Discussion on:

Get the Windows 8 Media Center Pack for free - but be prepared to wait

Will you be downloading and installing the Windows 8 Media Center Pack? Will you pay for it or will you take advantage of this limited-time free offer?

I will now have to rebuild my system, once again, because Media Center nuked my validation and I am unable to activate it anymore.

******* macrostupid microsoft

If you're living in the Goold OLd USA all will be working fine, however if you are living outside of it, the pictures is a little bit less glorious, NO tv for you then or shows and Region pronend check out your dvd's.......

It looks like win8 isn't selling that well if Microsoft has decided to give this away for free.
But will there be a k-lite codec pack for win8 or something simular?

It wasn't like they backtracked on this after sales started, they announced this long before sales even began for Windows 8. If sales are a problem, and they think this will help, then we may see them extend it and I could see your point.

You state "Just like the offer expires on January 31, 2013, so too does the product key. So, if you download it today, make sure that you install the Windows 8 Media Center Pack before the expiration date."
What happens if I have to reinstall the OS at a later date?

I'm thinking that if you keep you key in a safe place as you should your windows 8 key you can simply re-enter it.

... before Jan 31, it will be registered to your system and you can use it again in case you need to reinstall.

If you don't use the key before that date, it will not be registered and you will not be able to register it after that date.

Is that key then tied to the Windows 8 key so you can reinstall it easily?

I too did my Windows 8 and Media Center upgrades the first day. It took about 36 hours to get my first Media Center license due to the heavy access initially. The trick was you can only get one license string per email address. It was necessary to request the others using my gmail and yahoo addresses to get the licenses for my other two computers. All in all, everything went well considering the new launch.

It will be necessary for you to retain both your Win8 key and your MC key if reloads are needed. If you're having any problems, call Microsoft. They were very helpful even during the beginning of the Windows 8 launch.

My recommendation is to Custom install Windows 8 into a new partition, keeping your old partition available to browse for earlier drivers if needed for some older hardware. My Windows 8 boot times after removing the dual boot configurations is less than 15 seconds on all three of my computers.

I have wait just 72 hours as the confirmation message has said, than I've tried other two (even created a new hotmail one!)
Every time, it says "sorry cannot process your request" and gives a link for the terms and conditions, that - of course - does not put any light on the cause of the error!

Over here in the UK I have been given the message I have to wait 72 hours for the key so you are lucky only having to wait 24 hours!!!

I've got the media pack key but i don't get the add features to windows 8 option. Only get turn on/off features.

...Windows Media Center, the Add features to Windows 8 option will be unavailable because there is nothing left to install. Thus, I can only assume that you have already downloaded and installed Windows Media Center or it was installed by he OEM.

Doesn't allow me to *add* any features - not just this one [don't get the "G" screen above]. In Features all I see remotely related is Windows Media Player under Media Features. Nothing yes. And I'm using the final build 9200.

Here i would like to share you an interesting information about Top 11 features of Windows 8. This will help the users to get familiar with new OS. Please find the source url here http://www.dotcominfoway.com/blog/infographic-on-top-11-features-of-windows-8.

Hope its something useful for the readers.

thanks for the tip on the free media player d/load unfortunately the waiting time has now gone up to 72 hrs. is this a reflection on how busy Microsoft is, or just to make you wait for your freebee

Has anyone tried to install it on a Surface RT system? If so, what was your result?

Thanks,
Stephen

to 72!!! WTF?

Are people receiving their product keys? On Sunday I requested 3 product keys with three different email addresses (to cover our 3 home PCs which have windows 8) and now it's Friday and not a peep?

Edit: Spoke to MS support via chat:

Orders are being processed and you should get your free product key very soon. We appreciate your patience and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused. Orders are being processed and you should get your product key in the next 24-48 hours. Please provide me with your phone number for following up with the issue.

"Will you be downloading and installing the Windows 8 Media Center Pack? Will you pay for it or will you take advantage of this limited-time free offer? "

--let me highlight a few letters to help you make up your mind...

"Will you be downloading and installing the Windows 8 Media Center Pack? Will you PAY for it or will you take advantage of this limited-time FREE offer? "
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Guess they are on holiday...

I have two windows 8 pro when I registered one of the upgrade pack, it has been accepted but when the second pro pack I had attempted to register it only reply cannot process you order and the second paragraph it says terms and condition nothing happen. My question is only once they gave a give aways

Like another commenter, when I filled out Microsoft's online form to get Media Center, the acknowledgment form said to wait 72 hours for an email with a link and a registration key. Well, twice that time has come and gone, and I didn't get any email.

So today I called Microsoft customer service to get the email I was promised, and guess what? They say they can't send me the key. Instead, I have to be sitting at my computer, and they have to walk me through the entire unlocking process while I'm there. Apparently they'll give me the key over the phone, but they won't email it to me.

I got the impression that a lot of people are not getting their promised emails from Microsoft, because when I insisted to customer service that they should be able to email me the key (like they were supposed to in the first place), they said that they had a "process" they had to follow with customers who didn't get product keys as promised. They would only need to have this "process" if they regularly don't send out the keys.

This is shabby, shabby behavior from Microsoft, showing what contempt this dying monopolist has for its customers. Are they trying to make the process of getting Media Center for free so painful that people will end up paying for it? For what, to make a measly $10? Or are they just so incredibly stupid and incompetent that they can't figure out how to get Media Center to their customers.

