[BUG] Apex Badware Detected – Integrity Error 0x8000002

The Problem

Every time I launch Apex Legends, the game immediately closes with the following EasyAntiCheat error:

Apex Badware Detected Integrity error 0x8000002 Apex exited due to an external tool that jeopardizes gameplay integrity. Please exit any problematic software before running Apex. This may include scripting software, virtual controllers, debuggers, or reverse engineering tools.

This started after updating Fortnite through the Epic Games Launcher. I had been playing Apex daily with no issues prior to this.

Event Viewer Findings

Checking Windows Event Viewer (Application Log, Event ID 1000) revealed the following crash details:

• Faulting application: r5apex_dx12.exe
• Faulting module: unknown (version 0.0.0.0, timestamp 0x00000000)
• Exception code: 0xc0000005 (Access Violation)
• Fault offset: 0x00007ffa5ba00001

The faulting module being listed as "unknown" indicates an unidentified external module was injecting into the Apex process, which is what EAC is detecting.

Note on the "Daemon Tools" Fix

I am aware that some community members have resolved this error by removing DAEMON Tools or similar virtual drive software. This fix does not apply to my situation — I do not have DAEMON Tools or any daemon/virtual drive software installed, and no such drivers were found on my system.

Everything I Have Tried (Exhaustive List)

Basic Steps

• Restarted laptop
• Verified game files via Steam
• Fully uninstalled and reinstalled Apex Legends on Steam
• Uninstalled Apex from Steam entirely, reinstalled via EA App, deleted the EasyAntiCheat folder manually, and repaired the game through the EA App

EasyAntiCheat

• Ran EasyAntiCheat_EOS_Setup.exe install via admin Command Prompt (the correct filename for Apex's EAC — ran silently with no output)
• Confirmed EAC is not registered as a Windows service (sc delete EasyAntiCheat returned "does not exist")
• Deleted the system-wide Fortnite EasyAntiCheat_EOS installation (C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat_EOS\) and removed the service registration

Software Conflicts Investigated and Removed

• Razer Synapse — uninstalled (Razer Elevation Service was logged 36 seconds before the crash in Event Viewer; however, removal did not fix the issue)
• Leftover virtual Xbox 360 Controller driver — removed from Device Manager (remnant from previously deleted reWASD and DualSense X software)
• Medal.tv — uninstalled
• Fortnite — uninstalled (reinstalled later as a temporary game while Apex is broken)
• HidHide kernel driver — stopped and removed (leftover from controller software)
• UnionFS kernel driver — stopped
• Riot Vanguard (vgk.sys) — identified via kernel driver scan as actively running; fully uninstalled and confirmed removed on second scan

Kernel Driver Scan Results (After All Removals)

After removing Vanguard and all identified software, a full kernel driver scan showed only the following third-party drivers remaining — none of which are known EAC triggers:

• googledrivefs (Google Drive File Stream)
• UCPD
• WdmCompanionFilter

Windows & System Repairs

• Clean boot performed — all non-Microsoft services and startup items disabled. Apex still failed, confirming the cause is a kernel-level driver, not a user-space application
• Windows Defender exclusion added — added full Apex Legends folder exclusion via PowerShell (GUI access was blocked by Group Policy)
• DISM (/Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth) — completed to 100% but returned error 0x800f0915 ("repair content could not be found anywhere") meaning Windows Update servers could not supply the repair files
• SFC (sfc /scannow) — completed with result: "Windows Resource Protection did not find any integrity violations" — Windows system files are confirmed clean and not corrupted
• Kernel-mode Hardware-Enforced Stack Protection — disabled via Windows Security → Device Security → Core Isolation
• Registry cleanup — removed leftover registry keys for vgk, vmulti, and ScpVirtualBus under HKLM\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services

Visual C++ Runtimes

• Uninstalled all Microsoft Visual C++ 2015-2022 Redistributable packages (x64 and x86)
• Reinstalled latest versions directly from Microsoft (aka.ms/vs/17/release)

Account Testing

• Created a fresh local Windows administrator account and tested Apex from there — same error, ruling out a corrupted user profile

Hardware

• Unplugged Razer BlackShark V2 HS 2.4 wireless USB dongle during testing — no change

Current Status

All steps above have been completed. The error persists unchanged.

Key conclusions from the completed diagnostics:

• Windows system files are not corrupted (SFC confirmed clean)
• No remaining third-party kernel drivers that are known EAC triggers
• Issue persists on a clean boot and on a fresh local admin account, ruling out software interference and user profile corruption
• Issue persists across both Steam and EA App installations with fresh EAC installs

The only remaining options are a Windows in-place repair upgrade or a full Windows reinstall. Before going that far, I am hoping someone from the community or dev team has encountered this specific combination of factors, particularly the correlation with a Fortnite/Epic Games Launcher update triggering the issue.

Has anyone else experienced this error beginning after a Fortnite/Epic Games Launcher update? Any insight from the dev team or community would be greatly appreciated.

Support ticket has also been opened with EA/Respawn.