PunkBuster Problems ???

[Cain]

First download, and run PBsetup (http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php), this will enable the proper PB Services, then connect and throw a grenade of shoot somebody, if you get kicked, then:

Manually update your PB Files:

http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=dl-cod4.php

PunkBuster (COD4) Security Files
The following files are only needed if your PunkBuster doesn't update by itself. Right click the appropriate link below and choose "save as" to your "pb" folder - make sure the file you save is saved with the filename shown below.
# For Players Filename: pbsec.htm
# For Admins Filename: pbsecsv.htm

PunkBuster (COD4) Player Client Files
The following files are only needed if your PunkBuster doesn't update by itself. Right click the appropriate links below and choose "save as" to your "pb\htm" folder - make sure the file you save is saved with the filename shown below. Players only need the files that correspond to their Operating System, Server Admins need all six files.
# PB Client v2.032 for Win32 Filename: wc002032.htm
# PB ClientA v1394 for Win32 Filename: wa001394.htm
# PB Client v2.032 for Linux Filename: lc002032.htm
# PB ClientA v1394 for Linux Filename: la001394.htm
# PB Client v2.032 for Mac Filename: mc002032.htm
# PB ClientA v1394 for Mac Filename: ma001394.htm




Frequently Asked Questions about PunkBuster for Call of Duty 4


http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=faq-cod4.php


How do I enable PunkBuster?

At the game's main screen, press Ctrl+ALt+tilde key (the ~ key) to bring down the console. Then type in this line (without the quotes): "pb_cl_enable". You should see text displayed showing the PB Client version number and also saying that PB is now Enabled. If not, you should reinstall the latest game update patch and make sure that PunkBuster is installed as part of that patch update installation.


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1) go into your pb folder and stay there don't close it
2) delete all the PB files and Folders, do not delete the main PB folder
3) paste a copy of pbsetup.exe from: http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php
4) run pbsetup.exe inside that folder so it will install bran new PB files and folders
5) close folder and everything else
6) go play some cod4 your done! it shouldn't give you that *WARNING* message anymore.

[Kusanagi]

The 'communication problem' I had was due to additional components that were not installed by the copy included in the CoD4 download or in the manual PBSetup download, as explained in another FAQ on their site here: http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsvcfaq.php

Once I ran the PBSVC setup (linked in that FAQ) I was able to play with no problems (other than getting pwned by *everybody*) :crutch:

[A1B2C3CAL]

I recently updated my Punkbuster because I was being kicked for 0 minutes, I didnt have a problem until today when I got kicked by PB from the Cain's server for unmatched MD tool or something like that. The funny thing is I don't get kicked from other servers I frequent. PB kicked me for 5 minutes...anyone know what this could be?

[juneau]

I recently updated my Punkbuster because I was being kicked for 0 minutes, I didnt have a problem until today when I got kicked by PB from the Cain's server for unmatched MD tool or something like that. The funny thing is I don't get kicked from other servers I frequent. PB kicked me for 5 minutes...anyone know what this could be?

We run a very tight ship here. So PB is more likely to kick you for the smallest of things.

I'm not sure exactly but iirc MD or MD5 is a way of checking for non corrupt files, or something.

Try manually updating PB again. get back to me if it doesn't work.

http://www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsetup.php

[RobotBanana]

MD5, or md5sum, is a method of hash checking a file; that is, checking whether or not a file has been corrupt or modified in any way from the original.

I'm not sure how much of this really applies here, but here's a rough overview of the topic. There are tools available that help you run md5 checks. I use the free winMd5Sum (http://www.nullriver.com/index/products/winmd5sum). The way it works is you select the file you want to check, and then select its .md5 file. It then compares the file against the md5 hash to see if everything checks out. If it doesn't, you know something's wrong with the file.

If it is indeed an MD5 error that you're getting, try updating, then maybe completely reinstalling PunkBuster.

EDIT: Oh, also, you can create an .md5 file using winMd5Sum for the possibly corrupt file in question, and if you send it to someone here, we can check your md5 against ours. If there isn't a match, it's probably corrupt.

