windows 11, with more added features functionalities and a complete change
in the Graphical User Interface (GUI).

In this module, the different versions, features and functionalities of Windows 10 and
Windows 11 will be explored and compared.

Learning Outcomes
In this module, you will complete the following exercises:

Exercise 1 - Identify different Windows Editions

Exercise 2 - Explore Upgrade Pathways to Newer Windows Editions

After completing this module, you should be able to:

Identify the Windows Edition

Differentiate between different Windows Editions
Identify Windows In-place Upgrade Pathways

Exam Objectives
The following exam objectives are covered in this module:

1.1 Identify basic features of Microsoft Windows editions

Windows 10 editions
Feature differences
Upgrade paths

Lab Duration
It will take approximately 1 hour to complete this lab.

Help and Support

For more information on using Practice Labs, please see our Help and Support
page. You can also raise a technical support ticket from this page.

Click Next to view the Lab topology used in this module.

Lab Topology
During your session, you will have access to the following lab configuration.

Depending on the exercises, you may or may not use all of the devices, but they are
shown here in the layout to get an overall understanding of the topology of the lab.
 PLABDC01 - (Windows Server 2019 - Domain Controller)
PLABWIN10 - (Windows 10 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABWIN11 - (Windows 11 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABSUSE - (SUSE - Standalone Server)
PLABUBUNTU - (Ubuntu - Standalone Server)
PLABANDROID - (Android OS - Android Device)

Click Next to proceed to the first exercise.

Exercise 1 - Identify different Windows Editions

The Windows 10 and Windows 11 Operating systems were released as different
Windows Editions. Different Windows Editions have different functionalities and
features intended for different use case scenarios.

In this exercise, the different Windows Editions will be discussed, and different
methods will be explored to identify different Windows Editions.

Learning Outcomes
After completing this exercise, you should be able to:

Identify the Windows Edition

Differentiate between different Windows Editions

Your Devices
You will be using the following devices in this lab. Please power these on now.

PLABDC01 - (Windows Server 2019 - Domain Controller)

PLABWIN10 - (Windows 10 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABWIN11 - (Windows 11 - Domain Member Workstation)

Task 1 - Identify the Windows Edition

Windows 10 was released with different editions. The different editions have got
different features and functionalities.
In this task, the edition of Windows 10 and Windows 11 will be identified using
different methods.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN10.

Click the Start charm.

Figure 1.1 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the desktop with the Start
charm selected, showing the Start menu.

Step 2
Type the following:

winver
Select winver from the Best match pop-up menu.

Figure 1.2 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying winver typed in the Start

menu search bar and winver Run Command selected from the Best match
menu.

Step 3
The About Windows pop-up window is displayed.
 Figure 1.3 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the About Windows pop-
up window.

Note: By executing the winver command, the specific version and the build of
the Windows Operating System can be determined. The specific version that is
currently running is Window 10 Pro Edition, and the build is Version 21H1. This
command can be used on all versions of Microsoft operating systems.

Step 4
Close the About Windows pop-up window.
 Figure 1.4 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying closing the About
Windows pop-up window.

Step 5
Connect to PLABWIN11 device.

Click the File Explorer icon on the Taskbar.

 Figure 1.5 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying opening File Explorer from
the Taskbar.

Note: Note the changes of the Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) between
Windows 10 and Windows 11. The most noticeable changes are the Start button
located in the middle of the Taskbar for Windows 11. Further GUI differences
can be explored using the different devices.

Step 6
In the File Explorer window, right-click This PC and select Properties.
 Figure 1.6 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying right clicking This PC and
selecting Properties in File Explorer.

Step 7
In the Settings - System > About window, scroll down to the Windows
specifications section on the right pane.
 Figure 1.7 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Windows specifications
section in the Settings - System > About window.

Note: The System > About page on the Settings window displays the
Windows specifications of the particular Windows operating system. In this
case, it is Window 11 Pro Edition with the version of 21H2. The Operating
System (OS) build can also be identified as 22000.527.

Step 8
Close the Settings and File Explorer windows.
 Figure 1.8 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying closing the Settings -
System > About window.

Task 2 - Differentiating between different Windows Editions

The Windows operating system is released with different editions. A specific edition
has specific functionality that can be used for a specific purpose. Windows 11 was
released with the same editions as available in Windows 10.

In this task, some of the Windows edition functionalities will be discussed.

