This has to be the Month of anniversaries for Microsoft. Windows XP turned 5 on October 25 and Sunday October 29, Windows XP Media Center Edition celebrated its fourth birthday. Windows XP Media Center Edition has debuted on October 29, 2002 concomitantly with the first Media Center machines from HP. For those that still remember, actor Tom Arnold was also involved in the launching.

Windows XP Media Center Edition "sported features such as use of a single analog tuner and DVD recording only on high end machines (which you couldn't do from within the MCE UI). Price points on the very few machines offered with Media Center at the time ranged from $1300 to $2000. Single tuner, no HD anything, no widescreen anything, nothing," revealed Chris Lanier on his Microsoft related blog.

The compilation of screenshots below illustrates the evolution of the graphical user interface of Windows Media Center. The one on the bottom right is from Windows Vista, of course, and the product's fourth revision in four years.