[A1B2C3CAL]

I manually updated and then was able to play in the server without incident. I wonder if I should just try a uninstall and then reinstall of CoD4. I have DL turned to off but I wonder if I could of picked something up from another server. Time for me to spyware/virus check and defrag Ive been getting some lag tonight..more than normal. (mostly spikes)
It could be because my internet provider is busy tonight with kids getting in games before the school week starts.
Edit: Thank you for all the help!

[Cain]

You should not need to uninstall and reinstall unless you added some files, like new player skins, or gun models or something lie that.

Always keep your install with only the official files from the game and only official patches, and you'll be fine.

:2thumbs:

[A1B2C3CAL]

Yea, thats why I have DL turned off I remember how many servers in CoD2 were running mods! I don't like having things auto DL into my PC..
I am anxious to see user made maps though...LARGER than the official ones I hope.

[thedeadlyassassin]

I hate punkbuster, I can't make this crap work. I'm literally pissed off so much. I spent all damn day trying to get this freaking game to work and I can't because punkbuster's got something stuck up it's ass.

I'd really prefer playing a game with 1 cheater then not being able to play at all!!! :pissed:


Non of that worked for me btw. I can't setup punkbuster because I'm missing some ridiculous file blah blah blah. I've had too many problems with punkbuster :|

[thedeadlyassassin]

this application has failed to start because MSVCP71.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem. <- it hasn't.

[CarbonFire]

this application has failed to start because MSVCP71.dll was not found. Re-installing the application may fix this problem. <- it hasn't.
Behold, the power of :google1:

http://www.dll-files.com/dllindex/dll-files.shtml?msvcp71

This is an MS C run-time library that PB perhaps might need to run properly. Why not download it and give it a shot? Put it in your C:\windows\system32 folder

Hope that helps. :)

Edit: Updated link.....old one had expired, new one just links to site where link is located.

[Hammy]

If you go the route of re-installing PB make sure you uninstall it.

If you have uninstalled the client, reinstalled it, and are having problems such as the .dll error. See below:

WORDS OF CAUTION IF YOU GO THIS ROUTE

First, do not do this if you have no idea how to work with the registry.
PERIOD end of story. I cannot tell you how often people dive in and think that simply backing up the registry will save you from an error.

Second, if you do go this route, be sure that you are reading the descriptions in each case BEFORE you eliminate an entry.
There are some entries in your registry that are similar to the PB entry, and you will need these to keep your operating system stable.

Third, I recommend this route as the final step, not the first step. There are some very good reccommendations in this thread, and thsi one problem will occur infrequently. I suspect that it occurs for me because I do not own a hard copy of this game because I purchased it through Steam.

Try running regedit and clicking ctrl + f

Sometimes there are little remenents in the registry that bug the reinstall (at least this was the case for me) by missing the entries that I assume are created upon first run of the application.

[Hammy]

Noob dupe post-

After you hit ctrl + F you will put in terms to search the registry by for punk buster.

Being that I dont want to take responsibility for errors around this idea, I wil let you come up with search terms on your own.

[-IRC-MIKE]

This is a tutorial I have created for another website for those interested or having trouble with PB.

HOW TO FIX COMFAIL AND OTHER PUNKBUSTER RELATED ERRORS IN CALL OF DUTY FOUR .... Call of Duty 4 .... COD4 (for search engines)

Right now you might want to hold down your CTRL key and strike the " D " key to add this to your favorites.

Let's Begin

STEP ONE:
THIS FILE is from evenbalance's website, a program named pbsvc.exe. First thing you will need to know is that you may have to run this on multiple occasions because sometimes when you reboot your computer or exit the game improperly, vista is all screwy and you may get the COMFAIL error at a future date... for whatever reason... so here is the file.... you may choose to download or run it .. whatever... save it to desktop... just do it.

http://www.evenbalance.com/downloads/pbsvc/pbsvc.exe

STEP TWO:
RUN THE FILE. The file will stop running at ONE POINT and wait for you to click "NEXT". After running the file, you should have NO ERRORS when it says "FINISHED". IF you have an error, then your punkbuster is not installed correctly or files are missing. You will know you have an error because when the "FINISHED" button becomes clickable there is a confirmation box that pops up and says "Tests completed successfully without any errors.".

