Update: 9 Mar, 2010 - EA has a fix for this error:
BFBC2 PC server R6 is going to server providers now. This server version should stop all the PB INIT errors that have been happening.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2
is having a lot of problems with PunkBuster. The first problem resulted from Punkbuster installing in the old BFBC2 Beta folder. I covered the steps for fixing this in this post. However, now players are seeing the following message:
You have been kicked from the game. The reason is: Punkbuster kicked player 'NAME' (for 0 minutes) ... PB INIT FAILURE. (If this persists, visit evenbalance.com and click support to manually update PunkBuster).
I'll admit that I am being kicked with this error message on 50% of the BFBC2 servers I join. So far, I do NOT believe it is related to a player's individual PunkBuster install as I am able to play just fine on my friend's servers that have Punkbuster enabled.My best guess is that this is server related and some servers are out of date or broken. So far, the way to "fix" the PB INIT FAILURE error is to find a set of servers that are working and bookmark them as favorites.
However, to make sure players have updated their PunkBuster correctly, I have outlined the steps below.
NOTE: When dealing with any sticky program issues where uninstalling and reinstalling is a valid fix, I highly recommend using a program such as Revo Uninstaller to completely eradicate PunkBuster from the PC. Revo Uninstaller will remove all traces of Punkbuster.
Steps to manually update Punkbuster
1. Uninstall Punkbuster using an uninstall program, removing all folders, registry, and other entries of PB from the PC.
2. Download pbsetup.exe.
3. Launch pbsetup.exe
4. Once launched, click "Add Game"
5. Select BFBC2
6. Browse to your install folder for BFBC2 (just the install folder, not any existing PB folders)
7. Click OK
8 Once back on the main screen, click "Check for Updates" and it will initiate a new install for BFBC2's Punkbuster.
Again, this may NOT fix the PB INIT FAILURE, which I strongly believe is server related! This is simply to confirm you've uninstalled and reinstalled PB correctly.
I play on the following server without issue:
