Description of Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N

This article describes Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition N and Microsoft Windows XP Professional N.

In compliance with the European Commission Decision, Microsoft has released new versions of Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition and Microsoft Windows XP Professional for distribution in Europe. These new versions are named Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N, where "N" stands for "Not with Windows Media Player." Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N include the same functionality as Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional, except that Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N do not include Microsoft Windows Media Player. Windows XP Home Edition N and Windows XP Professional N include Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2). Windows XP SP2 includes Advanced Security Technologies. Other editions of Windows XP will continue to include Windows Media Player and will continue to be available to European consumers.

For a complete list of the files that are not included in Windows XP Home Edition N and in Windows XP Professional N, visit the following Microsoft Web site: For frequently asked questions (FAQ) about the Microsoft implementation of the European Commission Decision, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Because of the European Commission Decision, you must add a media player to Windows XP Home Edition N or to Windows XP Professional N to do the following tasks:

• Play an audio CD.
• Play music files other than .wav files.
• Play video files.
• Stream music over the Internet from Web sites.
• Stream video over the Internet from Web sites.
• Play MIDI files.
• Create personal videos.
• View properties of media files.
• View album art of media files.
• Transfer music files to personal music players.
• Copy music from an audio CD to a computer (rip a CD).
• Create an audio CD (burn a CD).
• Manage music and video in a library that contains album, artist, and title information.
• Create a playlist of music.
• View closed-caption support for the hearing-impaired by using Synchronized Accessible Media Interchange (SAMI) technology.

Computer manufacturers may preinstall third-party media players on computers that are running Windows XP Home Edition N or Windows XP Professional N. Consumers may also separately install media players, either from Microsoft or from a third party.

Various software programs may rely to varying extents on some of the files that are not included in Windows XP Home Edition N and in Windows XP Professional N. Examples include the media features of Microsoft Office, Microsoft Encarta, and Microsoft FrontPage. To make sure that these programs work correctly, install Windows Media Player, and then install one of the following Media Packs:

• Media Pack for Windows XP Home Edition N
• Media Pack for Windows XP Professional N

Microsoft Windows Movie Maker also requires Windows Media Player. To make sure that Windows Movie Maker works correctly, install Windows Media Player, and then install one of the following utilities:

• Windows Movie Maker Utility for Windows XP Home Edition N
• Windows Movie Maker Utility for Windows XP Professional N

Various Web sites may also rely on some of the files that are not included in Windows XP Home Edition N and in Windows XP Professional N. To make sure that these Web sites work correctly, install Windows Media Player, and then install one of the following Media Packs:

• Media Pack for Windows XP Home Edition N
• Media Pack for Windows XP Professional N

The following programs can only be downloaded and installed from the Microsoft Windows Update site after you install Windows Media Player:

• Media Pack for Windows XP Home Edition N
• Media Pack for Windows XP Professional N
• Windows Movie Maker Utility for Windows XP Home Edition N
• Windows Movie Maker Utility for Windows XP Professional N

To install the latest version of Windows Media Player, visit the following Microsoft Web site: After you install Windows Media Player, you can install the appropriate Media Pack or the appropriate Windows Movie Maker Utility from the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site: