Like Windows XP itself, Microsoft's 'Bliss' image of rolling green hills has aged, and evolved. Here's its story— and what the real-world site looks like today.

The original photo was taken with what's described as a "medium-format" camera. It's an analogue photo originally, captured on film. A full-resolution version of Bliss can be seen here , clocking ...

Yes, “Bliss” is a real photo. O’Rear, who is sometimes known as Chuck, took it using a Mamiya RZ67 camera with color Fuji Film and a tripod in Napa Valley, north of San Francisco, in 1996.

Charles O'Rear is the photographer behind Bliss, the Windows XP image that went on to grace millions of desktops around the world. He discusses the iconic photo and how it will live on as XP fades ...

The latest ugly holiday sweater from Microsoft features the Windows XP “Bliss” desktop image. (Microsoft Photo) The hills are alive on this year’s ugly holiday sweater from Microsoft.

Twenty-one years after giving us the iconic wallpaper Bliss, Chuck O'Rear is back with a sequel - Windows' Iconic Wallpaper Created in 90's, 'Bliss', Gets a Sequel ...

For people who can't get enough of Bliss or other '90s- and 2000s-era Microsoft stuff, the company has also released a few retro-themed high-resolution wallpapers on its Microsoft Design site.

Turns out, not only was the Bliss hill real, that high-saturation image apparently wasn't even manipulated. The hill in question was located in Sonoma County, California.