Punkbuster Bible

1st: Let's start with the EULA from Punkbuster that you agreed to:

PunkBuster notes they may be considered invasive, and that they reserve the right to inspect someone's entire harddrive and all of their files:
This is why you must rename the hack exe. to anything that has nothing to do with hacking and put it inside of another folder and not on your desktop as they will be searching for it.

2nd:You receive a pop up message and you are kicked from the server.

This is an admin that kicked you to make room for a member of that server(clan member etc) or it is a script running so it kicks you for team killing, base raping, high ping etc. you are not banned just kicked from that particular server temporary.

3rd:You recieve a pop up message pb error.

• 81001:Corrupted File/Memory = Run a virus/malware scan of your computer to see if anything is trying to attach itself to the running program.(ex.fraps) Also run a memory stress test to see if there is a fault there that could be causing issues. You can find such a program on the following website: Memtest86.com - Memory Diagnostic
• 85000: corrupted file or memory = reinstall PB
• 9005: loosing key packets = Turn off firewall and anything else using internet (ex.downloading movies,music,games etc)
• 125083: Shut off any programs you have running in the background.
• Disallowed Program/Driver: = Disable steam overlay,open steam,go to File/ Settings/ Ingame tab/ Uncheck the "Enable Steam Community In-Game" checkbox/ Restart Steam
• PnkBstrB.exe initialization failed: = Delete the PB folder from the game directory and in C:/Users/username/AppData/Local/PunkBuster/BFP4F, uninstall pb and reinstall again
• PnkBstrB.exe heartbeats stopped: = download the Pbsvc.exe and run the uninstaller. Then reinstall the services. If you have a firewall make sure you allow Pnkbstr A and B files full access.

4th: How to install, uninstall and update pb:

• Uninstall: = Download pbsvc/run the Uninstaller in pbsvc,go to C:\Program Files\EA Games\Battlefield Play4Free and delete the pb folder to remove any leftover files, if you don't find it, search for pb, run Ccleaner and restart your pc
• Install: = Run pbsvc again and Re-Install all Punkbuster Serivces,if your using Vista don't set compatibility to XP, run as admin, after it installs click the test option to check the punk buster install you just did it should come back all green
• Update: Download pbsetup/ it will automatically updates your Punkbuster, If your using Vista/7 don't set compatibility to XP, run as admin,run pbsetup and add BFP4F if its not already listed

5th:You receive the pop up window with ban message:

Most of the time these are just admin bans that mean you are banned from that particular server and if you try to join that sever again it will say something like "prior/kickban" You are raging and the server admin caught you or someone went on their ventrillo or team speak and called in admin to ban you remember a admin can make the pop up window message read anything he wants and if they own more than one server they may add you to the ban list on their other servers. Sometimes they ban you just by your soldier name and you can create a new soldier and rage the server again.This is not a guid ban you can join any other server.

6th:The real ban:

You receve a pop up window AIMBOT #50448 or #71099, this means your guid is banned. This means your key is banned. It doesn't matter if you run the hack or not now cause that cd key is banned. You can still play on non pb servers. To play on a Pb server you will need a new key, a new email address, and create a new soldier. You do not have to delete and reinstall your game. Just use ea download manager activate a new email. Now go and start your game enter your new email and password and it will ask you for the new key, enter the new key and make a new soldier. In steam make a new steam account with a new email. Do not use your old steam account or your old ea email account.

7th: Delay ban:

The reason they do this is pretty simple really. Before the delay system hack forums would just rely on feedback, as soon as someone posted that the hack was detected, everybody stopped using it. 2-3 people got banned, and many players were saved their GUID's to cheat again, so long as you checked the forums daily for detection status, you were for the most part fine to cheat as you pleased.

To counter this, Punkbuster started a delay ban system. In other words, when they figure out the algorithm a hack uses, they add that to their detection database, anyone who uses a hack for the 1-2 weeks while it is there will be stuck in a waiting list to be banned. Then Punkbuster updates the client and everyone gets banned the next time they play whether running the hack at that time or not.

This way it's not a few players getting banned, but instead a few hundred to even thousands on some hack communities. This is why you see people saying the new hack is detected because they are on the delay ban and they load the new undetected hack and they got banned.

8th: Detected? Undetected?:

We have a live status on the forums page if you see a red detected sign it means the hack for that particular game is detected. As soon as we find any detections the hack will be taken down for that particular game. You can still play any other game that you have a subscription for.

9th: Most important

Be careful when choosing a hack, you must have a protection against Punkbuster, at least a black screen.
There is always a chance you could get banned.

10Th:All the links you need read:

PunkBuster Online
PB Bans
T4G Blacklist Forum
GGC Stream


I would also like to add some ways to stop crash to desktop:

1st:Uninstall PunkBuster Service with latest PunkBuster Service Setup (pbsvc.exe)

• Go to your game folder, locate the "pb" folder
• Delete the content of the "pb" folder but DO NOT delete the folder itself
• In Windows Vista & 7, PunkBuster copies files from the game PB folder to another commonly located at C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\<Game>\pb \
• However PB Setup updates the files located in the game PB folder by default and sometimes fails to copy the updated files
• Delete the content of the "pb" folder in C:\Users\<User>\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\<Game>\pb \
• Just change <Game> to the game you are having issues with (ex BC2)
• Re-Install PunkBuster Service with latest PunkBuster Service Setup (pbsvc.exe)
• Now you can manually update the PB folders using PBSetup /pbsetup.exe

2nd: Go to C:\Users\ USERNAME \Documents\game\settings.ini, right click that file and edit.Set AA to 1 (off), and disable HBAO.Bloom to false, sound quality to low and save

3rd: Go to control panel/hardware and sound/sound Chose your speaker system, select properties, and on the last tab(advanced) exclusive mode, uncheck the 2 boxes. By default they are on.

4th: Changed the resolution to whatever your desktop resolution is reduced from ex.1900x1200 to 1280x1024

5th: In the video options the second last item on the list Texture Filtering needs to be set on low or medium bit not high

6th: NVidia 3Dsettings. If you have the settings to performance or quality, their is a conflict between the drivers in windows, and what the game is trying to do.Change the NVidia 3D settings application controlled. That way the game won't conflict with what settings are being forced through NVidia control panel.


7th: Update in the following order: Update one thing at a time in the order below. Restart your PC and try to run:

C++ files = 64bit = Download details: Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package (x64)
C++ files = 32bit = Download details: Microsoft Visual C++ 2010 SP1 Redistributable Package (x86)
directx= Download details: DirectX End-User Runtime Web Installer

Video drivers cards:

Nvidia = Downloads
AMD = Downloads

If your video drivers won't update, rollback the driver and try again.

8th: Disable any antivirus program you may have running and Windows Update.

9th: Run Ccleaner or other, then run the registry part of Ccleaner to fix any registry errors.

Any thanks is accept .... enjoy a nice game !

Actually, this is very useful information, thanks for posting it, at least now I know a little more about certain PB punishments >.>

Have you ever heard of being kicked for "RndM #5213551" ? Because I got PB kicked for it.

Great information, good job! ;-)

I dont remember the last time i used a hack its been nearly half a year D: why are those public hackers so dormant?