Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare

Latest Updates

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare v1.6 Patch - 282.60MB
CoD4: Modern Warfare v1.6 Patch (Direct2Drive) - 260.92MB
Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare v1.6 - v1.7 Patch - 38.12MB

 

 
 

Awaiting Keycode Authorization

This has got to be one of the most irritating error messages you can get while trying to join a game. Especially when it's a LAN game!

After much troubleshooting, I am now able to fix this problem instantly. What is the solution? I can almost guarantee you it is because of one or more of the following:

  • You have multiple ethernet adapters enabled on your system
  • You have a VPN virtual adapter enabled (like a Hamachi adapter)
  • Your network stack order isn't right

I have a short video tutorial on how to correct these issues on the troubleshooting page. Just take a look at the 'Network Stack Order' video.

Also, I would assume at this point you would be attempting these fixes while your firewall is OFF. You may as well take that out of the equation for now. If this fix works, re-enable the firewall and see if it keeps working. If it does, great!

Now, I'm not sure of the exact cause, but I do know that if I leave Hamachi enabled on my system, this problem will ALWAYS occur. It also consistently happens if I set the network stack order wrong. I can guarantee that everytime I do one or both of these things, I get this error.

This fix has worked for me and all my friends when we have lan parties. I'm confident in saying that this will correct your issue as well.

**It is also possible that your host file has bad entries in it. More information is available in the troubleshooting section.**

 

Trouble Connecting to Games

By default, the maximum tries the game will attempt to connect to another game is 10. You can manually edit this value to 30 by opening your config_mp.cfg file using WORDPAD (NOT NOTEPAD). This file can be found in C:\Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare\players\profiles\'profile name'\config_mp.cfg by default. Navigate to the last "seta cl_" section and enter in seta cl_connectionAttempts "30". Push save, and you should be good to go.

Can I Disable the Intro Movies?

Yes you can. Download my utility, and push the button. You can even restore the intro movies if you want to later.


Download

 

What are the best settings for a LAN game?

  • Under Options > Multiplayer Options set PunkBuster to 'No'. This utility is more useful when playing online. Unless you really distrust your friends, just disable it.

What are the best settings when setting up a LAN server?

  • On the 'Start New Server' page, set PunkBuster to 'No'.
  • This setting assumes you trust your friends. This setting when set to 'Yes' checks to see if anyone is cheating. However, it can also interfere with people's ability to play and stay connected. So if you trust your friends, just disable it. If they are cheating, go punch them in the face.

 

Multiplayer crashes during startup, related to iw3mp.exe

For Windows XP

  • Go to the control panel (start > settings > control panel)
  • Go to sound
  • Right-Click on recording
  • Select 'Show Disabled Devices'
  • When stereo mix comes up, enable it

For Windows Vista / 7

  • Go to control panel
  • Hardware and Sound
  • Sound
  • Recording Tab
  • Right Click in window, choose "Show Disabled Devices"
  • "Stereo Mix" appeared, Right Click and choose enable.

Also, and this sounds crazy, but plug a mic into the MIC jack (pink) on your computer. Simply plugging in a MIC has fixed this issue for me many times

 

Game hangs and crashes when you go to make a new profile

Possible Fix:
Go to C:\Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare\miles and rename the mssp3.asi file to mssp3.bak

 

PunkBuster Kicks / Other Issues

Download the apps available on the PunkBuster page. These can ensure you have the most up-to-date versions of the software, and help you diagnose / repair any issues with it.

 

No 'High Settings'

No it's not because you aren't running Vista.

It's because there is no 'High Settings' option. It doesn't exist. I know it's painful to only run the game on 'normal' but that's honestly the highest setting available.

How Can I See The Framerate?

Navigate to your config_mp.cfg file (C:\Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare\players\profiles\'profile name'\config_mp.cfg) and open it with WORDPAD. Notepad will NOT work correctly. Do a search thru the file for "seta cg_drawFPS". You will see it is currently set to "OFF". Change that value to "Simple". So the entry should now read seta cg_drawFPS "Simple". This should enable you to see the framerate during gameplay.