BF2042 - Failed to launch game - and further problems with EA app/licensing
I've been struggling since 19.08.25 getting the game to launch. Seems like it happened after BF6 Open Beta, which worked just fine. I have reinstalled 4 times, repaired every possible file, updated, cleared all types of cashe, both EA and Temp files. I have tested 3 different Nvidia drivers (im at 577.00 atm). I have done multiple Clean/safe boots over the past days with different and all services disabled and so on. I have tried new Windows Admin user, and upgrading from Windows 10 to 11 with no luck.
I've spoken to 6 different EA help supports going thru their manuals time after time, nothing seems to work. I even baught a new copy thru Steam, that didnt work either. All kinds of firewall settings have been tested, i even verified every possible EA sertificate and signatures of the executables.
After 20 hours of trying to resolve this, I figured I'll buy an EA Play subscribtion, to download any other game that uses Javelin Anticheat. By doing so, suddenly my other games licenses became invalid. So now Battlefield 3 / 4 doesnt launch either. I have deleted the %ProgramData%\*\License files, trying to renew them, that doesnt work either.
Now i'm stuck with all these problems, and EA support-chat can't resolve or help anymore, they allways replies; wait another 24 hour to see if it works. I'm tired of waiting. Any clues out there please? I feel like i've tried everything, even advanced options, but I may have missed a simple try?
(Impossible to run ProcMon.exe/ProcExp.exe due to Anticheat for further investigation)
I've included complete DxDiag from Win10 (20.08.25) and Win11 (23.08.25)
It's been over 30 hours of troubleshooting, reading forums, asking AI and so on.. Turned out to be quite a rare fault that even reinstalling windows did't fix, even though its in the "%WinDir%\System32\Drivers\Etc". Windows keeps installing the "hosts"-file dating 2019. Every Windows installments probably has the same file/date. It did not look corrupted running the SFC command, but
DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealthmade some corrections. I never got any error message leading here, but i stumbled across this thread, that suddenly made BF2042 launch again, and also BF3 / BF4 not having the invalid licenses anymore.
Probable cause: Not having system updated IP/contact with EA servers. All the games running Javelin Anticheat (e.g. FC25, BF2042, WRC, F1) usually never returned any error messages. Only a few times they said "Could not launch the game due to an error on our part", every other game provided this error:
EA_Shepard [Resolved] EA app Error Code EC:204
- EA App's Cache (Top Left Menu > Help > App Recovery)
- EA App - Repair (My Collection > Tile Dots > Repair)
- Run the System File Checker tool
- Change UAC Controls within Windows
- Reset Windows Host File
- Unplug your modem/router for 5 minutes and attempt to launch again
