Replacing a Windows 7/WMC/Xbox Home Theater Setup with Windows 10 as a Base OS

A place to talk about GPUs/Motherboards/CPUs/Cases/Remotes, etc.
Post Reply
TGBFAN

Posts: 7
Joined: Sun Oct 16, 2016 12:17 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

Replacing a Windows 7/WMC/Xbox Home Theater Setup with Windows 10 as a Base OS

#1

Post by TGBFAN » Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:29 pm

***First, I apologize if there’s already a topic/discussion in the forum for this. I couldn’t find one. None of the major categories seemed to fit. I may have posted this in the wrong place. Please don’t shoot me, just point me to a link.***

OK, the end is near for Windows 7 mainstream support (Jan 14, 2020).

Yes, I know I can continue using my current Win7 OS setup on my hardware almost forever, but security will become more and more problematic over time.

So what to do?

Here is my current setup:
- Win7 SP1 OS on a Dell XPS tower with lots of RAM and hard drive capacity and 2 24” monitors
WMC installed, to provide WMC functionality in addition to all of my daily work-related tasks.
- EPG123 installed with paid subscription to SchedulesDirect (thank God for Gary)
- 2 Ceton InfiniTV USB cable card tuner boxes, each with a registered/validated cable card for all Frontier FiOS base and subscription TV channels
- 3 Xbox 360s used as WMC Extenders (no gaming, ever) in three different rooms

I know it’s time to upgrade (ha!) to Win10 for many of my non-WMC (daily business-related) needs.

Is there a simple, equivalent, replacement solution for this wonderful functionality which I have enjoyed for 10+ years (including Windows Vista) that will operate on (or in conjunction with) Windows 10?

I’ve read that some WMC enthusiasts have managed to run a hacked version of WMC on Win10, but it appears to be fragile and is broken with each new release of Win10.

I’ve also read about Silicon Dust’s Prime 6 box and their DVR software, but that seems to be someone’s fantasy as opposed to reality, at least for the foreseeable future.

In conjunction with a Win10 PC, I am expecting to buy new hardware, external devices, etc. to replicate the functionality to which I have become accustomed:
1) Watch live cable TV channels on my PC and three Xbox extenders all simultaneously. Pause, resume, skip back/forward, change channels all independently of each other.
2) Record up to 8 channels simultaneously
3) Guide with EPG123/SD daily updated data
4) All of the other great features you know and love

What are my choices to come as close with Win10 to the functionality that I enjoy with Win7/WMC/Xbox Extenders today?

I am not a PC genius and I’m not looking for a complicated, technical solution….just a simple, elegant one, like WMC (mostly) is.

Yes, I know, if there was a simple and elegant Windows 10 solution, almost everyone would be doing it already.

All suggestions/recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

tonywagner

Posts: 178
Joined: Thu Feb 04, 2016 1:53 am
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#2

Post by tonywagner » Thu Nov 28, 2019 7:19 pm

I'd keep the Win7 machine just for WMC only, even just as a headless server, and just get a new Win10 machine for daily non-WMC use.

You could even install ServerWMC on the Win7 machine, and Kodi on the Win10 machine, to view your WMC live TV and recordings on your Win10 machine too (like an extender).

adam1991

Posts: 2893
Joined: Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:31 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#3

Post by adam1991 » Thu Nov 28, 2019 9:04 pm

TGBFAN wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 6:29 pmYes, I know I can continue using my current Win7 OS setup on my hardware almost forever, but security will become more and more problematic over time.

So what to do?
Step 1: price out a Tivo system that completely replaces your existing WMC setup.

Step 2: take everything that isn't WMC-related off of your Windows 7 computer, move it over to a Win10 box, and continue to use WMC as you have been without interruption.

Step 3: profit.

tl;dr--get over any security concerns for a WMC-only box, and continue on.

sdowney717

Posts: 171
Joined: Sun Jan 05, 2014 2:21 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#4

Post by sdowney717 » Mon Mar 09, 2020 8:33 pm

Upgrade to win 10 ver 1909 for free. Then install WMC 8.8.4 and use EPG123 for the guide with schedules direct. You can then keep on keeping on with WMC.

Run StopUpdates10 to well, stop updates.
https://greatis.com/stopupdates10/

User avatar
DavidinCT

Posts: 1556
Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2012 3:45 pm
Location:

HTPC Specs: Show details

#5

Post by DavidinCT » Fri Mar 20, 2020 2:09 pm

I know this is a old(er) thread, well a few months old, no one else said ANYTHING about the cablecards that this OP uses. I know there is a back door method to get Silicon Dust’s Prime working in Windows 10 but, this does not work with Premium channels or anything with DRM attached to them. Some local programing with could even have the copy once flag enabled, and if that is, you cant even view the recording.

To the OP, with cablecards and working like it has now, your ONLY option to get the best performance and be stable (doing Windows updates without killing your system) is Windows 7, or Windows 8.1. If you have current recordings with DRM attached, even upgrading to Windows 10 will break this.

If your worried about security updates, 8.1 is alive till 2023 according to Microsoft, so you have FEW more years...
-Dave
Twitter @TheCoolDave

Windows Media Center certified and WMC MVP 2010 - 2012

Post Reply