MW2 freezes on startup

[Selvator]

Hey,

It played fine yesterday but for some unknown reason the game completely freezes when it get's to the menu today.
It's right when it begins to connect to the Steam Community, I can move the mouse the first second, but then the whole game locks up.
Im quite sure it's the steam community since I always have a second or 2 before the game continues to run normally again and the steam community overlay pops up a message.

But since today it just keeps freezing, I waited for up to 10 min but the game was still frozen.

Anyone have an idea what to do??

I tried disabling Steam Overlay ingame but that doesn't work either.

[Selvator]

I have contacted Activision with my problem as well.

But if anyone else have a solution for my problem, please help
... I will + rep you :)

[2skater2]

I just posted a thread on this. I have the same problem as well hopefully they fix it =(

[Selvator]

im still in contact with Activision.
They keep saying stuff like update your sound driver, update your vid drivers.
Done all that twice now but I still have that freeze at start up that lasts forever.

Im now waiting for another reply from activision.

[7ofdiamonds]

I have the same problem as you, both in SP and MP
I tried reinstalling the game/steam, close every unused applications, and it is still not working

[serial38]

Try using a different firewall (for example, comodo). That fixed the freeze for me. Point is, the firewall also made it almost impossible to join friends and it took at least 1 min to find a game (any type). So I'll stay with the freeze at startup..

[Selvator]

I thought I would check to see if my firewall is online.
Now I disabled the firewall and it's even WORSE now.
I can't even start the game anymore!
The screen flickers and although I can see the application on my bar at the bottom, I can't open it!

WTF is this IW im getting sick and tired of this crap now!

[Selvator]

Now this is to bizare for words, my SP works perfectly again.
No freezing anymore.

But the MP won't even start, this is to stupid for words, what the hell did they try to "patch" these last 3 days that made my MP fubar.

[slaveknight]

im gonna ask u if you overclock your video card.. coz this game hates it.. try playing it on stock speeds..

[Selvator]

Ah good question, but im running on a Laptop, so I haven't overclocked it in any way, I have however downclocked my CPU for about 5% because my laptop automatically slows down over 70% when reaching above 60 degrees and downclocking disables this feature.

[slaveknight]

Ah good question, but im running on a Laptop, so I haven't overclocked it in any way, I have however downclocked my CPU for about 5% because my laptop automatically slows down over 70% when reaching above 60 degrees and downclocking disables this feature.

try playing this game on stock speeds.. i did that once before and i always ended getting locked up with capt price using that heart beat sensor.. lmfao

[Selvator]

Ok I disabled my underclocking and tried again.
Unfortunatly I still have the exact same problem :( but at least it was worth a try.

[Selvator]

I may have found out why it won't start up at all anymore.
The game tries to run in safe mode BUT it starts with a resolution of 640x480.
The thing is, my laptop only supports down to 800x600, so the resolution is to low.
This does not resolve my freeze problem but it should be the reason why it won't start at all now.

Is there anyway I can force the game to run at a higher resolution again Without entering the game?
Or to run it in a window mode??

[Artificial]

If you have a firewall up,you might have to disable it because your NAT doesnt open up and then your game crashes.

[Selvator]

If you have a firewall up,you might have to disable it because your NAT doesnt open up and then your game crashes.

Ok, I disabled the Firewall again.
Still have the same problem, can't start the game.
But it was another good try anyway.

[5hi7h34d]

Worth a try, in your Steam\SteamApps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\players\config_mp.cfg file try changing whatever is there now to this:

seta r_mode "800x600"

Or set that resolution to what you think it needs to be.

[Selvator]

Worth a try, in your Steam\SteamApps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\players\config_mp.cfg file try changing whatever is there now to this:

seta r_mode "800x600"

Or set that resolution to what you think it needs to be.

Excellent idea, I thought about this myself and I alreaddy adjusted that just after I posted.
Now the game shows the splash screen but it keeps loading and loading endlessly, i will leave the splash screen running for a while to see what it does but im afraid it won't do anything as by the time im typing this it has alreaddy been running for over 5 min.

[Samba Pa Ti]

Excellent idea, I thought about this myself and I alreaddy adjusted that just after I posted.
Now the game shows the splash screen but it keeps loading and loading endlessly, i will leave the splash screen running for a while to see what it does but im afraid it won't do anything as by the time im typing this it has alreaddy been running for over 5 min.

what happens if you remove the config_mp file from the folder ?
(deleting it would work but you would lose custom settings)

the game should remake the file. also have you tried verifying the integrity ?

