Although Windows 7 Media Center has improved a lot over previous versions of Windows, but you might want to disable it for different reasons. Here we take a look at a couple of methods to get rid of it.

There are a variety of reasons you might want to disable Windows 7 Media Center. Maybe you own a business and don’t want it to run on the machines. Or perhaps you don’t use it at all and just don’t want it around.

Turn Off WMC Using Programs and Features

Probably the easiest way to get rid of it on all versions of Windows 7 is to open Control Panel and select Programs and Features. This method is similar to disabling Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7.

On the left hand panel click on Turn Windows Features on or off.

Scroll down to Media Features and expand the folder. Then Uncheck Windows Media Center…

You’ll get a verification message making sure you want to disable it, click Yes.

Then the box next to Windows Media Center will be empty…click OK.

Wait while WMC is disabled…

To complete the process a reboot is required.

After getting back from the restart, the WMC icon will be gone and there won’t be any way to launch it.

Re-enable WMC

If you want to re-enable it, just go back in and recheck it.

Again you’ll need to wait while it’s configured, but when it’s done, a restart is not required.

Disable Media Center Using Group Policy

Note: This process uses Group Policy Editor which is not available in Home versions of Windows 7.

Click on the Start menu and type gpedit.msc into the Search box and hit Enter.

Now navigate to User Configuration \ Administrative Templates \ Windows Components \ Windows Media Center.

Double-click on Do not allow Windows Media Center to run. Then select the radio button next to Enabled, click OK and close out of Group Policy Editor.

Now if a user tries to launch WMC they will get the following message.

Conclusion

If you’re not a fan of Windows Media Center or want to disable it for whatever reason, the process is simple and there are a couple of ways you can do it. WMC is not included in Starter or Home Basic versions of Windows 7. If you’re new to Windows 7 Media Center, you might want to check out our guide on getting started and setting up live TV.