RIP Windows Media Center

This week was full of exciting and encouraging announcements for Windows fans from the stage of Microsoft Build 2015 Developer Conference. But, here comes a news that is a big blow to the Windows Media Center fans. Now, Microsoft has finally confirmed that this media software won’t be available in Windows 10.

If your PC is running Windows 8.1 or Windows 7 and you upgrade to Windows 10, your system will be devoid of the Media Centre and you won’t be able to get it back. If you try to install the most recent Windows 10 build on a system with Media Centre, you will get this warning before the setup proceeds further:

If you try to install the most recent Windows 10 build on a system with Media Centre, you will get this warning before the setup proceeds further:

History of Windows Media Center:

This isn’t a surprise move. Developers at Redmond stopped actively developing the Windows Media Center in 2009 as the team behind its development was broken. The version that was made available in an upgrade pack in Windows 10 was an unmodified versionWindows Media Center has been a popular feature of past Windows operating systems and it’s like a blow to the fans. Back in 2001, Media Centre was launched as a separate XP version that supported TV channels from TV tuners and played full screen as a media player.

Microsoft upgraded it with HD TV support, CableCard-based tuners and ability to enable apps Netflix and other third-party sources. It was a signature feature of the Windows “premium” versions. If you are a fan of Windows Media Center, you’ll have to ditch your plans of Windows 10 upgrade and hope for some unofficial porting to the new OS.

This news was confirmed by Microsoft in an interview with ZDNet’s Ed Bott.

Will you miss Windows Media Center? Tell us