[Selvator]

2 things I thought about as well.
I tried both of them prior to changing the resolution manually.
What happens is that it will change the resolution to 640x480 and it still hangs just like when I put the resolution to 1366x768 (My native resolution).

[Kaligo]

I have the same problem. Except SP doesnt work at all. So im looking at my thread and your's

[Specas]

Hey,

It played fine yesterday but for some unknown reason the game completely freezes when it get's to the menu today.
It's right when it begins to connect to the Steam Community, I can move the mouse the first second, but then the whole game locks up.
Im quite sure it's the steam community since I always have a second or 2 before the game continues to run normally again and the steam community overlay pops up a message.

But since today it just keeps freezing, I waited for up to 10 min but the game was still frozen.

Anyone have an idea what to do??

I tried disabling Steam Overlay ingame but that doesn't work either.

welcome to the club ;d,
for this: mine solution is launch cod kill cod process, go to your lan card un mark iv6 launch cod and u wont have frozen screen, later repeat it over and over again, for me its still better than wait for these 5min to pass looking at black screen. i hope u understand what do i mean.

[Selvator]

welcome to the club ;d,
for this: mine solution is launch cod kill cod process, go to your lan card un mark iv6 launch cod and u wont have frozen screen, later repeat it over and over again, for me its still better than wait for these 5min to pass looking at black screen. i hope u understand what do i mean.

Im a IT student so I understand what you mean :)
It's something I haven't tried yet but unfortunately I have a new problem in which I can't even start MP anymore, I just see the splash screen but it won't load up at all anymore.

When I can start MP again I will try and see if this works, if I ever get to fix MP again, with every passing day my hopes are getting smaller and smaller.

[Selvator]

Ok now I have deleted my mp config AGAIN and Mp_playlist.
Now it get's past the splash screen again BUT I still have the same freezing as always....
At least 1 problem is gone.

[Selvator]

I have found Temporary fix that worked for me!

Ok, there are 2 things in my case that I need to do to get MW2 MP working again.

1. I need to delete MP_Playlist everytime I start the game, to be able to get past the splash screen.

2. When you start the game and are in the menu, PULL OUT your internet cable.
The game won't freeze anymore and when you plug the cable back in, wait for a few min for the connection to the internet to be fully stable again.
Now some of you may have wireless or need to disable the connection in your windows rather then pulling a cable out.
For this, go to your MP_config file and look for a line that says seta r_fullscreen "1" change the value 1 to 0, so the game will start in window mode so you don't have to ctrl alt del to get out.

This temporary fix worked for me and I can now play MP.
It is quite anoying having to do these steps all over again, especially since I have alot of programs depended on full time connection to the internet like my Xfire for example.
And when you go to window mode, you can't go to full screen by using alt+enter, the game crashes when you do that im afraid.

I am still waiting for another reply by activision, I shall inform them that the problem has to do with a connection being made, and has nothing to do with hardware etc.
I hope this helps for other people as well.
I will post here again if I find a full and permanent solution to this problem

[Specas]

and i think it had changed since ~1.0.172 if i'm not wrong cuz i remember i had no problems before with this 5min freeze.

[Selvator]

and i think it had changed since ~1.0.172 if i'm not wrong cuz i remember i had no problems before with this 5min freeze.

That's what im thinking as well, I never had this problem since 3-4 days ago when they changed something about the IWnet and the playlists, before that it worked fine.

[Selvator]

That temporary fix I posted seems to have COMPLETELY fixed my problem.
When I started my game up a second time after my fix I no longer get stuck at the loading screen anymore or get freezing at the menu.
Thanks for all of your help and I hope my fix helps others as well.

Ill +rep the people who helped me now :)

[Specas]

That temporary fix I posted seems to have COMPLETELY fixed my problem.
When I started my game up a second time after my fix I no longer get stuck at the loading screen anymore or get freezing at the menu.
Thanks for all of your help and I hope my fix helps others as well.

Ill +rep the people who helped me now :)
no u didn't fixed its to easy that way cuz its something ♥♥♥♥ed up with iwnet. or maybe your playlist file is some kind of magic, maybe want to share?

[Selvator]

Well ye it didn't work completly, I still need to unplug the cable every now and then but at least I can play XD.
Sorry to hear if it doesn't work for you, im still in contact with acivision and if they come up with a better solution then I will post that for you here.