The following is some of the more popular Windows Editions:

Windows 10/11 Home Edition:

The Windows Home edition is specifically aimed at a home user and is normally
installed on a newly purchased device. This edition has got limited functionality when
compared to other editions of Windows.

Some of the available features included with this edition are the following:

New Microsoft Edge browser

 Windows Hello
Virtual Desktops
Built-in universal Windows applications, for example, Photos, Maps and Mail
Native Firewall and Virus protection applications
New updates are received and installed automatically

Windows 10/11 Pro Edition:

Windows Pro editions include several more features and functionalities than the
Window Home edition and are utilized by small and medium businesses.

The additional features that are available include the following:

Ability to join the device to Azure Active Directory

Mobile Device Management (MDM) enables the device’s management using
Microsoft 365
Bitlocker, for the encryption and protection of the User’s data
Group Policy Management for the device that is joined to an Active Directory
Domain

The above are some of the features for the Windows Pro edition. Several other features
are also available.

Windows 10/11 Pro for Workstations Edition:

The Windows Pro for Workstation Edition includes all the features and functionalities
that are available on the Windows Pro edition with these added additional extra
features:

Resilient File System (ReFS) for the management and fault tolerance of large data
volumes
Persistent Memory - This feature is used in conjunction with non-volatile
memory modules where the data is not purged from the memory when the
Windows device is turned off
Expanded Hardware Support to utilize high-performance hardware and for 4
CPUs and up to 6 TB of memory

Windows 10/11 Enterprise Edition:

This edition of Windows is aimed at being utilized at large enterprises. It contains all
the features and functionalities of the Windows Pro edition with added additional
features. This edition of Windows is only available through a Volume Licensing
agreement. The features included in this add additional security and management of
the Windows device. The following are the additional features of this edition:

Applocker - This feature allows an administrator to limit which applications can

be used on the device and also limits the version of the specific application
Start menu layout - Utilizing Mobile Device management through Microsoft 365.
The device Start menu layout can be customized according to the company’s
requirements
Microsoft Defender Credential Guard protects a user’s credentials by using
virtualization
Microsoft Defender Application Control ensures that only trusted applications
will run on the Windows device giving protection against malware applications
Microsoft Application Virtualization enables the organization to provide
virtualized applications to users across the network

Note: Several other features and functionalities are available on the different
editions of Windows. Only specific features are listed here. Further information
can be found through Microsoft, depending on the specific use of Windows.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN11 device.

Click the File Explorer icon on the Taskbar.

 Figure 1.9 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying opening File Explorer from
the Taskbar.

Step 2
In File Explorer, right-click This PC and select Properties.
 Figure 1.10 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying right-clicking This PC and
selecting Properties from the context menu in the File Explorer window.

Step 3
In the Settings - System > About pane, click Advanced system settings.
 Figure 1.11 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying opening the Advanced
system settings from the Settings - System > About pane.

Step 4
In the System Properties pop-up window, select the Computer Name tab.
 Figure 1.12 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying selecting the Computer
Name tab in the System Properties window.

Step 5
Click the Change button on the Computer Name tab.
 Figure 1.13 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying clicking Change on the
Computer Name tab.

Step 6
The Computer Name/Domain Changes pop-up window is displayed.
 Figure 1.14 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying the Computer
Name/Domain Changes pop-up window.

Note: On the Computer Name properties window, it can be seen that the device
has been joined to a domain. The Windows 11 Pro edition and Enterprise
editions can be domain-joined, while this feature is not available on the
Windows 10/11 Home edition.

Step 7
Click Cancel on the Computer Name/Domain Changes pop-up window.

Close all open windows.

 Figure 1.15 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying clicking Cancel on the
Computer Name/Domain Changes pop-up window.

Step 8
Connect to PLABWIN10.

Click the Start charm and type the following:

Hyper-V Manager

Select Hyper-V Manager from the Best match pop-up menu.

 Figure 1.16 Screenshot of PLABWIN10 Displaying Hyper-V Manager typed
in the search bar of the Start menu. The Hyper-V Manager app is shown in
the Best match pop-up menu.

Step 9
In the Hyper-V Manager window, right-click the PLABWIN11HOME device and
select Connect.
 Figure 1.17 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying right-clicking the virtual
device and selecting Connect on the context menu in Hyper-V Manager.

Step 10
Click Start in the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 - Virtual Machine
Connection window.
 Figure 1.18 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying clicking Start in the
PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 - Virtual Machine Connection window.

