Media Center Has Taken Over

? You do not need to go into control panel to take a screenshot......

Click start type snipping tool. Use that to take a screenshot

Run a quick malware scan on your computer.

There might not be anything related to the issue, but a quick check doesn't hurt.

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AdwCleaner is a two step process. Scan then Clean

Step 1: Download and Scan

Click here to download AdwCleaner (author: Xplode)
>> save the application to your Desktop.

• Right-click AdwCleaner.exe on your Desktop and select Run As Administrator to run the scanner with full privilege rights.
  >> AdwCleaner is a standalone executable, there is no install.
  
• Click on the Scan button.
  >> AdwCleaner begins scanning your system. It might take some time to complete, be patient
  
• When the scan has finished, click on the Report button
  >> the AdwCleaner log: AdwCleaner[R#].txt is opened in your default Text editor.
  >> [R#] gets incremented every time you run AdwCleaner - the highest number is the most recent.
  
• Look through the log for any recognizable entries - don't worry about other details in the log.
  
• Paste the entire AdwCleaner log in your next post.
  >> AdwCleaner logs are located in the C:\AdwCleaner folder if you need to reference them again.

One test I do is to put inetcpl.cpl in Search and click on it, see if the Internet Properties item will open. There's a number of .cpl files that are the various items in the Control Panel. If they won't open from Search [or Run if you have it showing (or Windows key + R)] then something is really wrong with the install of Windows.

Here's a list of the items if the Control Panel itself won't open and their associated files:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/149648
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/313808

Following Berton's information - try entering Appwiz.cpl
in the Start Menu Search box, if you see the same name in the search results (Programs), hit enter

if that doesn't work try the Run box (WinKey+R)
enter Appwiz.cpl in the box and hit enter

This is a refinement on what Berton already posted - it should take you directly to Control Panel > Programs and Features.

If you get there, select Turn Windows features on or off (left hand window pane)
Expand Media Features and unTick Media Center and Media Player.

Click OK
You might have to restart

This probably isn't the best way to solve the issue, but it might allow you to do other work that will correct it.

Follow this tutorial from Step 3 and select Repair Your Computer from the Advanced Boot menu
Advanced Boot Options

Then select System Restore from the repair menu.
See: System Restore
Start at step 6 and pay close attention to step 7 and step 8 - many people miss the importance of those steps and only see the most recent Restore Point

If you see a Restore point from before this began, select that one.
If you don't see one that is early enough, try ticking Show other Restore Points. In either case, press the next button.

This sounds like a reinstall, but it isn't.
See: System Restore: frequently asked questions - Windows Help

You might wish to use a repair install.

Repair Install