Should I remove PunkBuster Services?
What percent of users and experts removed it?
11% remove it89% keep it
What do people think about it?
(click star to rate)
How common is it?
Global Rank #292
United States Rank #490
Reach 1.9652%
Lifespan of installation (until removal)
< 15.36 days
453.06 days >
Average installed length: 238.05 days
Versions
| Version | Distribution |
| 0.994 |
2.32% |
|
| 0.993 |
45.39% |
|
| 0.992 |
5.03% |
|
| 0.991 |
25.37% |
|
| 0.990 |
15.10% |
|
| 0.989 |
0.72% |
|
| 0.988 |
1.04% |
|
| 0.987 |
0.62% |
|
| 0.986 |
4.40% |
|
| 0.984 |
0.01% |
|
Typically installed together
PunkBuster Services
from Even Balance, Inc.
What is PunkBuster Services?
PunkBuster is a computer program that is designed to detect software used for cheating in online games. It does this by scanning the memory contents of the local machine. A computer identified as using cheats may be banned from connecting to protected servers. The aim of the program is to isolate cheaters and prevent them from disrupting legitimate games. PunkBuster is developed and published by Even Balance, Inc.
Overview
The most used version is 0.993, with over 98% of all installations currently using this version. A scheduled task is added to Windows Task Scheduler in order to launch the program at various scheduled times (the schedule varies depending on the version). The software is designed to connect to the Internet and adds a Windows Firewall exception in order to do so without being interfered with. The main program executable is pbsvc_p4f.exe. The software installer includes 227 files and is usually about 75.06 MB (78,710,693 bytes). FC3Updater.exe is the automatic update component of the software designed to download and apply new updates should new versions be released.
Program details
URL: www.evenbalance.com/index.php?page=pbsvcfaq.php
Installation folder: C:\Program Files\bfp4
Uninstaller: C:\Program Files\EA Games\Battlefield Play4Free\pbsvc_p4f.exe -u
Estimated size: 75.06 MB
Files installed by PunkBuster Services
| Program executable: | pbsvc_p4f.exe |
| Path: | C:\Program Files\ea games\battlefield play4free\pbsvc_p4f.exe |
| MD5: | afdd987449421409ef3f3d0c1bea0cfc |
Additional files:
-
Uninstaller.exe (by EA Digital Illusions CE AB) - EA Battlefield Heroes Uninstaller
-
BFP4f.exe (by Easy) - Battlefield Play4free (BFP4f Application)
-
MemoryDll.dll - MemoryDl Dynamic Link Library
-
PCRegExp.dll
-
RendDX9.dll - RendDX9 Dynamic Link Library
-
SoundEngine.dll (by Easy) - BF2 SoundEngine
-
bf4.exe (by EA Digital Illusions CE AB)
-
bf4_x86.exe
-
BFHeroes.exe - Battlefield Heroes
-
d3dcompiler_46.dll (by Microsoft) - Microsoft® DirectX for Windows® (Direct3D HLSL Compiler)
-
EasyWeb.dll
-
EAWebKit.dll (by Electronic Arts) - EAWebKit
-
EAWebKit64.dll (by Electronic Arts)
-
Engine.BuildInfo_Win32_retail.dll
-
Engine.BuildInfo_Win64_retail.dll
-
SwiffPlayer.dll
-
APB.exe (by K2 Network) - APB Reloaded
-
GDFBinary_en_US.dll - Battlefield 4 (Game Definition File resources)
-
GDFBinary_en_US_64.dll
-
bf3.exe
-
Engine.BuildInfo_Win32_Retail_dll.dll
-
GDFBinary_fr_FR.dll
-
GDFBinary_fr_FR_64.dll
-
GDFBinary_de_DE.dll
-
GDFBinary_de_DE_64.dll
-
pbsvc_apb.exe
-
uplay_r1_loader.dll
-
DXTCompressor.dll
-
farcry3.exe (by Ubisoft Entertainment) - Far Cry 3
-
farcry3_d3d11.exe (by Ubisoft Entertainment)
-
FC3.dll - Dunia Engine/Far Cry 2 Dynamic Link Library
-
FC3_d3d11.dll
-
FC3Editor.Core.dll (by Ubisoft) - FC3Editor.Core
-
FC3Editor.exe (by Ubisoft) - FC3Editor
-
FC3Updater.exe - Autopatch (Autopatch system)
-
GDFWin8.dll
-
systemdetection.dll - System Detection DLL
-
ubiorbitapi_r2_loader.dll
-
APB_Gecko.exe (by K2 Network) - APB Reloaded Embedded Browser
-
bfh.exe (by Visceral Games)
-
BulkLog32.dll
-
BulkLog32_d.dll
-
dbghelp.dll (by Microsoft) - Debugging Tools for Windows(R) (Windows Image Helper)
-
GDFBinary_cs_CZ.dll - Battlefield 3
-
GDFBinary_it_IT.dll
-
GDFBinary_it_IT_64.dll
-
GDFBinary_ko_KR.dll
-
GDFBinary_pl_PL.dll
-
GDFBinary_pt_BR.dll
-
GDFBinary_pt_BR_64.dll
-
GDFBinary_zh_TW.dll
-
libresample.dll
-
libsndfile-1.dll (by Vivox) - Soundfile
-
msvcp71.dll - Microsoft® Visual Studio .NET (Microsoft® C++ Runtime Library)
-
msvcp71d.dll
-
msvcr71d.dll - Microsoft® C Runtime Library
-
NxCharacter.dll
-
pbsvc_hos.exe
Behaviors exhibited
7 Scheduled Tasks
- bf3.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{C6364798-1C7D-46CD-B4EA-BA9E52A8C1D9}' (runs on registration).
