Hi! I used to play this game a lot. Because of some bug issues, I could not play online for a long time. That is why I am here today.
The issue I face now is that when I try to join an online server, the game crashes. (BF2.exe has stopped working)
I can play single player maps, and I can create a LAN server.
What I have tried:
Installed PunkBuster. No change.
Reinstalled the game from Military Base but it did not fix the issue.
The game is installed to the old HDD, where I use a newly bought SSD. The installation directory is the same. (old C:/ became E:/)
While writing this, I tried installing the game to SSD (current C:/), which also did not fix the issue.
BF2Hub is installed and the path is chosen manually.
This is the cleanest install I can have. I suppose old Windows on HDD affects something.
Any idea what can be done?

Run bf2keyman, from the redist folder, as admin, by right clicking it and choosing so.
If you open bf2keyman and the fields are blank, your cd key wasn't applied into the registry. If you open it and it shows you a key, without clicking random, one is applied into the registry.
Also don't forget to click apply in bf2keyman, as this inputs the shown key, into the registry.

It appears that the problem is related to the CD key. I can play multiplayer after using bf2keyman, and there seems no problem in gameplay. Thanks!

The same happens to me, BF2 crashes when joining multiplayer server I need Help

I take this opportunity to introduce myself, I'm Javi, my alias in BF2 is C8N3D, I'm a veteran in the game, I also play PR, I belong to the "La 9" clan of Spain.

I came to this forum looking for how to reinstall BF2, I hope you can help me.

my problem is that when I click load a multiplayer server, it returns me to the desktop, on single player maps, it loads the map but when it finishes loading, it returns me to the desktop. The BF2 installer I use is yours, and the keys are the original ones from my BF2 Complete CDs

thanks in advance and sorry for the language.

Thank you C8N3D for introducing yourself (p.s. feel free to copy/paste it in the dedicated board as well). Sorry for the late reply, your problem sounds very common and it involves the correct usage of the license keys.

If you launch the BF2Hub Client, how are the license codes (the 2 CD-ROM icons on the top left) appearing to you? Are they fully black, or greyed out? It doesn't matter whether there is a red cross on them, what's important is if they are shown with solid black color, and not grey (as if they are disabled).

You mentioned keys in your post, as well as using our installer: do you recall seeing the "BF2 KeyManager" app running at the end of the setup wizard? That's the one where you will enter and apply (important step) your key; without keys applied, your game will crash in the manner that you have described.

If you remember seeing that program, applying your license code, and the BF2Hub Client is able to read your licensing data (solid black CD-ROM icons), then it's probably just a matter of running BF2.exe directly as Administrator (make a shortcut to BF2.exe, right-click it, choose Run as Admin).

That should give additional privileges to the game application, in order to decode the licensing information that was encrypted in your Windows Registry by the BF2 KeyManager. Please let us know all the information requested (BF2Hub Client grey/black CD-ROM icons, seeing+applying keys in BF2 KeyMan, running BF2.exe - not BF2Hub Client - as admin).

Kind regards, Staff Officer S_h_a_r_k_93 
p.s. if you do not recall seeing the BF2 KeyManager, a copy of it is inside of our installer's /Redist folder

I don't think his issue is the key. He is crashing on singleplay too. I suggest he runs game in safe mode, to generate an error. Go on discord- lost soldier server- and post there for help, on how to run game in safe mode

Oh fish... I read it wrong, I thought singleplayer worked. Safe mode you select it in the BF2Hub Client "Launcher" tab (and set width and height parameters, usually 800 and 600). Let us know if you need more help.

Yes, I put my keys in the "BF2 KeyManager" and clicked apply

Also run BF2.exe as administrator and CD-ROM icons appear black

I do not know what else to do

Yes, in single player mode the map crashes when it finishes loading

maybe it is a c++ redis problem?

you can get them all here https://www.techpoweru...ntime-package-all-in-one/

Also try to change the key codes. just generate a new set and save them. I noticed that not all the codes made by that program manage to work on all servers. I tried a generated set and it kept me from getting into some servers. dug up my original codes and then it worked. last week i helped installing bf2 for a fried and used generated codes and it all worked fine for him, got in all the servers just fine. So the codes are a hit or miss in some cases it seems.