March 2015 - last edited December 2015 by EA_David
v.1.1.0 - as seen on carbonic.dk/punkbusterguide
This guide is extensive.
Most problems can be solved by going to Simple Solutions, so if there's too much text you should go there.
INDEX
Punkbuster is anti cheating software made by Even Balance (www.evenbalance.com).
It's a service that servers can choose to use if they want to. It does it's job by scanning the memory of your local machine and is thus required to be running, have access to your computer and be able to update itself by downloading the newest files when this is required.
Punkbuster will install these to your computer:
Punkbuster can stop working for many reasons. It might not be able to update itself or even run.
This can be caused by many things like updated/changed software/hardware security, changed Windows settings or corrupted files.
Now lets get to it!
The following information is always a good idea to provide should you need help with a Punkbuster problem.
This list contains typical errors given by Punkbuster and a short explanation of what they mean.
If you think I've forgotten one feel free to message Carbonic here on Answer HQ.
Simple Solution 1 - Update Punkbuster
Simple Solution 2 - Reinstall Punkbuster
Reinstalling Punkbuster can be done using the installer called "pbsvc.exe" from your local game directory in the "__Installer\punkbuster\redist" folder.
It should look like this:
If this installer does not do the trick you can Reinstall Punkbuster using the latest installer downloaded from Evenbalance:
http://www.evenbalance.com/downloads/pbsvc/pbsvc.exe
Simple Solution 3 - Complete Uninstall, Reboot, Reinstall
Simple Solution 4 - Make sure Punkbuster Services Run
Simple Solution 5 - Update Your Software
Sometimes security software mistakes Punkbuster for a virus or similar. To avoid this try manually updating all your security software like Windows, antivirus programs, firewalls, security suites, antimalware etc.
After this reboot your computer.
Simple Solution 6 - Give Punkbuster Access
Your antivirus / firewall and other security software might block Punkbuster. You need to explicitly allow Punkbuster through your firewalls and whitelist its services with in your security software.
This will tell you how to let Punkbuster through the Windows Firewall, for your other third party applications you will have to look through help files about how to do it.
Simple Solution 7 - Jiggle The Compatibility Settings
Punkbuster should run well on all versions of Windows. That being said certain computer hardware/software setups can mess this up.
First thing you should do is make sure every .exe file used to run the game doesn't run in compatibility mode of any other Windows version. Like this:
Advanced step (kept in simple solutions to keep things together)
If the above does not work people have reported almost all combinations of compatibility settings and .exe files have helped them. This should not be needed but if things is not working or you are running a beta version of Windows or something weird is happening you might want to run step 1-4 mentioned above but instead of not having compatibility mode enabled you now enable it with another version of Windows than you are running now.
Remember, it's always a good idea to take a backup of your system before messing too much with it!
Ye, be warned.
Advanced/Rare Solution 1 - Clean Boot
Check if a third party program is interfering by trying to play after a clean boot where the two Punkbuster services are still running. A guide on how to do so is located here: http://help.ea.com/en/article/how-to-clean-boot-your-pc/
Pictures on how to do this can be found here: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
Advanced/Rare Solution 2 - Check Hard Drive For Errors And Corrupted Files
All files can become damaged. This is just the nature of hard drives. If this affects the Punkbuster files this can cause errors and it's therefore a good idea to scan your hard drive. Do this for all hard drives that has Windows, Punkbuster and the game installed.
Advanced/Rare Solution 3 - Reinstall DirectX
Should some program have modified DirectX you need to remove all traces of that and reinstall DirectX.
You can find the DirectX installer here: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=35.
It's also typically located in your game folder in the "__Installer\directx" folder.
Advanced/Rare Solution 4 - Disable Shader Injectors
Uninstall "SweetFX" and whatever else can modify what is shown on the screen.
Advanced/Rare Solution 5 - Check Windows for Errors
A broken Windows Installation can cause all kinds of trouble. To scan your Windows installation for errors open a command prompt with admin rights and run the command: "sfc /scannow". A more detailed guide on how to do this can be found here:
http://help.ea.com/sg/article/how-do-i-run-the-system-file-checker/
Advanced/Rare Solution 6 - Restart Your Network Hardware
Like your computer, network hardware will get sluggish and makes mistakes if it has not been rebooted in a long time. Usually this takes weeks or months to happen but some routers or modems need to be rebooted more frequently. Take the time to unplug your modem and router for 30 minutes. Then reboot your modem first and let it load before starting your router. It is also a good idea to reboot your machine after doing this.
Advanced/Rare Solution 7 - Improve Punkbuster Permissions Beyond Standard
Answer HQ or EA cannot help with bans. Even if you have not cheated. See this link for more details included how to dispute the ban:
March 2015 - last edited March 2015
Fairfight helps ensure a fair game in Battlefield Hardline. Actions like acking, cracking, using cheats, or bots may result in a FairFight ban.
If you've received any of the following FairFight messages, your Battlefield Hardline account has been found to be in violation of our Terms of Service:
You were kicked by FairFight. Stated reason: Banned Code #P5Kes7
You were kicked by FairFight. Stated reason: 1 Week Suspension - LvL3 Monitoring Active #Td7w23
You were kicked by FairFight. Stated reason: Restricted Area
You may have violated the Terms of Service, as determined by EA in its sole discretion, if you:
Examples of such behavior in Battlefield Hardline include, but are not limited to:
Our penalty system is cumulative, meaning that if you continue to violate our Terms of Service, the penalty applied may increase in severity, and may ultimately result in permanent account closure.
Account closure is reserved for the most serious breaches of our Terms of Service, but can also be applied in cases where an account has accumulated a number of violations over a period of time.
If you'd like to review our Terms of Service, you can find them at http://tos.ea.com/legalapp/WEBTERMS/US/en/PC/.
If you feel you have received this suspension in error, please contact us at accountdisputes@ea.com.
Any changes or updates to this guide can be found in this thread or here: http://help.ea.com/en/article/battlefield-hardline-ban-codes-issued-by-fairfight/ .