- farcry3.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{CF7FEAD0-B381-4FCC-BC16-DCCBA9777DBF}' (runs on registration).
- bf4_x86.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{402C8839-80B0-48EF-AD0F-97939C6D83C1}' (runs on registration).
- bf4.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{E319CD9C-D846-421E-B559-D60E77A1F7F7}' (runs on registration).
- BFP4f.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{D116BB2D-1F9B-4133-82BC-EA2BCBD9853B}' (runs on registration).
- farcry3_d3d11.exe is scheduled as a task with the class '{B35348CA-7F19-4590-9926-B041CF674307}' (runs on registration).
Plus 1 more
6 Windows Firewall Allowed Programs
- FC3Updater.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Games\FarCry3\bin\FC3Updater.exe'.
- BFP4f.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Battlefield Play4Free\BFP4f.exe'.
- BFHeroes.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Program Files\EA Games\Battlefield Heroes\BFHeroes.exe'.
- FC3Editor.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Games\Far Cry 3\bin\FC3Editor.exe'.
- farcry3_d3d11.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Games\Far Cry 3\bin\farcry3_d3d11.exe'.
- farcry3.exe is added as a firewall exception for 'C:\Games\Far Cry 3\bin\farcry3.exe'.
How do I remove PunkBuster Services?
You can uninstall PunkBuster Services from your computer by using the Add/Remove Program feature in the Window's Control Panel.
- On the Start menu (for Windows 8, right-click the screen's bottom-left corner), click Control Panel, and then, under Programs, do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall a Program.
- Windows XP: Click Add or Remove Programs.
- When you find the program PunkBuster Services, click it, and then do one of the following:
- Windows Vista/7/8/10: Click Uninstall.
- Windows XP: Click the Remove or Change/Remove tab (to the right of the program).
- Follow the prompts. A progress bar shows you how long it will take to remove PunkBuster Services.
OS VERSIONS
Win 7 (SP1) 54%
Win Vista 0%
|
|
USER ACTIONS
 |
Uninstall it 11%
Keep it 89%
|
|
|
GLOBAL RANK
 #292
|
Windows
Which Windows OS versions does it run on?
| Windows 7 |
58.36% |
|
| Windows 10 |
35.60% |
|
| Windows Vista |
3.13% |
|
| Windows XP |
2.91% |
|
| Windows Server 2003 |
0.00% |
|
Which OS releases does it run on? |
| Windows 7 Home Premium |
26.60% |
|
| Windows 7 Ultimate |
20.65% |
|
| Windows 8.1 |
10.15% |
|
| Windows 7 Professional |
9.03% |
|
| Windows 8.1 Pro |
6.18% |
|
| Windows 10 Home |
5.93% |
|
Geography
36.62% of installs come from the United States
Which countries install it?
| United States |
36.62% |
| Germany |
8.03% |
| France |
5.50% |
| United Kingdom |
5.16% |
| Canada |
3.27% |
| Italy |
2.61% |
| Netherlands |
2.47% |
| Brazil |
2.41% |
| Australia |
2.30% |
| Sweden |
1.95% |
| Poland |
1.79% |
| DK |
1.41% |
| Belgium |
1.41% |
| Spain |
1.27% |
PC manufacturers
What PC manufacturers (OEMs) have it installed?
| Hewlett-Packard |
18.49% |
|
| ASUS |
17.69% |
|
| Acer |
17.08% |
|
| GIGABYTE |
13.83% |
|
| Dell |
13.62% |
|
| Lenovo |
4.54% |
|
| Toshiba |
3.22% |
|
| Alienware |
3.11% |
|
| Samsung |
2.93% |
|
| MSI |
2.86% |
|
| Intel |
2.02% |
|
| American Megatrends |
0.60% |
|
Common models |
| ASUS All Series |
16.61% |
|
| HP Pavilion dv6 Notebook ... |
3.53% |
|
| MSI MS-7821 |
3.17% |
|
| HP Pavilion g6 Notebook P... |
2.49% |
|
| MSI MS-7758 |
2.33% |
|
| MSI MS-7693 |
2.25% |
|