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1. You are a private computer consultant, and a new client has approached you ab

ID: 3531978 • Letter: 1

Question

1. You are a private computer consultant, and a new client has approached you about upgrading his small business network. The network currently consists of eight Windows XP workstations and a single server running Windows Server 2003. The server is functioning as a domain controller and the eight workstations are members of an Active Directory domain. The workstations each have 1 gigabyte of memory and a 1.8-gigahertz processor. The video cards support DirectX 9 and have WDDM drivers available from the manufacturer. Three of the workstations are located in a warehouse across town, while the other five in the main office run Microsoft Office applications almost exclusively. The server is also located in the main office. There have been problems with sluggish performance on the warehouse computers when they attempt to access server files. Which edition(s) of Windows 7 would you select for the workstations to provide the features and performance they require most economically? Explain your answers.

Explanation / Answer

For the five Microsoft Office workstations, install Windows 7 Professional. For the three multimedia workstations, install Windows 7 Ultimate. All eight of the workstations must be capable of joining an Active Directory domain, which rules out the Windows 7 Starter and Home Premium editions. Windows 7 Professional is sufficient for the Office workstations, because it provides domain support. For the warehouse systems, Ultimate edition is preferable because it provides both the domain support the systems need and also includes BranchCache, which can improve performance when accessing files on the remote server.