Windows – Why is the Enterprise version of Windows 8 a smaller download

iso-imagemsdnwindows 8

From my MSDN subscriber account, I see that the Windows 8 Enterprise edition is a smaller sized download than the regular edition (3329 MB vs 3416 MB):

Windows 8 Enterprise MSDN screenshot
Windows 8 MSDN screenshot

I looked up Wikipedia to double check – the Enterprise edition does contain many more features. How could the smaller ISO size be explained, then?

Best Answer

The Windows 8 Enterprise edition does not contain the media center and gaming functionality that is included in the Windows 8 Pro edition, which is strictly a superset of the normal "Windows 8". Additionally, the Windows 8 ISO contains multiple products, as it states; both the home and pro editions. Which edition is activated depends on the key you enter.

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