Here is how to install Media Center on Windows 10

Microsoft's Windows 10 is a big hit with many users, but not all PC users are happy with the upgrade. The depreciation of Windows Media Center began way back in 2009, but fans of the media add-on have been clinging on to it ever since. Indeed, if you were lucky enough to have Media Center on your PC, the app would uninstall with the Windows 10 upgrade. Instead, users were given a free DVD player as a consolation prize, which hardly makes up for the loss of functionality.

Now, users at the MDL forums have managed to create an all-in-one package to reinstall Windows Media Center on current Windows 10 builds (including 10240 and 10532). The project had been in the works for a few weeks now, but starting a few days ago users could successfully install the center to their PCs. The site Windows Blog Italia wrote up on how easy it is to accomplish and indeed, we were able to successfully install it on our PC with ease.

Install Windows Media Center on Windows 10

Note: Before we start, we should caution you are download files from an unofficial source. As such, you should heed with the utmost caution when installing as this constitutes a security concern. Although there are no known side effects make sure you have your PC backed up just in case.

1. Download

Download and extract WindowsMediaCenter_10.0.10134.0.zip from this address.

2. Run

Right-click on _TestRights.cmd and click Run as administrator

3. Reboot your PC

4. Run 2

Right-click on Installer.cm and click Run as administrator

5. Exit

After the installer runs, click any key to exit

Now, doing a simple search for Media Center reveals the app installed on your PC. You can then pin it to your Start menu or taskbar for quick access. Due to our configuration we have not confirmed how well it runs with a TV signal setup, so your mileage may vary. Otherwise, despite looking like a throwback to Vista, the app runs just fine on our new 2015 Windows 10 machine.

Let us know in comments if Media Center is something you still you use and whether you will be using this workaround!

Source: MDL Forums (registration required); via Windows Blog Italia

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Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central. He is also the head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and wearable tech. He has reviewed laptops for over 10 years and is particularly fond of 2-in-1 convertibles, Arm64 processors, new form factors, and thin-and-light PCs. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, performed polysomnographs in NYC, and was a motion-picture operator for 17 years.