=Possible Workaround Found =

In your settings.ini file found in the MyDocuments/BFBC2 folder, try setting DxVersion=9 instead of auto. Also put all your graphics settings on low and increase them gradually till your system is stable. This is not a fix, but a workaround till Dice patches this bug laden game.

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- Possible Workaround Found – Fix #2

Try disabling your onboard audio / Realtek audio device and install a different sound card. I know it’s a horrible thing to have to do but I’ve disabled my onboard Realtek and have been using a Creative XiFi PCI Card for a week or so (several 90min sessions), without a problem.  *Thanks to Jeff in the comments.

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I’ve been pulling my hair out and scaring the neighbors will yells of profanity over the crashes I’ve been having. It’s been a while since I’ve had a game completely decimate my system the way BadCo2 has.  I’m gonna be documenting my crash/freeze problem on here in the hopes that I will either, find a fix, or some nice reader will share theirs.

I recently Installed Bad Company 2 on my PC from the DVD with online authentication. The single player campaign worked flawless with no issues I can remember, no crashes or system lockups. Multiplayer is a completely different story, it will hard lockup my system with a black screen and a sound loop for a few seconds, then my monitor will shut off. The only way to recover is to do a full power off and reboot.  The crash will happen randomly, sometimes after 20 minutes, sometimes 1 hour.

My system specs are as follows,

• Windows 7 64bit Ultimate
• AMD Phenom II X4 920
• 8gb Ram
• ATI Radeon 3870
• DFI Lanparty 790GX
• Onboard Realtek Audio
• Corsair 750TX Power Supply

Nothing is overclocked and my system has been rock solid up until this game.

Here are the things I have tried that have not fixed the crash/freeze.

1. Updated to Catalyst 10.2, 10.3a, 10.3 Driver
2. Updated Realtek HD Audio Driver to 2.44, 2.45
3. Turned on/off Voice over IP in game.
4. Pointed Window fan at open PC to see if it was a overheating issue.
5. Manually Updated Punkbuster.
6. Turned off all unused Audio Devices in Volume Properties.
7. Lowered graphics settings in Settings.ini
8. Installed Motherboard chipset drivers, and audio driver
9. Settings.ini Fullscreen=true
10. Updated Motherboard BIOS
11. Less then 1 Month since Fresh install of Windows 7 x64
12. Turned UAC Virtualization off
13. Set Affinity to only use a single core
14. Ran in Compatibility Mode – Windows XP SP3
15. Settings.ini Dxversion=10, Dxversion=9, Dxversion=11, Dxversion=auto
16. Settings.ini Refreshrate=59.9 and Vsync=true
17. Shortcut options set Compatibility Mode to Windows XP Service Pack 2

I made a video of my system crashing, sorry about the lighting.  I was playing for about 7 minutes, and then blam.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Hopefully I will find a fix soon, as I really would like to get into this game.

Twenty minutes later I had it installed and was having a bit of trouble getting my display settings to take… it was acting very shoddy.  Got those done and then went to fix my controls and invert my mouse.  To my astonishment I could not find a setting to invert the mouse.  I have no idea what kind of game developer makes a game with no way to invert a mouse.  I mean come on, are you serious?  I bet a quarter of all gamers play inverted mouse.

I really don’t know what else to say, I’m dumbfounded… if you play inverted mouse don’t bother with this game.

I’ve spent all of last night searching for a way to enable it, and it appears you can’t.  The only way to check hard drive space is to go to My Computer and see it there.  Awesome.

I’m pissed.

However, I have to contradict myself here because after watching the trailer for the new Punch-Out I’m a little impressed.  I dig anything cell shaded, and I definitely can’t wait for one of my friends to get the game so I can play it.