If you DO see the prompt that says "Tests completed successfully without any errors", then skip down to STEP FIVE.

If you do not see the prompt that says "Tests completed successfully without any errors", then you have an error and you missed it while you were picking your nose or eating the booger.. Proceed to STEP THREE.

STEP THREE:
You had errors. OK no big deal. NOW, your punkbuster is having problems communicating with a punkbuster enabled server. You should now download this file:

http://websec.evenbalance.com/downloads/windows/pbsetup.exe

AFTER YOU RUN THIS FILE, it will INSTALL punkbuster to your pc. It may say something like "since this is the first time you have run pbsetup, it needs to check for updates"... click ok and let it.

Click I AGREE to the eula when it pops up and then you will get a confirmation popup that says "Punkbuster will now restart". Click ok.

The EULA will pop up again and click "I AGREE". NOW we are getting close.
You will now see a box with a title for Punkbuster v2.7 (currently) and there are no games listed in the box. OF COURSE you must click on the "ADD A GAME" button.

A dialog box will pop up. Out beside the word "GAME" there is a blank field with a drop down arrow. CLICK IT! Find Call of Duty 4 in the drop down. Select it and click OK. PAY ATTENTION GIRLS and stop wafting your farts from your crotch to your face!

NOW you should not have a blank box anymore and you should see Call of Duty 4 in the box. If you don't .. you're not paying attention and you'll stand a better chance of wiping your butt with a bed sheet, so start over. For those of you who miraculously made it this far, CLICK ON Call of Duty 4 so that it is highlighted in this box and then click on the "CHECK FOR UPDATES" button above it.

Punkbuster Setup will NOW restart because you've just updated to version 3.0. Click the OK button. Click I agree to the EULA once again.

THIS IS WHERE IT GETS TRICKY so don't try to unbunch your panties just yet. Once you agree to the EULA punkbuster will now restart, except :o it still says version 2.7 in the title bar, BUT you should still have COD4 in this box. You could keep going on and on by highlighting COD4 and clicking on "Check for Updates" but it will do the same thing.. over ... and over again. SO NOW what you will want to do is click on the button that says "QUIT" and proceed to STEP FOUR.

STEP FOUR:
Congratulations! If you are still alive at this point. You will need to START AT STEP ONE again of this tutorial. If you get stuck and have a FAILED error when running the pbsvc.exe (NOT PBSETUP.EXE !) AGAIN then you will need to go to evenbalance's website and submit a support ticket here:

http://evenbalance.com/troubleticket/new_ticket.php?game=cod4

If you have to do so, you may even submit a link to this thread with your ticket and they may or may not look it over. You will not need to proceed to any further steps in this tutorial unless your assumptions are correct, and you screwed it up on the first try.

STEP FIVE:
IF you ran the file named "pbsvc.exe" (NOT PBSETUP.EXE !) and saw a confirmation box that says "finished without any errors", then you should IMMEDIATELY reboot your computer, and then once rebooted, you should be able to open the game and play without error.

SIDE NOTE
IF you ever exit the game improperly, or your computer crashes while playing, you will probably have to re-run the "pbsvc.exe" file (NOT PBSETUP.EXE !) AFTER you run this file, you should get "finished without any errors". When you get the "finished without any errors" confirmation click on "Finished" and you MUST REBOOT IMMEDIATELY before trying to run the game or you will have to run it again.

"If this helps you get it going, please reply and say thanks to Cainslair.com and dark4se.com by considering a donation of a few dollars to keep such gaming and support available to you. (ADMIN, please insert donation link here if available).

See you in the game!
Call of Duty 4 ... it's what's for dinner.

