"Add Features to Windows 8" menu missing

10,633

Solution 1

We will start with what a Windows N version is:

The N edition is for the European market. It comes without Windows Media Player. It is the result of a European lawsuit against Microsoft for bundling non-essential apps into the OS.

Answer to the problem seems to be its done broke:

It appears that Microsoft forgot to put the "add features" options into the UK versions of windows 8 N.

Hopefully they fix this soon.

References:

http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-windows_install/windows-8-pro-add-features-to-windows-8-missing/1f6bd350-5bfb-4c10-bbf0-d0c6ba161b54

UPDATE:

I finally called microsoft and tech support confirmed you 
cannot add media center to Windows 8 Pro N. 

FYI - one could add media center to Windows 7 Premium N 
so this a regressive behaviour for an 'upgrade'.

(Last Answer) http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_8-windows_install/no-add-features-to-windows-8-option-media-center/10968a9a-1ce0-43c1-a2f1-93cc5eb31283?page=2

Solution 2

I don't know for the N version but on my Win 8 Pro I did once the "Add Feature" thing to add Media Center but when I reboot it did not appeared. I had to go back in the "Program and Features" link in the control panel and select "Turn Windows Feature On/Off" and I saw that a new item was present : Media Features --> Windows Media Center.

Hope it will help!

10,633

Tobias Herkula

Updated on September 18, 2022

Comments

Tobias Herkula almost 2 years

I have a Windows 8 Pro N x64 install and want to add der Media Center Feature Pack. Had anybody figured out how to do this?

I already tried control /name Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade and nothing happens...

And no, searching for "Add Feature" and selecting "Settings" doesn't bring it up!!!
- Thalys over 11 years
  
  might help to have a screenshot showing what it actually saus
- billc.cn over 11 years
  
  Can you check if you already have that feature though? That option disappeared after I installed the media center upgrade.
- Tobias Herkula over 11 years
  
  No MCE is not there.
- Magnetic_dud over 11 years
  
  Well, in my opinion in the N installs, MCE can't be installed because of no media player. They actually sell N versions? I thought they were "fake" versions to appease the EU
Louis Waweru over 11 years

@TobiasHerkula Maybe it's a prerequisite?
Tobias Herkula over 11 years

I already have the Media Feature Pack installed, so I have the Media Player but MCE ist still missing, and no the steps to install it doesn't help, if I search for "add features" the menu isn't there.
Tobias Herkula over 11 years

No as already mentioned, this does not matter, there are differences between N, K and Normal versions and it seems that this based on that.