Do you wish you could just jump right into playing music when you open Media Center? Or maybe just skip that start up animation? Today we are going to show you a variety of startup switches that will allow you to customize the way Media Center opens in Windows 7.
Startup Customizations
We will be adding all of these switches to the end of the Target, on the Shortcut tab in the properties of Windows Media Center. If you start Media Center from the Start menu, go to Start > All Programs, right-click on Windows Media Center and select “Properties.” If you launch Media Center from a desktop shortcut, simply right-click on the icon and choose “Properties.” On the “Shortcut” tab, you will see the Target box with the text string: %windir%ehomeehshell.exe.
To add each of these switches to the Target, simply leave a space after %windir%ehomeehshell.exe, type the switch, and click “Save.” When you are finished, it should read like this:
%windir%ehomeehshell.exe /no startupanimation
Disable the Startup Animation & Music
This switch opens Media Center without it’s animation and music. It doesn’t seem to open Media Center any faster, but if you are annoyed by the animation and music, this will rid you of both.
/no startupanimation
Media Only Mode
Media Only mode keeps Windows Media Center displayed in full screen with the minimize and close buttons hidden. A small padlock will appear in the top right corner next to the time.
/mediamode
You can turn off Media Only mode from within Media Center by going to Tasks > Exit Media Only.
RTL Mode
If you prefer to look at things from right to left, you may enjoy RTL mode.
/rtl
This switch essentially flips the direction of everything in Media Center. You’ll notice that in windowed mode, even the close, maximize, and minimized buttons are flipped to the left side.
Remove Shut Down from Tasks
This switch disables the Shut Down tile under Tasks on the Windows Media Center Start menu.
/noshutdownui
This can be especially useful for preventing family members from clicking shut down and turning off your PC when it needs to stay on to record your favorite shows.