-IRC-MIKE click for servers I play on http://www.gametracker.com/player/-IRC-MIKE/?sort=game.asc&per_page=50&page=1&game=_all&loc=_all&min_score=&min_minutes=
-IRC-MIKE on COD4 Tracker.com http://cod4tracker.com/playerstats/-IRC-MIKE/

[Zantheus]

Why when the server is full would I get the error "Too Many Triangles" when tryin to pull up the pb_plist?

[-IRC-MIKE]

You or I may investigate this further, but it sounds like a server side error and you are only receiving the err data from the server. Lemme find out more before I give you a definite cause!

[-IRC-MIKE]

just in a few seconds this is what I've come up with. There are too many requests that the server is responding to at a given moment. I think this number may be increased, but I think your command will work if you try again at random intervals.

[-IRC-MIKE]

I don't know if you are still having the problem, but here is what I could find. I don't claim any accuracy to anything posted here.

http://iwnation.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=28132

You be the judge!

~~mike~~

[Tuck]

I scanned this thread and didn't see anything, but please forgive me if this has been asked and answered.

Anyway, I had the Punkbuster problems like so many others, so I followed the instructions in some of the posts above. That eliminated my "PB Init Failure" for the TDM server, and I've enjoyed the gaming there. But I still get kicked from the HQ server with the good ole "PB Init Failure."

Any ideas?

[-IRC-MIKE]

If you follow the instructions I have made in the "How To" above, it will resolve almost every punkbuster related problem. Be sure to reboot the machine after running Pbsvc.exe. After you run that and still have problems, you may need to uninstall and reinstall punkbuster. You can do this by downloading the Pbsetup.exe program.

Some people confuse the two programs. Be sure you read the post word for word and follow the instructions exactly and it SHOULD eliminate the problem. If you are getting an error after rebooting the machine, it is quite possible that something is corrupting your config files or either one of the punkbuster services is being stopped for some reason.

[Tuck]

If you follow the instructions I have made in the "How To" above, it will resolve almost every punkbuster related problem. Be sure to reboot the machine after running Pbsvc.exe. After you run that and still have problems, you may need to uninstall and reinstall punkbuster. You can do this by downloading the Pbsetup.exe program.

Some people confuse the two programs. Be sure you read the post word for word and follow the instructions exactly and it SHOULD eliminate the problem. If you are getting an error after rebooting the machine, it is quite possible that something is corrupting your config files or either one of the punkbuster services is being stopped for some reason.

Thanks, Mike. It was your advice I followed in the first place to be able to play at all. After I installed COD4 and updated it, I was getting kicked from EVERY server with the "PB Init" problem. So I followed your instructions and since then there has only been one server I get booted from: Cain's Lair HQ.

Tonight I'll do this all over again and will let you know if it worked.

[Cain]

Lemme chaek HQ, perhaps there was a new update out that I missed...

[Hammy]

PUNK BUSTER UPDATES FOR GAMES BOUGHT VIA STEAM


This will work with all games you buy via Steam.
All program filefolders are found in Steamapps folder, and by drilling down on any game, the PB client will update all games that use Punk Buster within a single click.

To update Punkbuster and avoid a dirty install or random error that could compromise your installed version of COD4- please follow these instructions:

1) START Button
2) My Computer
3) C:\
4) Program Files
5) Steam
6) Steamapps
7) PB
8 ) Find the PB_Setup .exe file
9) Click that- it will automatically update PB to the most current version and apply it to ALL game profiles within Steam.

Firewalls- you may get a firewall bounce with some PB updates as some updates are drastic enough to cause your program to appear different in the application environment

My process within my soft-firewall (zonealarm) is to finish the install, then go through and delete the Punkbuster profiles fromthe soft menu's (program Applications).
Upon launch of my application (COD4 or ETQW) I will get a window to accept or deny the launch of said app, and in doing so I admit that profile to my firewall.

Conflicts can occur within your profiles inside of the Firewall if you are not managing these, which will result in random kicks from the server for Config Handshake Denials stemming from your duplicate profiles.

In my hardware Firewall, it's 100% manual and I cant help you with that.