Pros: The interface is actually very nice, easy to navigate.

Cons: DRM = Digital Rights Management. Very strict DRM on certain recordings, especially HBO. If you like your computer telling you what you can and can not watch then this OS is for you.

Overall Review: If you change your hardware, update your bios, any program that you recorded off of tv will not play anymore due to DRM restrictions. All recordings are encrypted. Due yourself a favor and use a stand alone product for a media center.

Pros: Very cool... but not for everyone... in fact, not for most folks. As an earlier review stated... be SURE to visit the MS site and read about this OS before making a purchase Its primary design is that of a Media Center for the home and it does that very nicely. It allows you to replace and consolidate many of your home entertainment devices and functions. Plus, it allows you to have terrific control over your music, video, images and give you Tivo-esque control over TV.

Cons: Several hardware specific issues unless you have the right equipment. Be sure to check your hardware compatibility before you order. I would not recommend it for use on a game box.

Overall Review: There is a reason it is OEM software and does not come in a retail package. This OS was designed for system builders and it has very specific hardware requirements. We built a test system using spare parts. We went through 5 video & 3 sound cards & 2 DVD/R devices before we found the right combination. Be SURE to do your homework if you are building your own box or it could become very frustrating. As a Media Center for the home it is terrific. Once setup its easy to control your Media such as Music, Video, Images, & TV. We replaced a DVD player, CD jukebox and cable tuner. We used the CD ripper to put several hundred CDs on the hard drive. If you are only looking for a music machine just use Windows Media Player and pass on this OS. I look forward to a time when everything is in a single box and becomes a true Entertainment Center controller. But, until that time I have to give this OS high marks as it does a GREAT job as a Media Center, just like the name says.

Pros: The Electronic Program Guide EPG) is simple to set up, and is free. It is 32-bit Windows XP Professional under the hood, albeit minus a couple of features, so it can run any application/game that Windows XP can. The Windows Media Center software can be disabled if you want to use different "media center" software. The "My Movies" plugin that you can download for free is superb for folks wanting to watch movies on their PC, especially movies that you have stored on your hard drive. About as easy to use as (and has many more features than) TiVo, probably easier to use than any other PVR software, regardless of price. Can potentially store many hundreds of hours of television, as networked computers have nearly unlimited potential for hard drive space. A HTPC or a media extender controlled by a HTPC can potentially replace *every* component that is connected to your TV!

Cons: Records TV in ms-dvr format, which is basically MPEG2, but can implement DRM (Digital Rights Management). Support for the ms-dvr format in other applications isn't very good. Archiving your favorite shows to DVD might be more of a pain that you are willing to deal with. Media Extenders that integrate with the built-in Media Center software are more expensive (but are probably easier to use) than extenders that work with competing media center software, so if you want one HTPC to output to multiple televisions, 3rd party solutions will likely be more affordable.

Overall Review: Since the cost isn't much more than XP Home anyway, it's worth paying the little extra if you are going to use it to play digital media. If you get a MCE-compatible remote, it's very usable as an HTPC. Get a remote if you are going to connect your HTPC to a television. If you are familiar with Windows, and not-so familiar with Linux or Mac OS X, and want a PC to record shows, timeshift, be able to play music, and display pictures, that is very easy to use, and doesn't need to share the TV shows with other computers/TVs, this is about as no-brainer as it gets. Plus, if you decide that the ms-pvr format limitations are more than you want to deal with, you can always disable the Windows Media Center software and use other PVR software that can be extended to other devices more easily and affordably, and would be easier to burn to DVD. The price difference between MCE and XP Home is small enough that it's hard to consider it a waste, and you might find the limitations don't matter to you.

Pros: Ok people, before you go off and reformat your harddrives and put this OS on make sure you do somethings first. Ensure that you have drivers for all your hardware that is either Windows MCE specific or WHQL certified stored on either removable media or on another harddrive. you CAN NOT INSTALL DRIVERS THAT ARE NOT WHQL CERTIFIED MCE WONT LET YOU. Which is why some of you have been having issues getting ethernet drivers and such to work.

Cons: the WHQL does cause some issues but does help ensure better stability and compatibility between hardware.

Overall Review: I have a P5N32-SLI Deluxe Mobo and while the manufacturer says that it doesn't support MCE it does work with it. Once again aslong as you can get WHQL drivers you will be ok. Do what I did, search manufacturers of Media Center PC's and see if you can get a configuration with your hardware. THis is the easiest way to reassure yourself as there really isnt much literature about it on the net as M$oft wants you to buy 4 grand systems from their trusted partners. Good Luck!!

Pros: Excellent OS, bootd faster than home edition and much more stable and user friendly but.....

Cons: This does have some serious problems, #1. The files system is improperly labeled durring setup so when the install gets to the file ASMS on disc 2 you are told the file is not present and please insert the disc containing this file, turns out the file is actually on Disc 1 (I did a quick search of all the install discs to find it) and you simply need to ignore the text asking for Disc 2 and insert Disc 1. #2. If you are adding a RAID array you will need your drivers handy on a 3.5 inch disc and pay attention because the promt that asks you if you are using third party drivers is at the very bottom of the screen durring the install setup and only lasts for about 4 seconds lol. #3. If you are unsure about your device setups and will be re-installing windows more than once be careful because Microsoft has embedded a program to monitor how many times you have installed this OS on a computer and after the 4th or 5th install you will told to call Microsoft ... see below for continuation

Overall Review: ..... or purchase another copy of windows! Naturally I was freaking out so I called them and got a less than happy man who asked me for my 30 digit refernce number which windows will spit out at ya after the 5th install and he will ask you why you have loaded the OS more than 5 times. I was then given another 30 digit number to input and now have another 5 times to install the OS ( I Hope ). Great OS except for these nagging issues which are clearly just Quality Control related except for #3 which is Fraud prevention and understandable, what isn't is that they never address in it in the Setup Anywhere so be warned. ANYWAY, do not hesitate to buy this OS it rocks, just alittle buggy durring install.

Pros: It's an operating system with a lot of bells and whistles. It'll run your software and has support for a whole lot of hardware. The advantage of XP over another OS is simply market share. Microsoft development tools and software is inexpensive making it easy to obtain. Automatic updates is a plus. Whether you like it or not, having updates to prevent malicious user attacks is a good thing.

Cons: Thank You New Egg reviewers! I was so ticked that the OS wouldn't install properly until I returned to new egg to find that you have to re-install disk 1 after 2 when prompted for the roll-up release. The install is flawed. If it weren't for the reviewers, I would have spent hours on support calls with Microsoft. Also the ever anoying security patch update. It's good and bad. Good that you have it, bad that you have to go through it.

Overall Review: You absolutely must try Microsoft dancers! I'm not sure if it is so ridiculous that it's stupid, or if it's so ridiculous that is enjoyable. In either event try it just for laughs and then decide wether or not to get rid of it.

Pros: A cheap version of windows with lots of extras.

Cons: As others have mentioned the setup has a bug. It always asks for disc 2 during setup even when it really needs disc 1. Not to hard to work around, but you would think microsoft would be smarter than this.

Overall Review: If they screw up something as simple as the setup it just makes me wonder.

Pros: works just fine

Cons: CDs are labeled poorly - see below

Overall Review: Be SURE to know which CD is which. Service Pack 2 is located on CD 1, NOT on the Update CD as one would expect. other than that, no problems. works just fine.