By the way, I bought my copy of Windows 8 directly from Microsoft, so there's no issue with the legitimacy of my software, and Microsoft knows it.

Greg Shultz, you're a snitch, you know that! bleeeeeh!

So, to say they have a process is a significant overstatement. I've registered 3x, waited 72 hours 3x, never gotten key. I've talked or texted with 3 different tech support people, gotten 3 different answers (to include a promised return call within 72 hours which also didn't happen). I've paid the $40 for the pro upgrade (which I didn't need except I need the media center so pro is a requirement). No, they can't give me a product key over the phone (though I know of others including the post above where they have done that). You see, "they ran out of product keys"--I guess Microsoft's random number generator is broken. They don't know when it will be fixed. But they have promised to call me again--I'm not holding my breath. Yes, the only process here is to try their best to insure we all switch platforms. It would be very nice to actually see them post something that said "We have a significant bug, we cannot release now but will keep you informed as to when a product release will be ready." Or, "We are sorry, but we have run out of DVD Codec licenses and are unable to renegotiate that contract. We are sorry but we will not be able to fultill our promise of delivering Windows Media Center and will refund any purchases of Pro licenses." At least then I could quite talking with India on the phone.

I have waited eight days since the 72 hour notice and received zero in my email. After the 72 hours I processed another request with a different email address and five days later........zip. Do you think there's a problem?

...are encountering difficulties.

I am sure that there are others out there that have indeed received the Media Center Product Key email.

If you have, please let us know how long it took to get your email.

Thank you! I followed your suggestion to request for media center license and received the license within four hours. No, kidding, lucky me, I guess. I added it to windows -which took several minutes. All went well and I got the media center. Then I saw a red flag on the task bar at the action center saying that my activation key had changed and it was something something not acceptable. I followed the link to customer support and click on it, a window popped up with a toll free number so I called. It turned out to be an automated key activation center. All I had to do was to say a bunch of numbers -also on the same window- and it gave me my verification numbers. then it said that my windows was activated and good to go. I don't know if everyone had to do what I did, but I'd thought I put it here, just in case. -Because when I saw that my activation key was not acceptable I freaked out.

on the pricing: $99 to upgrade Win8 to Pro and add Media Center OR about $139 to just buy a Win7 Pro license (that includes Media Center and NO START SCREEN). Is Microsoft trying to kill Win8??

I know there is a large set of technical reasons why Win8 should be chosen, but when the average user sees the above, they are probably going to just go with the Win7 Pro choice.

Just finished buying the Win8 Pro upgrade from Amazon. Just finished ordering my dippy Media center Product Key so both will be here in time. Am now buying used Dell laptops for testing it, ones which users who installed Win8, said worked well. Will try one and then the next. Of course, since your DVD -- needed to install Win8, lol -- is disabled after installation, I'll have to do the first test on the one with the DVD, then clone back the prior drive. What insanity.

HOW TO MAKE THE CUSTOMER HATE YOU: destroy the mechanism of installation immediately after installation, so in case the power goes out or the installation is glitchy, he can't start his computer again. They must be drinking Jim Jones' Koolaid in Redmond...

Worse: this was the only article I could find which told me what the Media Center in Win8 would DO. MS doesn't have ANYTHING on what it DOES in its site for purchasing. You can't even purchase the Pro pack on its own page! Now, thanks to this article, I see the schizoid formerly-Metro now just nameless Start Screen can't read the codecs for the Media player, but those codecs only work in the Media Center?Which I MUST install before January 31, lest even the product key fail?

Thanks to pradichaya's comment above, at least I know what to do IF IF IF I get the dang key and (as is likely) it will fail. Hope I remember where I bookmarked this page with her comment.

WHY am I even trying Win8? Masochism. Gotta be, masochism.

I purchased Win8 through the MS $15 offer. To beat the Jan 31 deadline I thought I better get Media Center. I got license key within 4 minutes of sending the Add Features request following Greg's procedures.

received key, entered key, system rebooted. windows now lost activation. Unable to activate. for some reason, my system restore doesn't have any restore points, even though system restore is still ON. This came up after trying to activate:

Unable to activate Windows 8 Pro with Media Center. (Error code: 0xC004C4AA)

You might see this error after you used the Add Features to Windows 8 app to upgrade your current edition of Windows. The Windows 8 Pro with Media Center edition can only be activated on PCs that had Windows preinstalled, or Windows was purchased on the Windows website or at a retail store. To fix the problem, you need to install Windows with the product key provided to you in an email or with the DVD. If you think you have received this message in error, contact a Microsoft Customer Support representative

I have no idea what you're referring to regarding excessive wait time for email response - you had me nervous for no reason - my email reply was virtually immediate... There may have been issues when you went through, however, it seems to be all good now...

Cheers

Just finished updating to Windows 8 and Media Centre build: Ferfucksake, my remote control - Acer Z5761 - no longer works... What Genious at Microsoft overlooked something like That??? And, Acer, being the useless scum that they are, retroactively offer "fixes" prior to said upgrade to Windows 8: what a joke...

It's like these companies actively conspire to torment people and F@#@ with our lives... Does anyone else feel that way???

Yes. I suppose MS have sorted out all those irritating delays now. I got my product key almost instantaneously and went through the process of adding the Media Center without any hitch whatsoever. At least I have no reason to curse MS.

I have win8 pro from an MSDN subscription. I don't see the option to add my product key and the only thing in the media section is media features, with media player underneath that. ???