Step 11
Maximize the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 - Virtual Machine
Connection window.
 Step 1.19 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying maximizing the
PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 - Virtual Machine Connection window.

Note: The virtual device might take a couple of minutes to power on.

Step 12
Click anywhere on the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 virtual device window
to log into the device.
 Figure 1.20 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying logging into the virtual device.

Step 13
Enter the following PIN to log into the virtual device:

7711

Alert: If prompted with the Let’s finish setting up your device window,
please select Remind me in x days.
 Figure 1.21 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying logging into the virtual device with the specified PIN.

Step 14
Open File Explorer from the Taskbar.
 Figure 1.22 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying opening File Explorer from the Taskbar.

Step 15
In File Explorer, right-click This PC and select Properties
 Figure 1.23 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying right-clicking This PC and selecting Properties in the
File Explorer window.

Step 16
In the Settings - System > About window, select Advanced system settings.
 Figure 1.24 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying selecting Advanced system settings in the Settings -
System > About window.

Step 17
In the System Properties window, select the Computer Name tab.
 Figure 1.25 PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual Machine: Displaying
selecting the Computer Name tab in the System Properties window.

Step 18
Click Change on the Computer Name tab of the System Properties window.
 Figure 1.26 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Change on the Computer Tab of the System
Properties window.

Step 19
The Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box is displayed.
 Figure 1.27 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying the Computer Name/Domain Changes dialog box.

Note: Notice that on Windows 10/11 Home, the feature to join the device to a
domain is unavailable. These editions have less functionality when compared to
other Windows 10/11 editions and are aimed at home computer users.

Step 20
Click Cancel on the Computer Name/Domain Changes window.

Close all open windows.

 Figure 1.28 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Cancel on the Computer Name/Domain
Changes window.

Step 21
Click the Start charm and type the following:

Bitlocker
 Figure 1.29 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Start and typing Bitlocker.

Note: The Bitlocker feature is unavailable on the Windows 10/11 Home edition.

Step 22
Close the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 virtual machine window.

Keep the Hyper-V Manager window open.

 Figure 1.30 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying closing the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 virtual
machine window.

Step 23
Connect to PLABWIN11.

Click the Start charm and type the following:

Bitlocker
 Figure 1.31 Screenshot of PLABWIN11: Displaying clicking Start and typing
Bitlocker.

Note: As can be seen, the Bitlocker application is available on the Windows 11

Pro edition. Using the provided devices, more comparisons can be done between
the different editions of the Windows operating systems.

Alert: Keep the devices powered on for the next exercise.

Exercise 2 - Explore Upgrade Pathways to Newer

Windows Editions
Different upgrade paths are available to upgrade to a different Windows edition.
Windows 10 can be directly upgraded to Windows 11 by using the in-place upgrade
pathway.
In this exercise, the different available upgrade paths will be discussed and explored.

Learning Outcomes
After completing this exercise, you should be able to:

Identify Windows In-place Upgrade Pathways

Your Devices
You will be using the following devices in this lab. Please power these on now.

PLABDC01 - (Windows Server 2019 - Domain Controller)

PLABWIN10 - (Windows 10 - Domain Member Workstation)
PLABWIN11 - (Windows 11 - Domain Member Workstation)

Task 1 - Identify Windows In-place Upgrade Pathways

Depending on the Windows version and edition, different upgrade paths are available.
Windows Home edition is normally the default operating system when a device is
purchased from a retailer. This edition does not have all the features and
functionalities of the other Windows editions and, depending on the use of the device,
might need to be upgraded to a different edition.

The following is the most popular upgrade path to a different Windows edition:

In-place Upgrade: With an in-place upgrade, an ISO image with the edition of the
Windows operating system can be attached to the device. The setup file is then
executed to initiate the upgrade process. This is the easiest and safest way to upgrade
the Windows operating system as the risk of losing any data is minimized when
following the installation wizard.

In this task, the process of an in-place upgrade from a Windows 11 Home edition to
Window 11 Pro will be explored.

Step 1
Connect to PLABWIN10, where the Hyper-V Manager window is open.
 Figure 2.1 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying the Hyper-V Manager
window.

Note: If the Hyper-V Manager window is not open, please follow Step 8 in
Exercise 1, Task 2.

Step 2
Right-click the PLABWIN11HOME virtual device and select Settings.
 Figure 2.2 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying right-clicking the virtual
device and selecting Settings in Hyper-V Manager.

