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Windows 10 Update Removes Windows Media Player (betanews.com)

Posted by msmash on from the up-next dept.

Recently made available Windows 10 update KB4046355 for the Fall Creators Update disables Windows Media Player from the operating system. BetaNews reports: While it could be argued that Windows Media Player is no longer an essential addition to Windows -- there are plenty of quality third-party alternatives, such as VLC Media Player, not to mention the Films & TV app in Windows 10 itself -- many users still rely on it. The feature's removal came to light when users installed KB4046355 on devices running Windows 10 version 1709 -- the Fall Creators Update. This update, referred to as FeatureOnDemandMediaPlayer, removes Windows Media Player from the OS, although it doesn't kill access to it entirely. If you want the media player back you can install it via the Add a Feature setting. Open Settings, go to Apps > Apps & Features, and click on Manage optional features.

3 of 255 comments (clear)

  1. It's been made a non-default install, not removed by mattb47 · · Score: 2, Informative

    Given that you can add Windows Media Player back in, then title of this story is incorrect.

    WMP has not been removed, it's been made a non-default application ("Feature on Demand"). You can still add it back in fairly easily.

    Maybe Microsoft is planning on completely removing it in the long term, but they haven't removed it yet.

    It's still annoying. Users still use WMP and this is likely to cause a lot of confusion.

  2. Re:What other OS can we use instead? by duke_cheetah2003 · · Score: 4, Informative

    You missed the biggest contender for Linux desktop worthiness. Linux Mint. Which runs out of the box on just about any hardware I've thrown at it. It's reasonably friendly and reasonably easy to use. I highly recommend trying it. You can even get it on a Live bootable USB so you don't even need to put it on your hard drive to play with it.

  3. Re:FTFY? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    It's much easier to overcome the negatives of Windows 8 than it is to overcome the negative of Windows 10.

    Windows 8:
    1) Install Classic Shell
    2) Done

    Windows 10:
    1) Turn off every privacy invading hole that Microsoft will allow you to
    2) Disable automatic updates
    3) Install Spybot Anti-Beacon and immunise
    4) Install O&O ShutUp10 and immunise
    5) Add pages of Microsoft spyware domains to your hosts file
    6) Firewall pages of Microsoft spyware domains
    7) Remove Edge, Cortono, X-Box, One Drive and every other spyware resource wasters that nobody wants
    8) Hope that Microsoft doesn't silently reenable anything through hidden backdoors