PR crashes to desktop on joining online server

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 12:58

Hi, I have bought BF2 just so that I can back on PR. Have spent the last two days getting the install done and now PR is running. However when I select a server I also get "Connection to the server has been lost", the second time I click PR crashes. Same in vBF2.
I have no problems running a coop local server so don't think it's a spec problem.
I have uninstalled pb and used pbsvc and pbsetup to update bf2 file. Firewall is also set to not block pr or pb.
Any suggestions. Please help?!!
Many thanks, great to see PR going strong and so many people playing - looking great

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 19:42

Hi,

Sorry for starting a new thread but have read the entire Problems with Punkbuster thread and not found a solution to my issue; been at this for a few days now and really keen to get into some pr!

When installing punkbuster from pbsvc.exe (as admin with permissions set) I get the following error on install:
Failed to copy the file C:\Users\Ali\Desktop\pbsvc.exe to C:\Windows\system32\pbsvc.exe (error 5: access in denied.)

The install then continues and says that it installed correctly (but clearly it hasn't) -

PnkbstrA.exe runs in services (and processes when pr is running) but PnkbstrB.exe) doesn't run and doesn't appear in services.

Please help if you can; Great to see PR going so well

Can't wait to get back into it again...

BTW
I get the following test report from pb:

Starting PunkBuster Service Tests (v0.993) (01/29/13 19:58:09)
Checking OS
Windows NT 6.1 (build 7600) 64-bit
Checking PnkBstrA service status RUNNING
Checking PnkBstrA Version OK (1036)
Extracting "PnkBstrB.exe" to:
"C:\Users\Ali\AppData\Roaming\PnkBstrB.exe"
OK
Checking firewall settings OFF
Is PnkBstrA explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrA.exe NO
Is PnkBstrB explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrB.exe NO
Checking if PnkBstrB is running NOT RUNNING
Getting port for PnkBstrA OK (44301)
Opening socket for packet send OK
Sending version packet to PnkBstrA SENT
Receiving version from PnkBstrA OK
Received 6 bytes from 127.0.0.1:44301
Response = 13884 (ms) Version = v1036
Getting PnkBstrB install instance NOT FOUND
Sending start packet to PnkBstrA SENT
Waiting for packet from PnkBstrA OK
Received 3 bytes from 127.0.0.1:44301
Response = 18252 (ms) PnkBstrB started.
Load SUCCESSFUL.
Watching for PnkBstrB instance change (0) CHANGED (1)
Getting port for PnkBstrB OK (45301)
Sending version packet to PnkBstrB SENT
Receiving version from PnkBstrB OK
Received 5 bytes from 127.0.0.1:45301
Response = 3276 (ms) Version = 2202
Checking PnkBstrK driver status NOT FOUND
Manually stopping PnkBstrB STOPPED
Removing test PnkBstrB file OK

----------------------------------
Tests finished.

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 20:54

Hi,

I'm having a similar problem. When I click on a server to join PR crashes to desktop immediately. However I can play a local server coop and have tried with low video settings so pretty sure that it's not a specs problem. This is happening in vBF2 also.
Had been having an issue with installing pb but now have PnkbstrA.exe & PnkbstrB.exe running in processes so seems to be ok...
Any ideas would be so great, really keen to get back into PR - it's been a few years and it's looking great!

Cheers

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 21:01

I ran PR in windowed mode and got the following error message after crashing from trying to join a server:

ERROR: Unable to open BF2 process

Does this help?? ... I really hope so

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-29 22:05

Did you get Punkbuster installed correctly?

Several steps to take to completely uninstall whatever was installed before you try to reinstall.

Uninstall punkbuster, then run the following six commands:
sc stop pnkbstra
sc delete pnkbstra
del "C:\Windows\System32\PnkBstrA.exe"
del "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\PnkBstrA.exe"
del "C:\Windows\System32\PnkBstrB.exe"
del "C:\Windows\SysWOW64\PnkBstrB.exe"

Reboot your computer.
Login with an administrator account.
right click pbsetup.exe
select run as administrator (even if your account is the administrator account) windows can try to protect system dirs
install should complete correctly.

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-29 22:16

Hi CnlKurtz,
created a new thread for this as it is a different problem than what was occurring in the other thread.

Simple questions:

HAve you created a login name in vanilla BF2?
IS vanilla BF2 working in single player?
IS vanilla BF2 working in online multi player?

Can you give us your system specs?
What OS, XP, Vista, 7, 8, etc?
32 or 64 Bit.
Are you sure you are logging into windows with a windows administrator privileges account?

What firewall/ antivirus program are you using? Have you checked your firewall logs to make sure the BF2 process isn't being blocked?

What router are you using? My first guess is your router or firewall software is blocking ports needed for BF2.

Go to bf2\mods\pr\PRError.log and open it in notepad, scroll to bottom, copy and paste the last few entries to this thread.

This isn't a hard fix, just have to pinpoint where your network is blocking traffic.