[Ip Man]

Wow. So it's not only me who has this problem. Awesome. So my SP gets stuck at black screen and my MP get frozen at menu. I'm using a wireless connection on a laptop, so I might have to test out a few things from above, but i'd rather leave the game the way it is and not have to delete this, unplug this, so on.

It's not something we were notified of when buying the game. We assumed it would work fine, and it did, so there's no need to change the files as this is a problem IW and Activision have caused with their doda patches.

But, out of curiosity, has anyone here tried looking for the previous patch file and downloading that to replace the current (if possible) because, for example, i play a torrented version of Wc3 TFT and the only way to play online is through a program called "Garena". Sort of like steam in a sense of the servers. But, being that we can't connect to Battle.net, we must manually update the maps and patches. So, I was curious to see if that can be done for MW2 because Garena has servers for MW2 as well. I'll check their forums and see what I can dig up and post back here if I find anything useful. For now, Selvator is our only hope. lol

[AnthraX]

When I get a problem I often do this.
Ok try this go to your gamelist rightclick on modernwarfare2

Properties - Local files and click verify integrity of game cache it works everytime for me maybe the game is missing files sometimes happens if you rename your steamapps to steamapps old then try so it dosnt reinstall the game when you do it then change the name back to just steamapps

[Specas]

Well ye it didn't work completly, I still need to unplug the cable every now and then but at least I can play XD.
Sorry to hear if it doesn't work for you, im still in contact with acivision and if they come up with a better solution then I will post that for you here.
so i was right, u r using mine way to launch cod just bypassing problem and not fixing it :P cuz i was thinking u have no problems anymore.

When I get a problem I often do this.
Ok try this go to your gamelist rightclick on modernwarfare2

Properties - Local files and click verify integrity of game cache it works everytime for me maybe the game is missing files sometimes happens if you rename your steamapps to steamapps old then try so it dosnt reinstall the game when you do it then change the name back to just steamapps

lol u r an idiot sir :) go back to your hole.

[Selvator]

God this is anoying.
After days of being in contact with Activision, I tried everything they suggested but I keep telling them it was fine BEFORE the last patch yet they keep backfiring that is all my fault.
Now in their last reply they insist that there must be some ports either blocked or P2P is throttled by my university network I am connected to.

Now the fun part about this is I can download P2P torrents at full speed (2 mb/s and even higher sometimes) and with lots of connections opened at the same time.
And that 1 little port and P2P of MW2 is supposed to be either blocked or throttled by my university just at the same time they released the new patch last week?
And I suppose it's just a coincidence that alot of other people got throttled by their ISP at the same time last week aswell?

This is just bull♥♥♥♥, im gonna reply again when im cooled down a little bit more, im not just gonna let them keep shoving it back to me, it would be nice of them to say at least once that there has been something going wrong on THEIR end since last patch.

[upslash]

My desktop has been doing this since day 1.

Since it happens while it's connecting to the steam community, I thought it was normal.

However I installed mw2 on my laptop a few days ago and noticed that it doesn't freeze at all on startup.

[Ip Man]

God this is anoying.
After days of being in contact with Activision, I tried everything they suggested but I keep telling them it was fine BEFORE the last patch yet they keep backfiring that is all my fault.
Now in their last reply they insist that there must be some ports either blocked or P2P is throttled by my university network I am connected to.

Now the fun part about this is I can download P2P torrents at full speed (2 mb/s and even higher sometimes) and with lots of connections opened at the same time.
And that 1 little port and P2P of MW2 is supposed to be either blocked or throttled by my university just at the same time they released the new patch last week?
And I suppose it's just a coincidence that alot of other people got throttled by their ISP at the same time last week aswell?

This is just bull♥♥♥♥, im gonna reply again when im cooled down a little bit more, im not just gonna let them keep shoving it back to me, it would be nice of them to say at least once that there has been something going wrong on THEIR end since last patch.

When you reply, tell them to go on the steam forums and go to your thread and read how many others are having this issue. And it's not only this thread, there's at least 4-5 other threads out there. You tell them that and then you add "so i guess it's all of our faults at the same exact time RIGHT after the patch?" If that doesn't shut them up, then they need to get their ♥♥♥♥ straight or else they're going to go down fast.

Can't believe we all got duped into buying a $60 dollar game created by idiots. Last time I ever buy a CoD game.

