Past time to move to Win10

[nanat]

We are still running WMC on a PC with Win7 - OTA TV, 4 tuner cards. That about all this PC currently does - run WMC! Works great but know that at some point we are going to have to upgrade to Win10. So question to the group is how to best do that and not lose WMC. Or what to use in its place to watch/record OTA tv. We rely on it for viewing (live and recorded) and recording OTA TV. This forum has been great over the years, but I've not been following the Windows 10 area - and with so many posts not sure where to look. If this question has been asked/answered, please point me in the right direction! Thanks!

[Scallica]

We are still running WMC on a PC with Win7. Works great but know that at some point we are going to have to upgrade to Win10.

If your hardware is working, then there is no reason to upgrade to W10.

[dab2kab]

Like the advice above, im an advocate of leaving wmc the same until there is a big problem requiring intervention. Another consideration. Do you use extenders? If you use non xbox extenders, youre stuck on windows 7. If you use xbox 360s as extenders, you can only upgrade as far as windows 8.1 and not to 10.

[adam1991]

We are still running WMC on a PC with Win7. Works great but know that at some point we are going to have to upgrade to Win10.

If your hardware is working, then there is no reason to upgrade to W10.

This.

I fail to understand people who tell us they're using the perfectly functioning system ONLY for a single task, then in the next breath declare that they MUST change the system out no matter what.

Those people must spend an absolute *boatload" on cars, buying new ones every few months as new technologies come out.

[Alan G]

We are still running WMC on a PC with Win7. Works great but know that at some point we are going to have to upgrade to Win10.

If your hardware is working, then there is no reason to upgrade to W10.

Completely agree with this. My PC is dedicated to one task plus streaming of selected websites. Microsoft is continuing to support Security Essentials for another 12 or so months. If I still feel the need for an antivirus, I'll cross that bridge. The important thing is to keep a system image and in my case I have duplicate hardware if I get a failure on that part. WMC doesn't require much in the way of computer resources.

[technodevotee]

Just to add my two penny worth here.

Much as I love Windows 10, as far as running WMC is concerned it is a complete PITA and if you have a PC set up as a DVR that isn't used for *anything* else, then you're likely best option is to leave it alone and use another PC for things that require a more modern OS.

[StinkyImp]

Just to add my two penny worth here.

I only have a penny's worth, but I'll throw it in here too.

Back in the old days I had a cable box, VCR, and a DVD player hooked up to my TV. I eventually did away with them when I built my "all-in-one" HTPC.

I never upgraded the "old" equipment whenever there was an update and I look at my Win7 machine the same way. I'll just keep running it until something catastrophic renders it unusable.

In a nutshell... If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

[nanat]

Thanks to all who replied. I don't disagree with any of your comments and have resisted even thinking about "upgrading" to win10 for all reasons cited – its working so why change. Perhaps I should have asked the question differently – is there a way to have WMC and Win10 “play nice”? Or is it just a huge PITA and constant battle not worth the effort?

Our hardware running WMC for us is now over 10yrs old, and although so far we've been able to fix/replace parts (eg fan, power supply) we’ve begun thinking ahead as to how to deal with a major failure that necessitates getting a new PC - which would undoubtedly come with win10 installed. (much like an old car, at some point the cost of repairs vs value of car warrant “new” car). Hence I thought it worth asking if there was a way to have WMC on win10. Based on your collective replies (as well as a few other discussion strings I've read today) it sounds like if the hardware fails and needs to be replaced then we need to be sure to get something “new” that will work with win7 + WMC. Win10 is not worth the trouble for this purpose.

Thanks.

(FYI currently have 4 tuners installed and a separate HD for recordings. No extenders. No xbox. Input is OTA antenna. The output of WMC/PC is distributed throughout the house to all TVs. Hence can also distribute amazon video or youtube viewed via browser. Audio is distributed via Russound 6-source audio. Use WMC remotes via remote IR pickups to control WMC PC. Have also been using ZapIR android app on “old” Samsung S4 to control both WMC video and audio system. And when we go on a trip in the MH I often copy recordings onto laptop running Win7 w/WMC so we can watch on the road. And don’t need to worry about keeping wife happy – I am the wife!)

[technodevotee]

When WMC works on Windows 10 it is fine even on the latest release for most people with an OTA setup. In other cases, it may be more problematic and some people even have to use the original version of Windows 10.