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 22:55

Hi,

Thanks so much for replying. To answer your questions:

HAve you created a login name in vanilla BF2? Yes
IS vanilla BF2 working in single player? Yes
IS vanilla BF2 working in online multi player? No

Can you give us your system specs? 4gb RAM, amd athlon phenom II 3.9ghz, 1 gb dedicated gfx
What OS, XP, Vista, 7, 8, etc? Win7
32 or 64 Bit. 64 Bit
Are you sure you are logging into windows with a windows administrator privileges account? definitely

What firewall/ antivirus program are you using? Have you checked your firewall logs to make sure the BF2 process isn't being blocked? Just have windows antivirus / firewall (noob i know) but have turned them all off and allowed pr.exe / all pb files. PnkbstrA.exe and PnkbstrB.exe are running in processies

What router are you using? My first guess is your router or firewall software is blocking ports needed for BF2. Think is where I could have a problem. I share my internet with my neighbour currently (he's in the apartment next door with the router and we share the bills so I use wireless through the wall) good connection though. Should i try and log into the router somehow? What would I need to edit?

Go to bf2\mods\pr\PRError.log and open it in notepad, scroll to bottom, copy and paste the last few entries to this thread.

Here's my error log

29 January 2013 23:54:17
---------------------------------
An error occurred while parsing video controls
System.IO.IOException: The process cannot access the file 'C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\Video.con' because it is being used by another process.
at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
at System.IO.FileStream.Init(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, Int32 rights, Boolean useRights, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES secAttrs, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options)
at System.IO.StreamReader..ctor(String path, Encoding encoding, Boolean detectEncodingFromByteOrderMarks, Int32 bufferSize)
at System.IO.StreamReader..ctor(String path, Boolean detectEncodingFromByteOrderMarks)
at System.IO.File.OpenText(String path)
at d.g()

29 January 2013 23:54:17
---------------------------------
Error in writing screen aspect ratio file: c:\program files (x86)\origin games\battlefield 2 complete collection\mods\pr\

System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path 'c:\program files (x86)\origin games\battlefield 2 complete collection\mods\pr\'.
at System.IO.__Error.WinIOError(Int32 errorCode, String maybeFullPath)
at System.IO.FileStream.Init(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, Int32 rights, Boolean useRights, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, SECURITY_ATTRIBUTES secAttrs, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options, String msgPath, Boolean bFromProxy)
at System.IO.FileStream..ctor(String path, FileMode mode, FileAccess access, FileShare share, Int32 bufferSize, FileOptions options)
at n.a(String A_0)

Thanks again for the help, really appreciate it

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-29 23:14

We have two separate problems,
let's try to fix the easier one first:

There are several ways to fix this.
Here is the easiest way:
On your desktop, make a copy of your PR shortcut.
right click on your new PR shortcut.
Select Properties

Edit your PR shortcut to put this in it:

Code:
"D:\Program Files\Battlefield 2\mods\pr\pr.exe" +restart +menu 1 +fullscreen 0 +szx 1280 +szy 720

Dont just copy paste this, but adjust to your install location. Make sure you dont omit quotation marks or it wont work.

So if you PR is installed in "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Battlefield 2\mods\pr\pr.exe"

edit shortcut to look like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Battlefield 2 Complete Collection\mods\pr\pr.exe" +restart +menu 1 +fullscreen 0 +szx 1280 +szy 720

Close the shortcut Properties window.

Right click the New PR shortcut and "Run as Admin"

In short, the video options for PR got reset to a BF2 default resolution and refresh rate. Either or both the default resolution and default refresh rate is not supported by your monitor. All we have to do is add the command line resolution to fix this.

If this doesn't fix it you might have to try another solution to change the refresh rate, but that is rarely a problem these days.

Let us know if this works,

What is the screen resolution you want to play PR? 1920x1080, etc.

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-29 23:29

I think i've tried this fix before; it runs in window mode and when i click on the server it crashes and I get the error message: ERROR: Unable to open BF2 process

To clarify - i right clicked the pr shortcut, selected properties, and in the Shortcut tab i added the above code to the install folder, including speech marks...

Don't know what resolution i would play at - anything widescreen...

What was the other problem that you mentioned?

Again, thanks so much for your help!

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-30 00:00

The second problem is the punkbuster program pnkbstrB.exe failing to start.
The error code during the punkbuster installation is probably the root cause.

You might want to try
creating a new administator windows account
logging into that account,
uninstalling and reinstalling punkbuster while logged into that account.

Open Windows Exporer,
go to C:\Windows
Right click on System32 folder,
select properties
Select the Security tab
Select (Administrators) in the top box
scroll down the bottom box and make sure there is a grey check box
in the Special Permissions-> Allow field.

IDK why the punkbuster installer is not being recognized as a TrustedInstaller, or your current windows account has some how had it's write permissions removed for the Systems32 and subfolders.

