Do you find yourself constantly pressing Command + Esc on your keyboard, only to have Front Row open when you didn't actually want to use it? Apple's media tool, installed on all Macs, is a great way to kick back and watch an iTunes video, but it can be really annoying if your fingers press the shortcut key combination. In this how-to, we'll show you how to remove Front Row from your Mac so that this annoyance doesn't happen any longer.
To begin, open a Finder window, then press Shift + Command + G. This will open a drop-down dialog that will prompt you for a directory name to go to. Type (or copy/paste) the following directory, then press the Go button:
/System/Library/CoreServices
Finder will automatically navigate to the CoreServices directory on your Mac. In this location, you'll need to find an application called Front Row. It won't have a pretty icon--instead, it will have a plain, default app icon.
Once you find the application, single-click on it, and press Command + Delete (or right-click and click on the Move to Trash option).
During the time the application is being moved to the Trash, Mac OS X may prompt you for your administrator username and password. Enter this username and password, then press OK. Once the Front Row application is in the Trash, empty it to completely remove Front Row from your Mac.
If you don't wish to completely remove Front Row from your system, you can back this file up by dragging and dropping it in another location on your system. As long as Front Row isn't in the CoreServices folder, it won't run. When you want to restore Front Row, simply drag and drop the backup copy of Front Row to /System/Library/CoreServices/ folder.
This method is better than just disabling the keyboard shortcut in System Preferences or disabling the IR port on your Mac, because now you can use it for other peripherals without engaging Front Row. And now that you have the application removed from the CoreServices folder, your Mac-usage will no longer be hindered by accidental keyboard presses.
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scottrey
December 15, 2010 at 4:58pm
I have to agree, why not just disable the short cut keys.
Also, you can assign the short cut key for anything you want and it will no longer open Front Row.unless the Mac is used in a business environment I see no use to remove the whole application.
strabes
December 15, 2010 at 3:38pm
If the keyboard shortcut is that much of a problem you could just uncheck the "Hide and Show Front Row" keyboard shortcut in System Preferences > Keyboard > Keyboard Shortcuts > Front Row.