On my main HTPC, which is a multi-satellite system, it is a minimum of 2 days to get my system back to how it was if I have to reinstall from scratch because the tuning data is at least a decade out of date.

When Microsoft 'upgrade' Windows 10, they uninstall parts of WMC because it is most definitely unsupported and they really don't want people using it. So every six months or so, you have to uninstall the remnants and reinstall it.

When Microsoft remove or update subsystems that WMC relies on, that tends to break WMC and the community has to set about figuring out what they broke this time and find a workaround for it. That can sometimes take a while, so if you rely on the system for all your TV as many of us do, that can be annoying.

Regular backups are a must.

You can lock the system down to prevent updates of course but then you may be vulnerable to attack or unable to support new apps.

[adam1991]

It's a huge PITA.

The "what's next" discussion is common and frequent. It's pretty clear that the next step does not include WMC, overall. What it looks like is different for everyone.

I'm OTA. And frankly, with Hulu, 90% of what I watch from the big networks comes to me the next day, without commercials. CBS and The Blacklist are exceptions, but even then I could wait until next year for The Blacklist.

Anyway, my situation is way different than someone who has encrypted and DRM cable TV, for example. Tivo is the only third party answer for that as a complete system.

How is your one WMC box output distributed throughout the house?

I have to say, Hulu for $13/month is, for me, a superb value.

One thing you might want to look at that would fit well in your environment is Plex TV. With a Plex Pass, you can view and record OTA no problem. Even better, the shows end up on your Plex server--and that makes it incredibly easy to watch remotely (phone, table, computer, Roku/Fire/AppleTV), to download to a mobile device, and even to share your server to others in the world.

[Scallica]

Thanks to all who replied. I don't disagree with any of your comments and have resisted even thinking about "upgrading" to win10 for all reasons cited – its working so why change. Perhaps I should have asked the question differently – is there a way to have WMC and Win10 “play nice”? Or is it just a huge PITA and constant battle not worth the effort?

Forget Windows 10 WMC as a stable DVR platform. To my knowledge, WMC doesn't work on the newest builds of Windows 10 (1909), so now you have to run an unsupported and unpatched OS. There are no more security updates for build 1803 since November 12th, 2019. Support for build 1809 ends next month.

If you really want to stick with WMC on new hardware, then Windows 8.1 with a WMC add-on key is the best option. If you are not attached to WMC, then consider using Windows 10 with Plex or Emby installed; both support OTA tuning.

[technodevotee]

WMC works fine on the latest version of Windows 10 as long as you apply the workarounds and with the caveats I outlined.

I'm running it on PCs with 1909 and 2004.

[Scallica]

WMC works fine on the latest version of Windows 10 as long as you apply the workarounds and with the caveats I outlined.

I'm running it on PCs with 1909 and 2004.

Good to know. Does DRM work on 1909 and 2004?

[technodevotee]

No, afraid not. AFAIK, the last version that supports DRM it is 1511.

[Scallica]

No, afraid not. AFAIK, the last version that supports DRM it is 1511.

Ahh, that's what I was thinking of. Thanks.

[technodevotee]

Yeah, I'm sure it is a real bummer for anyone who would like to have an up to date version of Windows 10 and use their Cable Cards.

[Rickt1962]

Windows 10 for Media Center ! LMAO !

[nanat]

How is your one WMC box output distributed throughout the house?

when we did a big home addition/remodel (2005) we ran lots of wires/cables for stuff - all from locations throughout the house, and control pads in various rooms/areas, to a "home run closet". The closet houses common components and various distribution panels for ethernet, HDMI, coax, component, phone, audio and security sensors (which are also used for home automation). Given current technology we would do some things differently now, but on the plus side, all is controlled locally without a need for wifi/cloud services (other than when we want to use phone app to control the house).

[adam1991]

so, without extenders, how are the various rooms in the house seeing your single WMC computer? How is your one WMC box output distributed throughout the house?

Are they seeing WMC, or are they just seeing the files on disk?

[Rickt1962]

so, without extenders, how are the various rooms in the house seeing your single WMC computer? How is your one WMC box output distributed throughout the house?

Are they seeing WMC, or are they just seeing the files on disk?

EASY ! I have WMC recording 24/7/365 after the recordings are done they are Automatically scanned by MCEbuddy which removes all commercials than it moves the videos to WD Mycloud which are all seen by all TV's using Raspberry Pi's with KODI the ultimate setup !