Part 1 - Removing bad installation of BF2. If you have not yet installed BF2 please move onto part 2.
To delete the save files:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select My Documents.
3. Right-click the Battlefield 2 folder and select Delete.
To delete the game files (in the default location):
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select My Computer.
3. Double-click the C: drive.
4. Double-click the Program Files folder. If you are using 64bit it's "Program Files (x86)".
5. Double-click the EA GAMES folder.
6. Right-click the Battlefield 2 folder and choose Delete.
7. Close all open windows.
8. Right-click the Recycle Bin and choose Empty Recycle Bin.
To edit the registry and remove Battlefield 2:
1. Click the Start button on the Windows Taskbar.
2. Select Run.
3. Type regedit in the text field and click OK.
4. Click File and select Export.
5. Name the file "Backup" (without the quotation marks) and make sure the Export Range is set to All.
6. Click Save. (You will now be returned to the Registry Editor window.)
7. Click the plus (+) sign next to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.
8. Click the plus (+) sign next to Software. 64Bit versions of Windows only - Click the plus (+) sign next to Wow6432Node.
9. Click the plus (+) sign next to DICE.
10. Right-click the Battlefield 2 folder and select Delete.
11. Right-click the Battlefield 2: Armored Fury folder (if applicable) and select Delete.
12. Click the plus (+) sign next to Electronic Arts.
13. Right-click any Battlefield 2 folders and select Delete. On my Windows 7 Pro 64bit installation I have "Battlefield 2 Patch", "\EA CORE\INSTALLED GAMES\EAGAMES\BF2-2006\ONLINE_CONTENT\BF2-EP1", "\EA Games\Battlefield 2" and finally "\EA Games\Battlefield 2 Special Forces".
14. Click the plus (+) sign next to Microsoft.
15. Click the plus (+) sign next to Windows.
16. Click the plus (+) sign next to CurrentVersion.
17. Click the plus (+) sign next to Uninstall.
18. Right-click the key named {04858915-9F49-4B2A-AED4-DC49A7DE6A7B} and select Delete. This is for Battlefield 2.
19. A Confirm Key Delete window will appear; select Yes.
20. Right-click the key named {50D4CB89-AF34-4978-96DC-C3034062E901} and select Delete. This is for Battlefield 2: Special Forces.
21. A Confirm Key Delete window will appear; select Yes.
22. Close the Windows Registry Editor.
To delete the InstallShield Installation Information files:
1. Go to the following folder: C:\Program Files\InstallShield Installation Information. For 64bit go to "C:\Program Files (x86)\InstallShield Installation Information".
* If you cannot find this folder you may have to go to Tools > Folder Settings and click the setting to "SHOW hidden folders."
2. Find the folders with the exact same values as the registry keys above and delete them. These should be {04858915-9F49-4B2A-AED4-DC49A7DE6A7B} and {50D4CB89-AF34-4978-96DC-C3034062E901}.
3. Right-click the Recycle Bin and select Empty Recycle Bin.
To delete temporary user files (Windows XP)
1. Go to the "C:\Documents & Settings\Username\Local Settings\Temp\" folder.
* If you cannot find this folder you may have to go to Tools > Folder Settings and click the setting to "SHOW hidden folders."
2. Select all the files (Press CTRL+A), right click and select delete. Some files may be in use by antivirus/security software so these will not allow you to delete them. If this happens select as many files as you can and delete those.
To delete temporary user files (Windows Vista/7)
1. Go to the "C:\Users\Username\AppData\Local\Temp" folder.
* If you cannot find this folder you may have to go to Tools > Folder Settings and click the setting to "SHOW hidden folders."
2. Select all the files (Press CTRL+A), right click and select delete. Some files may be in use by antivirus/security software so these will not allow you to delete them. If this happens press skip to carry on deleting the other files.
Battlefield 2 should now be completely removed from your system.
Restart your computer after removing BF2!!!
Part 2 - Installing BF2
1. Disable UAC if on Vista/7 and reboot your PC.
2. Insert BF2 DVD, close anything that auto runs and then view contents of DVD, right click Setup.exe and select Run as Admin. Notice you do not get prompted to confirm Admin Rights as UAC is turned off.
3. Follow installation instructions to install BF2, if our installation appears to hang after setting up the VoIP settings and before the installation of Gamespy, open the task manager->processes, find BF2VoiceSetup.exe, right click and select end process - NOT END PROCESS TREE!
4. Reboot to finish installation of BF2.
5. Once restarted patch to version 1.41 by right clicking the patch and select run as admin. Do not restart after patching.
6. Insert BF2 - Special Forces DVD, close anything that auto runs, view DVD contents, right click setup.exe and select run as admin.
7. Once Special Forces is installed re-run patch 1.41 by right clicking it and selecting Run as Admin.
8. Once BF2 and Special Forces are patched to 1.41 then patch to 1.5 by right clicking patch 1.5 and select run as admin.
9. Once you have finished patching to 1.5 then right click the shortcut within the start menu for BF2 and select run as admin.
10. Download PBSetup.exe from punkbuster to manually update BF2.
11. Once everything is installed and patched and Punkbuster is also updated right click on the BF2 shortcut and select properties. Open compatibility tab and then select run as admin. Click Ok.
12. Hopefully if you have followed these instructions you can now play BF2 with Special Forces patched to version 1.5 and it will not crash to desktop!!!
on a second look, it looks like you might not be aware of the current patch situation. you need to download patch 1.41 and patch 1.5 (get them from gamershell, that's the quickest) (about 2 gig in total, but 1.5 is the mother of all patches.
there is also a hotfix for fixing it alt +tabbing to desktop as you join a server.
thanks i am downloading them now
Install with SF in this order (its the way i did it with 0 problems)
BF2 vanilla>SF>1.41>1.5
Just need to install the punkbuster service and update PB manually as auto update from BF2 Vanilla does not work any longer due to changes in PB.
if any of you guys are playing BF2 add me on x-fire / steam - fen182. I have zero mates who will play bf2 these days. How sad am I lol!
Put everything after the speech marks after the target on the shortchut, this ones for 2142 but it will work the same. Try disabling desktop composition, visual themes, and run as an administrator. This normally works. The problems caused by the game unable to run in 800x600, which is what the movies run at.
"C:\Program Files\EA Games\Battlefield 2142\BF2142.exe" +widescreen 1 +szx 1680 +szy 1050
Just realised your on a 5850. Another way of sorting it would be to disable the ATI Card audio service thingy. That sometimes causes problems.
And you've deleted your hardware settings, Bf2 doesn't like having its gfx card changed.