Some of our readers were quite upset with the death of Windows Media Center in Windows 10. Windows Media Center is an entertainment suite that has been available in all the previous Windows versions since the launch of Windows XP. While it was no longer a free feature and required a separate purchase in Windows 8, the media suite was completely discontinued in the latest Windows version.
Microsoft did offer an alternative solution in the form of the new Windows DVD Player app which was offered as a free app to users of Windows 7 Home Premium, Professional or Ultimate, and Windows 8 or 8.1 with Media Center or Pro Pack installed.
Soon after upgrading to Windows 10, the free Windows DVD Player app will be automatically downloaded via Windows Update, but you can speed up this process by going to Settings from the Start menu, selecting Update & security, and then click Check for updates. You should see a new update available that begins to download, which will install the free Windows DVD Player app.
Users who perform a clean installation of Windows 10 don't get the free app as it comes only for those users who have Media Center installed on their machines. Those who couldn't get the free app can purchase it for $14.99.
However, some users have found a workaround that helps you install Windows Media Center on your Windows 10 device. This workaround has been tested on Windows Insider builds 10240 and 10532. Following are the steps that will let you have the media software back on your PC, as shared by the folks at Windows Blog Italia.
- Download WindowsMediaCenter_10.0.10134.0.zip from this link.
- Extract the contents of the zip file.
- Inside this folder, locate the _TestRights.cmd file. Right-click on it and choose Run as administrator from the context menu.
- You will now see a command prompt on your PC. When you see this, reboot your PC.
- Now, right-click on the Installer.cm file and run it as an admin too.
- When the installer is done, you will see a message on the screen "Press any key to exit."
- Ta da!
While we won't recommend you to try it out, but if you really want to get the Media Center back, this is the way. Search in the task bar to find Windows Media Center and pin it to the Start Menu for easy access. If you do try it, don't forget to let us know about your experience.
