Windows Media Center and the hardware devices it supports were supposed to usher in a new era in computing. Over the last decade Microsoft had this idea that the living room could also be managed by a Windows PC, users would want to hook things up to the inputs on their televisions because broadcast television was uninteresting. Windows Media Center PCs would allow us to stream music, play recorded videos, and effortlessly browse the dizzying array of cable channels and shows provided by Comcast, Time Warner, and Cox. Microsoft has officially dropped this idea to Windows 10. Windows Media Center is not available in Microsoft’s newest operating system. Instead, you have to use some kind of workaround to get Windows Media Center back to Windows 10.
The reasons why Microsoft removed Windows Media Center are all around us. But now the Windows operating system is getting to a point where it doesn’t need a lot of grip. Updates in Windows 10 happen in the background and the operating system pretty much manages itself. When Windows Media Center was the new thing to have, Windows XP was a rebellious mess of updates and reboots. Finding a compatible cable card for your Windows Media Center PC was difficult. Maintaining the machine can be cumbersome. The features added to the Xbox 360 have made it significantly less dependent on Windows Media Center.
Microsoft killed Windows Media Center. There are no plans to further develop the app or partner with hardware manufacturers to produce new Windows Media Center PCs. Don’t worry, here’s how to get Windows Media Center back to Windows 10 if it’s essential in your home.
Before You Begin
Before you begin, know that what you’re downloading is software from a third-party website. Installing Windows Media Center on your Windows 10 PC this way can lead to undesirable results. Bugs and problems are unlikely, but always possible with Windows modifications not authorized by Microsoft. Windows Blog Italy managed to trace a setup file.
Also remember that Must Be Mobile only tried this with Windows 10, not previous versions of Windows. To be safe, make sure your Windows 10 PC has the latest updates from Microsoft by going to the app and tapping or clicking its icon. Let’s start.
Open Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer and download the Windows Media Player setup file here. Click or tap on it.
Click or tap on the downloaded file and save it to your computer.
What you download is a RAR, a kind of archive file in the same way that a Zip file holds other files. You will need to download a program to your PC to open this RAR file. Download and install WinRAR from: here to open the file. Select the 32-bit version of the language you need.
The Windows Media Player installation file you saved and selected when WinRAR was installed.
Now open the new folder where you extracted the files.
Select Close Admin Windows in the TestRights file and when run checks are finished.
In the Installer and select Press the spacebar on your PC after installation is complete.
Use the Search bar on the left side of your Taskbar and search for “Windows Media Center”, tap or click the app to open it. You should now have Windows Media Center installed on your Windows 10 PC.
With Media Center open, right-click its icon in the Taskbar to Pin for quick access.
Good luck running Windows Media Center on Windows. You don’t need to go through the Windows Media Center setup process again until the next major update for Windows 10 arrives. It’s unclear whether this trick will continue to work as Microsoft moves further and further away from Windows Media Center.
alternatives
For users looking for a better TV, Music and Video viewing experience in the living room, there are alternatives. You should definitely consider moving away from Windows Media Center and exploring these alternatives.
Xbox One is Microsoft’s all-in-one entertainment console. Besides video games, the console has a pass-through port and a sensor that allows it to send commands to cable boxes. Users can switch between many of their apps at any time with a separately sold media remote or voice command. The Xbox Store also has dozens of entertainment apps for Netflix, Hulu Plus, Verizon, and Time Warner. Users considering leaving the cable behind can purchase a separate TV tuner.
Software and service plexiglass it also provides a good alternative to Windows Media Center. It focuses on storing content you already have.
Good luck with Windows 10 and getting Windows Media Center working again.