[dodsy]

still having the same problem keep getting on their backs man. as if they not taking the blame it has happened to all my mates at the same time.

[Jonathan-]

I have exactly the same problem and there's no doubt this came with the new update.
I'm going to send them an email and if they keep thinking that im some kind of idiot telling me that i need to portforward my router, update my drivers etc. Im going to demand my money back. It worked before the update right? So this is their problem, not mine.

I even formatted my PC and it didn't solve any problems.

This game is so ♥♥♥♥ty in other ways aswell and I don't understand how something like this can be sold. (thinking about the multiplayer system first and foremost)

Can't the people having the same problem post their hardware? It's possible that something in the new update doesn't go well with specific hardware. Mine:

CPU: AMD Phenom X2 545 (3 ghz dualcore)
Motherboard: GA-MA785GT-UD3H
GPU: ATI HD4850

[Specas]

I have exactly the same problem and there's no doubt this came with the new update.
I'm going to send them an email and if they keep thinking that im some kind of idiot telling me that i need to portforward my router, update my drivers etc. Im going to demand my money back. It worked before the update right? So this is their problem, not mine.

I even formatted my PC and it didn't solve any problems.

This game is so ♥♥♥♥ty in other ways aswell and I don't understand how something like this can be sold. (thinking about the multiplayer system first and foremost)

Can't the people having the same problem post their hardware? It's possible that something in the new update doesn't go well with specific hardware. Mine:

CPU: AMD Phenom X2 545 (3 ghz dualcore)
Motherboard: GA-MA785GT-UD3H
GPU: ATI HD4850

or maybe its all about OS

[Spike9194]

k i have had the same problem. it is with the update. i talked to activision and got someone compitent. no bs like blocked ports etc this time. what they said to do ,which did work, was to locate mp_playerlist.ff which is usually found in c:\program files\steam\steamapp\common\call of duty modern warfare2\zone\english. all you have to do is rename the file. this will cause mw2 to downlaod the newer one and should fix that problem.

[Jonathan-]

or maybe its all about OS

If it was about the OS atleast 90% of the people playing this game would have this problem.

[5hi7h34d]

someone compitent

LOL. Never gets old.

[no1knowz]

CLICK ON UR MW2 INSIDE THE STEAM WINDOW, properties, LOCAL FILES and
Veryfity integrity of game cache ....
DONE, HAPPY GAMING ;))

[digmouse]

k i have had the same problem. it is with the update. i talked to activision and got someone compitent. no bs like blocked ports etc this time. what they said to do ,which did work, was to locate mp_playerlist.ff which is usually found in c:\program files\steam\steamapp\common\call of duty modern warfare2\zone\english. all you have to do is rename the file. this will cause mw2 to downlaod the newer one and should fix that problem.

+1 for you, it worked for me, just rename/delete mp_playlist.ff and validate game cache and steam will fix it.

[Specas]

CLICK ON UR MW2 INSIDE THE STEAM WINDOW, properties, LOCAL FILES and
Veryfity integrity of game cache ....
DONE, HAPPY GAMING ;))

u r retаrded

[haraldas]

For the people whose screen froze on startup and their cursor disappears for at least a few minutes, delete the file "mp_playlists.ff" inside your
zone->english folder
(C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\zone\english)
Hope this helps, it did for me.

[Selvator]

Sorry to bump this old thread but I promised I would post again if I got an reply from Activision support or when I found another solution.

In this case I got a reply from Activision:
Response (Dov Carson) - 03/04/2010 09:08 AM
There have been recent updates for the Steam client and a few other updates that may have helped to resolve this matter for many. We are continuing to monitor.

Let us know if the problem returns.

It seems they have listened to me and others since a few days ago I don't have the freezing anymore, one of the reason I requested a status update on the freezing.
Im glad to see that they are putting effort into this.
Anyone else who's freezing is fixed lately?

[Zaqq]

Some time ago it freezes for about 2 minutes for me. Now it freezes for 4-5 minutes. Coooooooool.

[evoleo24]

I have found a sort of fix. What you have to do is disconnect from the internet when you launch the game. This will allow you to load in without the freeze, and then enable once you're in the game =)

Just a temp fix at best, but it does work.

[dpgkingfish]

BUMP!
I had a 9800gt and it never did this and now I have a 5770XFX XXX Edition and it freezes for like 4 minutes on start! Anyone know why it does this yet?!:confused::confused::confused: