Uninstall incomplete WMC install in order to install 8.9.1
-
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:19 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
Uninstall incomplete WMC install in order to install 8.9.1
I feel like I went down this path before but search isn't finding it.
I had a failed install of 8.8.5 (I think) some time ago. I am not having any luck finding an uninstall, but wmc is definitely at least partially installed. I can launch it and can walk thru the setup process at least to some degree.
My preference would be to completely uninstall and start over with the latest version (8.9.1).
I've searched my drives for "uninstall*.*. I've looked at "control panel" software. I'm not finding a "media center" or similar folder in programs that might have an uninstall option. The media center shortcut just points to ehome which doesn't seem to have any uninstall related items.
Is there a way to determine what version I have (partially) installed?
Can someone share the 8.8.5 uninstall (I think there was a .bat and a .cmd)?
Is there something that would completely uninstall what I have so I can start over no matter what partial install it is?
Thanks much!
I had a failed install of 8.8.5 (I think) some time ago. I am not having any luck finding an uninstall, but wmc is definitely at least partially installed. I can launch it and can walk thru the setup process at least to some degree.
My preference would be to completely uninstall and start over with the latest version (8.9.1).
I've searched my drives for "uninstall*.*. I've looked at "control panel" software. I'm not finding a "media center" or similar folder in programs that might have an uninstall option. The media center shortcut just points to ehome which doesn't seem to have any uninstall related items.
Is there a way to determine what version I have (partially) installed?
Can someone share the 8.8.5 uninstall (I think there was a .bat and a .cmd)?
Is there something that would completely uninstall what I have so I can start over no matter what partial install it is?
Thanks much!
-
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:00 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
Not trivially, but if it's the 8.9.1 installer, you have a "Windows Media Center" folder in Program Files (with that branch, the ehome in C:\Windows is just a symlink).
https://mega.nz/file/GKQx3aTB#1PY2AgBQh ... Sc5b2G1XhE
Note: 8.9.1 isn't necessarily better than the other options, it's just a different, MSI-based option: viewtopic.php?t=14395.
Personally, I decided to stay on 8.8.5 (I agree the versioning is confusing... all these packages were authored by different people, so we all tried to find a convention but it didn't work well ).
-
- Posts: 136
- Joined: Fri Dec 13, 2019 4:19 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
Thanks much, Kevin for both the files and the info.
-
- Posts: 963
- Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:10 pm
- Location: West Midlands
- HTPC Specs:
For future reference:
Gary's MSI installer is the way to go for most people and that has an uninstall in the usual place for Windows programs.
It also has some helpful features - especially for satellite tuners.
if you have any other install, you would need to use an appropriate script based installer package to uninstall and you might have trouble uninstalling if you don't use the same one that was used to install it.
Unfortunately, the file version doesn't help with determining which installer was used but the dates of the files in \windows\ehome does.
if they are mostly dated 2013 then it is probably 8.10.x
If they are mostly dated 2014 then it was probably V 8.8.4 or earlier
If they are virtually all dated 2015 then it was probably V13
If they are all dated 2020 then it was probably V8.8.5
I don't know what dates the files in 8.9.x are but as Kevin said, it is quite easy to tell that version because \windows\ehome is a link to somewhere else.
Gary's MSI installer is the way to go for most people and that has an uninstall in the usual place for Windows programs.
It also has some helpful features - especially for satellite tuners.
if you have any other install, you would need to use an appropriate script based installer package to uninstall and you might have trouble uninstalling if you don't use the same one that was used to install it.
Unfortunately, the file version doesn't help with determining which installer was used but the dates of the files in \windows\ehome does.
if they are mostly dated 2013 then it is probably 8.10.x
If they are mostly dated 2014 then it was probably V 8.8.4 or earlier
If they are virtually all dated 2015 then it was probably V13
If they are all dated 2020 then it was probably V8.8.5
I don't know what dates the files in 8.9.x are but as Kevin said, it is quite easy to tell that version because \windows\ehome is a link to somewhere else.
-
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:00 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
My pleasure! Let us know how it goes
It's definitely the simplest option. That said, there are two points to keep in mind when using that branch:technodevotee wrote: ↑Wed Jan 17, 2024 8:36 pm Gary's MSI installer is the way to go for most people and that has an uninstall in the usual place for Windows programs.
It also has some helpful features - especially for satellite tuners.
- It's not RDP-friendly: you can't set up TV or watch TV via RDP, which can be annoying when you need to configure TV remotely (it also applies to Hyper-V VMs: you can't set up TV using an enhanced session).
- It doesn't remove the WMC database when uninstalling WMC. In a way, it's not a bad thing, but if you somehow ended up with a broken WMC setup, the MSI uninstaller itself won't help you at all fix that.
-
- Posts: 963
- Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:10 pm
- Location: West Midlands
- HTPC Specs:
There seems to be two camps with respect to running WMC in an RDP session: Some like the ability to use WMC full screen but with limited functionality and some like to be able to run it with full functionality but not full screen.- It's not RDP-friendly: you can't set up TV or watch TV via RDP, which can be annoying when you need to configure TV remotely (it also applies to Hyper-V VMs: you can't set up TV using an enhanced session).
I still run V13 because I don't watch TV in an RDP session but I do like to be able to use it full screen and if I need to do stuff remotely that can't be done in RDP, I use teamviewer (although other solutions are available).
Presumably, Gary expected that people would be using EPG123 to configure/reconfigure WMC once it was installed? EPG123 certainly makes life a lot easier nowadays.- It doesn't remove the WMC database when uninstalling WMC. In a way, it's not a bad thing, but if you somehow ended up with a broken WMC setup, the MSI uninstaller itself won't help you at all fix that.
-
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:00 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
I addressed that in my new mini-mods project by making that configurable dynamically via the registry. See viewtopic.php?p=152818#p152818 for more informationtechnodevotee wrote: ↑Fri Jan 19, 2024 6:31 am There seems to be two camps with respect to running WMC in an RDP session: Some like the ability to use WMC full screen but with limited functionality and some like to be able to run it with full functionality but not full screen.
I still run V13 because I don't watch TV in an RDP session but I do like to be able to use it full screen and if I need to do stuff remotely that can't be done in RDP, I use teamviewer (although other solutions are available).
-
- Posts: 963
- Joined: Thu Sep 10, 2015 4:10 pm
- Location: West Midlands
- HTPC Specs:
Yes I saw that.
Thanks for everything you do for the community.
Thanks for everything you do for the community.
-
- Posts: 147
- Joined: Mon Oct 08, 2018 12:00 pm
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
Thanks! My pleasure, as always
-
- Posts: 2
- Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2024 3:49 am
- Location:
- HTPC Specs:
I need this info today