Not being able to play for a year.Service Communication Failure: PnkBstrB.exe driver failure (PnkBstrK.s

I had bought Battlefield Bad Company 2 about 1 and a half years ago and played it for about 3 months and have leveled up to rank 10.

But about a year to 2 years back, all of a sudden i was unable to join any ranked match and was always kicked on account of this:

You have been kicked from the game. The reason is: Punkbuster kicked player 'Rohan92' (for 0 minutes) ...
RESTRICTION: Service Communication Failure: PnkBstrB.exe
driver failure (PnkBstrK.sys) ffab

I still get this message everytime I log on. Even after shifting. I have never cheated in a single match. I wasn't able to post until now because I didn't know the procedure.

I just pre-ordered BF3 and realised I was being kicked from every match with punkbuster enabled in the beta. Really really need help guys.

I had been using a shared IP address connection at the time and now I'm using a wi-fi home network but no one else here plays the game from the same address.
Can that be the cause of the problem? If so then why is it kicking me even after I shifted?

My registration email for BF:BC 2 is [email protected] for the game. and my soldier name is Rohan92.(It still kicks me if I create a new soldier) Please help out.

It sounds like Punkbuster isn't properly installed/updated on your computer. That happens sometimes, but EB provided a nice tool that can help you update their services properly.

Go to http://www.punkbuster.com/index.php?page=pbsvcfaq.php. It's their FAQ. The post that's important for you is the first one.
Download http://www.evenbalance.com/downloads/pbsvc/pbsvc.exe (that's the direct download link), save it to your desktop and run it.

If you still have problems afterwards just post back.

http://www.pbbans.com/info-center-pbsvc.html

Lluuu, on ¾Úâ 8, 2011 - 04:58 , said:

I've tried that before, i keep getting this error:

Starting PunkBuster Service Tests (v0.991) (10/08/11 17:16:02)
Checking OS
Windows NT 6.1 (build 7600) 32-bit
Checking PnkBstrA service status RUNNING
Checking PnkBstrA Version OK (1034)
Extracting "PnkBstrB.exe" to:
"C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Roaming\PnkBstrB.exe"
OK
Checking firewall settings OFF
Is PnkBstrA explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrA.exe YES
Is PnkBstrB explicitly allowed?
C:\Windows\system32\PnkBstrB.exe YES
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 = 7114 (ms) Version = v1034
Getting PnkBstrB install instance OK
Sending start packet to PnkBstrA SENT
Waiting for packet from PnkBstrA OK
Received 3 bytes from 127.0.0.1:44301
Response = 11123 (ms) PnkBstrB started.
Load SUCCESSFUL.
Watching for PnkBstrB instance change (14) CHANGED (15)
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 = 2995 (ms) Version = 2202
Checking PnkBstrK driver status NOT FOUND
Extracting new PnkBstrK to:
"C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Roaming\PnkBstrK.sys" OK
Sending load packet to PnkBstrB SENT
Checking PnkBstrK driver status NOT FOUND
Manually stopping PnkBstrB FAILED - no handle
Removing test PnkBstrB file OK
PnkBstrA.log: .07.2011 08:18:54] PnkBstrA v1034 Service Started Successfully. This service is a component of the PunkBuster Anti-Cheat system. Visit http://www.evenbalance.com for more information.
[10.07.2011 09:34:48] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.

[10.08.2011 03:35:12] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.

[10.08.2011 08:57:40] PnkBstrA v1034 Service Started Successfully. This service is a component of the PunkBuster Anti-Cheat system. Visit http://www.evenbalance.com for more information.
[10.08.2011 13:22:06] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.

[10.08.2011 13:26:36] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.

[10.08.2011 13:47:56] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.

[10.08.2011 17:15:56] PnkBstrA v1034 Service Started Successfully. This service is a component of the PunkBuster Anti-Cheat system. Visit http://www.evenbalance.com for more information.
[10.08.2011 17:16:17] Attempting unload of pnkbstrb.


PnkBstrB.log: ndows\system32\drivers\PnkBstrK.sys] failed; Load denied. (5)
[10.08.2011 17:16:17] WARNING: CRITICAL ERROR: Failed to Register Service (ffab)
[10.08.2011 17:16:17] PnkBstrB v2.202 (WOLF) Service Attempting Unload. This service is a component of the PunkBuster Anti-Cheat system. Visit http://www.evenbalance.com for more information.


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


I posted to even balance but they aren't replying.

Think the problem is the path PB services are being installed to - which in your case is C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Roaming\PnkBstrK.sys
It won't work as long as it is going to the Roaming folder, it has to be in the Local folder. -> C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Local\

Run pbsvc as administrator and uninstall PB services completely.
Then go here http://www.pbbans.com/information.php?page=pbsetup and follow the steps.

Lluuu, on ¾Úâ 8, 2011 - 07:48 , said:

Still not working. I uninstall using pbsvc.exe(as administrator, thought it might help) then i tried reinstalling using pbsetup, but it says it's already there. screenshot in attached file.
N matter how many times i uninstall.

Is there anyway i can copy the files directly?

that's the path to the folder where the game is installed in (on your drive D). Have you run pbsetup.exe or didn't you take that step?

Did you add an exception for PB in Bitdefender (see that you have it on your computer)? That's a possible source of problems.

Lluuu, on ¾Úâ 8, 2011 - 08:50 , said:

I ran pbsetup. It said it was already up to date. so i deleted the pb folder in the installation directory and tried installing it again. Still no difference.

What exactly is pnkbstrK.sys and where should it be exactly? maybe i can take the file from someone and put it into the folder? I know it's a longshot but still.

Lluuu, on ¾Úâ 8, 2011 - 08:50 , said:

Also, would reformatting my computer help?

Deleting the pb folder from the game installation directory won't help. The files have to be stored in the correct folder in your user profile in Windows.

The place where the PB files are stored is in the local folder (see post #5)

C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Local\ .... would be the correct path
As long as pbsvc tells you that something in C:\Users\Rohan\AppData\Roaming\ ..... is stored the issue cannot be resolved.

my PB directory where the files are stored: C:\Users\xy\AppData\Local\PunkBuster\BC2\pb\
(also check file sizes!)
 pbfolder.jpg   54,35K   8 ??????? ???

I've looked for more information, many solutions out there.
First, check your user permissions in Windows. Is your profile an Administrator or a Roaming profile?
Many people reported that copying the pb files into the correct folder (see above) helped - maybe worth a shot.
Others said they completely uninstalled the game and went into the registry and manually removed all entires related to the game that were still left in there, restarted their computer and reinstalled the game ... then it worked correctly.
Another possible fix http://www.pbbans.com/forums/call-of-duty4-failurepnkbstrbexe-driver-failurepnkbstrksysffab-t38770.html (different game and different operating system, but also worth a try), read post #6.

For some people one way works, for others a different one to fix the same problem.

Lluuu, on ¾Úâ 9, 2011 - 07:47 , said:

I decided to reformat my comp, everything works fine now. Thanks for listening and trying to help.