
The easiest way to find out if you have it installed is to enter Media Center on the start screen of the operating system. It is interesting to note that you did not have to own a Windows 8 license to snag a key, and that each customer could get up to five Media Center keys for free in that period.ĭepending on whether you have upgraded Windows 8 to Windows 8.1, from a previous Microsoft operating system, or did a clean install, you may not have access to Media Center right away. So, if you want DVD playback on Windows 8.x, you need Windows Media Center or a third party alternative.Īs part of the Windows 8 promotion, Microsoft has given away Windows Media Center keys for free to interested users. You may remember that it did play them on Windows 7. The program has been crippled by Microsoft as it does not play DVD movies anymore.


I found the Silverlight interface to be easier to use and speedier than the basic HTML interface, but your mileage may vary.Windows 8.1, just like Windows 8, ships with Windows Media Player by default.

While installing, you'll need to set up a user name and password to access your media remotely. Download and install Remote Potato Server on your Windows computer.

The free, wonderfully named Remote Potato steps in to let you use that media from any Web browser. Your Windows Media Center makes organizing and enjoying your music, videos, movies and other media incredibly easy-but if you want to listen or watch remotely, you've been out of luck.
