Fix MW2 keeps crashing or freezing on PC, not launching

In this short guide we’ll show you how to fix the Call of Duty Modern Warfare II (MW2) crashing or freezing issues.

 

- First, make sure that your PC is compatible to run MW2. If your system meets the required specs, then the game should start. However, it is better if your hardware and software meet the recommended specs. You can check the complete MW2 hardware and software specs here. 

 

- Now, if your PC meets the minimum MW2 specs but not close to the recommended specs then we advise to reduce certain graphics settings as shown below:

 

For example, reduce the texture quality if you have a graphics card with little Vram.

 

Also reduces the level of detail in the game for better performance.

 

Decreases your Field of View in game.

 

Shadows in particular often require a lot of power and only slightly degrade your experience.

 

You can also check out our guide on the best settings for MW2to maximize FPS:

 

- Run MW2 as Administrator: if your game crashes regularly or the error 0x887a0005 appears, then you should run the game as an administrator.

 

To do this, go to the folder where your game exe file is located, right click on the file and select "Properties."

 

Here you switch to the "Compatibility" tab.

 

Under "Settings" you tick "Run program as administrator" and then click "Apply" at the bottom right.

 

If you are playing the game through Steam, you must also run Steam as an administrator. Otherwise Steam MW2 cannot start.

 

- You should also update your graphics driver. Because AMD, Intel and Nvidia often provide bug fixes and improvements for certain games with new drivers. On top of that, the software often unlocks features that you cannot use without the update.

 

Don’t forget to save the installation file of your old graphics driver as a backup. In case, if the problem is not fixed then you can reinstall the old version.

 

- Keep your operating system up to date. No matter which operating system you use, you should install the latest updates. This plugs you possible security gaps and eliminates problems that the OS could cause.

 

- Sometimes it can happen that game files get corrupted during a download or an update. In this case the game won't start or just crashes. On the PC you have the possibility to check your game files - depending on which client you use.

 

If you use Battle.net:

 

Opened Battle.net

Select the gear next to the blue Play button and click Scan and Repair.

The game will then be reloaded and in the best case scenario the error will be fixed.

 

If you use Steam:

 

Right-click the game in your library.

Click Properties and then click Local Files.

Select the option to check the integrity of the game files.

The game will then be checked by Steam. Finally, Steam tells you whether and how many files were faulty and have been replaced.

 

- Some apps such as Steam, Discord or graphics card software offer certain overlays. This allows you to display notifications in the game or see your system performance.

 

However, some games are not compatible with these overlays or are not supported at all. In the best case you turn off these overlays. On top of that, these also require a certain system resources, as they are permanently displayed in the background.

 

- Another option is to check your Windows system to fix corrupted files. This is already possible with simple on-board tools and you do not have to install any additional software:

 

To do this, open the Windows start menu and type in “cmd”. Then you right-click on the "Command Prompt" and start the program as an administrator.

Enter sfc /SCANNOW in the window and confirm with Enter.

Windows will now search for corrupt files and repair them. This may take several minutes.

 

- If you use high-resolution graphics, this can also lead to a crash. To prevent such crashes, you can activate a cache in the settings, where you temporarily store the data on the hard drive. In order to use this feature, you need at least 32 GB of free storage space.

 

This creates a cache to help stream resources when they are needed. If you don't activate this setting, then, in the most annoying case, there will be glitches or crashes.

 

- If the firewall blocks the game from running, CoD: MW2 will crash on launch. The same applies to antivirus programs from other providers. It is best to set an exception here so that the game can start without any problems.

 

- In some cases it can happen that the resolution of your game does not match the resolution of your monitor and is way too big or too small. A look at the MW2 config file will help here.

 

To do this, switch to your documents folder under Windows, look for the MW2 folder and the corresponding user. You can open and edit the config file with the standard Windows text editor.

 

In most cases, the resolution is represented as two four-digit numbers (about 1920×1080 for Full HD).

 

Check whether the value entered here corresponds to the resolution that your monitor can also display. You can easily check which resolution your monitor currently supports:

 

Press the Windows key + I

Here you select "Display" and then the item "Extended display"

Here you can see the screen resolution that you are currently using

 

- You have made settings in the game and suddenly the game no longer starts or keeps crashing? Here it can help if you simply delete the configuration file of your game.

 

To do this, switch to your documents folder under Windows, look for the MW2 folder and the corresponding user and then delete the file.

 

The deleted file is then automatically generated again by the game the next time the game is started. In the best case, the reason for the crash is then eliminated.