Step 3
In the Settings for PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 window, select SCSI
Controller.
 Figure 2.3 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying clicking SCSCI Controller
on the Settings for PLABWINHOME on PLABWIN10 window.

Step 4
In the SCSI Controller pane, select DVD Drive and click Add.
 Figure 2.4 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting DVD Drive and
clicking Add in the SCSI Controller pane.

Step 5
In the DVD Drive pane, select the Image file radio button and click Browse.
 Figure 2.5 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting the Image file
radio button and clicking Browse in the DVD Drive pane.

Step 6
In the Open dialog box, select the en-
us_windows_11_business_editions_updated iso file and click Open.
 Figure 2.6 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting the required ISO
file and clicking Open in the Open dialog box.

Note: In a real-world scenario, an ISO of the Windows edition can be

downloaded and attached to the physical device to start the in-place upgrade.

Step 7
Click Apply and OK on the Settings for PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10
window.
 Figure 2.7 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying clicking OK on the
Settings for PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 window.

Step 8
Double-click the PLABWIN11HOME device in Hyper-V Manager.
 Figure 2.8 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying selecting the virtual
device PLABWIN11HOME in Hyper-V Manager.

Step 9
Maximize the PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 virtual device window.
 Figure 2.9 Screenshot of PLABWIN10: Displaying maximizing the
PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 virtual device window.

Step 10
Open File Explorer from the Taskbar.
 Figure 2.10 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying opening File Explorer from the Taskbar.

Step 11
In the File Explorer window, select DVD Drive (D:).
 Figure 2.11 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying selecting DVD Drive (D:) in File Explorer.

Step 12
In the DVD Drive (D:) pane, double-click the setup.exe file.
 Figure 2.12 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying double-clicking the setup.exe file in File Explorer.

Step 13
In the User Account Control pop-up window, click Yes.
 Figure 2.13 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Yes in the User Account Control pop-up
window.

Step 14
On the Windows 11 Setup - Install Windows 11 window, click Next.
 Figure 2.14 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Next on the Windows 11 Setup - Install
Windows 11 window.

Step 15
The Windows 11 Setup - Getting updates window is displayed.
 Figure 2.15 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying the Windows 11 Setup - Getting updates window.

Note: The installation will check for the latest updates for the device and may
take a couple of minutes to complete. It is best practice to install the latest
updates available to ensure the device is not vulnerable.

Step 16
Click Close on the Windows 11 Setup window.
 Figure 2.16 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Close on the Windows 11 Setup window.

Note: Due to restrictions on the lab platform, the Windows Pro Edition
upgrade is not possible. In a real-world scenario, the operating system will be
upgraded. All the data on the device will remain where it was stored without
user intervention.

Step 17
The Windows 11 Setup - Setup is cleaning up before it closes window is
displayed.
 Figure 2.17 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying the Windows 11 Setup - Setup is cleaning up before it
closes window.

Step 18
Back in the File Explorer window, right-click This PC and select Properties.
 Figure 2.18 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying right-clicking This PC and selecting Properties in the
File Explorer window.

Step 19
On the Settings - System > About window, scroll down and click Product key
and activation.
 Figure 2.19 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying selecting Product key and activation on the Settings -
System > About window.

Step 20
On the Settings - System > Activation window, click the Change button next to
the Change product key field.
 Figure 2.20 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Change on the Settings - System > Activation
window.

Step 21
An in-place upgrade can be performed by entering a valid Windows product key. The
updated version will be downloaded from the internet and installed.

Click Cancel on the Enter a product key pop-up window.

Close all open windows.

 Figure 2.21 Screenshot of PLABWIN11HOME on PLABWIN10 Virtual
Machine: Displaying clicking Cancel on the Enter a product key pop-up
window.

Keep all devices that you have powered on in their current state and proceed to
the review section.

Review
Well done, you have completed the Identifying different Windows Operating
System Editions Practice Lab.

Summary
You completed the following exercises:

Exercise 1 - Identify different Windows Editions

 Exercise 2 - Explore Upgrade Pathways to Newer Windows Editions

You should now be able to:

Identify the Windows Edition

Differentiate between different Windows Editions
Identify Windows In-place Upgrade Pathways

Feedback

Shutdown all virtual machines used in this lab. Alternatively, you can log out of
the lab platform.