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 00:37

Thanks again. Unfortunately i still crashed. And still got the previous error message during the pb install: Failed to copy the file C:\Users\Ali\Desktop\pbsvc.exe to C:\Windows\system32\pbsvc.exe (error 5: access in denied.)

However this time the test showed different results. The was no:
Is PnkBstrA explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrA.exe NO
Is PnkBstrB explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrB.exe NO

It was all green this time. So some progress at least, maybe??

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 07:54

So how about a complete re-install? Maybe in the new admin account? I've put that off because I got the game through lame old Origin so will need to re-download to re-install... but if anyone thinks it might help? Or do you still have a theory on what's wrong LITO?

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-30 10:56

Let's turn on your punkbuster client logging, and see what happens:

Follow the directions here to turn on logging:
PBBans | Information Center - PunkBuster Client Logs

Then start vanilla BF2 and join a server, let it crash. do it again a second time, just to be verify the crash data is logging.

Then go to C:\Users\[Username]\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\BF2\pb and find pbcl.log , open it up with notepad and paste the file contents in this thread.

------------

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 14:14

Have followed your suggestion and here is the pblog of the last two crashes:

[01.30.2013 15:09:43] pb_MsgPrefix = [skipnotify]PunkBuster Client
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] pb_Sleep = 500 (20 to 500)
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] pb_LogToFile = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] pb_SsLog = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] pb_SsSave = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] Attempting to resolve master5.evenbalance.com
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] Resolved to [66.36.231.175] (13)
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] Game Version [1.5.3153-802.0]
[01.30.2013 15:09:44] Connected to Server 85.236.105.26:16567
[01.30.2013 15:09:47] PB Services socket initialized
[01.30.2013 15:09:51] PnkBstrA successfully loaded PnkBstrB
[01.30.2013 15:09:54] PnkBstrB service installed and started successfully
[01.30.2013 15:10:01] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] pb_MsgPrefix = [skipnotify]PunkBuster Client
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] pb_Sleep = 500 (20 to 500)
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] pb_LogToFile = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] pb_SsLog = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] pb_SsSave = 1 (0=No, 1=Yes)
[01.30.2013 15:14:19] Attempting to resolve master7.evenbalance.com
[01.30.2013 15:14:20] Resolved to [216.240.146.139] (13)
[01.30.2013 15:14:20] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled
[01.30.2013 15:14:20] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled
[01.30.2013 15:14:21] Game Version [1.5.3153-802.0]
[01.30.2013 15:14:21] Connected to Server 81.169.129.240:16567
[01.30.2013 15:14:24] PB Services socket initialized
[01.30.2013 15:14:26] PnkBstrA successfully loaded PnkBstrB
[01.30.2013 15:14:29] PnkBstrB service installed and started successfully
[01.30.2013 15:14:39] PunkBuster Client (v2.306 | A0) Enabled

Thanks again for continuing to help me out!

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-30 14:28

go to C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\ and rename video.con to Video.con.old

C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\001 and rename video.con to Video.con.old

Go to C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Battlefield 2 Complete Collection\
right click on your BF2.exe, create a shortcut.

Right click shortcut,
Select Properties

Edit your BF2 shortcut to put this in it:

Code:
edit shortcut to look like this:
"C:\Program Files (x86)\Origin Games\Battlefield 2 Complete Collection\BF2.exe" +restart +menu 1 +fullscreen 0 +szx 1280 +szy 720

Dont just copy paste this, but adjust to your install location. Make sure you dont omit quotation marks or it wont work.

Close the shortcut Properties window.

Right click the New BF2 shortcut and "Run as Admin"

This will force BF2 to run at 1280X720 resolution to start.
Try to join an online BF2 server.
If successful,
go to Settings->Video Settings, and adjust for your monitor resolution, graphics detail levels, etc, .

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 14:52

Still crashing on server join - however - I didn't have a C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\001 folder - the first video.con file (now named video.con.old) was there but the second folder you mentioned (C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\001 folder) didn't exist...?

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-30 15:41

Have you created a login using vanilla BF2?

You have to create a login and join an online server in vanilla BF2 to create the 001 folder, as well as write a registry entry pointing to the installation directory of bf2.exe ...

When you log into vanilla BF2, what is the version number in the yellow text in the corner of the screen?
Should be 1.5.XXXXXX....

Post by **LITOralis.nMd** » 2013-01-30 15:44

I got to ask for help, I am not aware of how you can get to the online server selection screen without logging in and creating a folder 001 or 002 or 003 in the documents\bf2\ directory, which you are claiming to be doing.

Generally you have to log in, get authenticated by the gamespy server, then navigate to the server selection screen .

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 16:12

Yeah i'm showing version 1.5.3153.802-0, will try creating a new login and checking for the 001 folder...

NZ_CnlKurtz_420 · Post by **NZ_CnlKurtz_420** » 2013-01-30 16:18

Have created a brand new multiplayer login and tried connecting to a server (same crash), but there is no still 001 / 002 etc folders in my C:\Users\Ali\Documents\Battlefield 2\Profiles\Default\ folder...