What is PnkBstrA.exe?
It is a core component of the PunkBuster Client PC program that allows online multiplayer games to detect and prevent cheating and modify or suspend scores for players who leave an online game session (offline gaming). The PnkBstrA.exe utility lets PunkBuster detect cheats and other unauthorized modifications to particular games, such as mods and hacks.
It is the only executable found in the “\Program Files\Even Balance\PunkBuster\bin” directory on all Windows platforms that do not include any other files or directories under this name. It not only gives you the administrative power to manage ban lists but to also take screenshots and stream live videos.
PnkBstrA.exe is, however, not a necessary process for your computer to run normally. You may be able to disable this service without disabling other programs or Windows settings. So if you are not gaming or don’t need the program, you can stop it and remove it from the windows start menu. This will prevent it from running in the background.
Is pnkbstra.exe a virus or malware?
PnkBstrA.exe is not a virus, malware or a potentially unwanted program (PUP). This application is, however, typically detected by most antivirus software as adware, trojan and potentially unwanted programs. You should read the given information and decide if the exe file in your computer is dangerous or not.
If you find the ‘pnkbstra.exe’ file on your computer claiming to be a vital program file, you need to check its location and consider whether it’s fake or real. If it is under the “C:\Program Files” folder, the file’s probability of being dangerous is 0.47. If it is in the “C:\Windows” folder, the probability is 0.44.
To check the location of this application, we can use the command prompt to scan these files with a virus signature scanner.
An analysis of online reviews shows that 49.2% of the users believe that pnkbstra.exe is safe and essential, 10.9% think it is harmless, 23.4% think it is neutral, and 7.8% suspect it is dangerous, and 8.6% recommend having it removed. The remaining 10% are undecided.
Where is it located?
The file’s location is not hidden. You won’t have any trouble finding it when you need to.
It is located either in the “System32” subfolder of C:\Windows or a different subfolder of “C:\Program Files”.
The file size varies depending on the folder it is located in. If the location is “C:\Program Files”, the file size is 323,584 bytes 15% of the time and 63,040 in other occurrences. On the other hand, if the file is located in C:\Windows, it will be 76,888 bytes large 43% of the time. The rest of the time, it will be the size of 75,064 bytes, 76,152 bytes, 66,872 bytes or 75,136 bytes.
How to remove & uninstall pnkbstra.exe
If you find pnkbstra.exe is causing problems in your computer, you may need to remove and uninstall it. Uninstalling pnkbstra.exe depends on how it was installed. The uninstallation process is simple, and here are a few ways to do it:
Check if pnkbstra.exe is a component of another software program. If that is the case, there is a program for uninstalling it:
- Go to “C: Program Files”
- Open “Even Balance”
- Open “Medal of Honor Airborne”
- Click on PunkBuster™ Service Component (A), then PnkBstrA.exe_uninstall.exe
The program will uninstall.
Check if the program was installed with Windows installer. If that is true:
- Open “System Settings” and go to “Add or Remove Programs.”
- Search for “Medal of Honor”, “PnkBstrA”, or “Even Balance”
- When you find the program, click it and select “Uninstall Program.”
How do you stop pnkbstra.exe processes?
To stop PnkBstrA.exe processes, you first have to determine if they are viruses or if they were installed as parts of other software.
PnkBstrA.exe starts automatically whenever your pc starts. To temporarily disable the pnkbstra.exe process and prevent it from starting back up, use Task Manager to set the process to be stopped at startup. To do this: Select Start > All Programs > Accessories > Task Manager. In the Task Manager window, select the process you want to stop. In the “Startup type” column, click Apply, then OK.
If it is a virus or a potentially unwanted process, use an anti-malware application that can detect it and remove it automatically. Typically, pnkbstra.exe will be encrypted and detected as a virus by most antivirus software products; however, some of them may not remove the file entirely or show false positives.
How to check if pnkbstra.exe has high CPU usage
If anything seems out of place regarding your computer and the different processes, restart your computer just in case something is stuck in the way.
There are many ways to check if pnkbstra.exe has high CPU usage, including opening Task Manager and seeing, as a percentage, how much time pnkbstra.exe is using. Open the Task Manager and navigate to the Processes tab. Find all processes with similar names to Pnkbstra.exe and make sure they’re not using too much of the CPU (less than 50%, preferably 5%-6%).
You can also follow these steps: Press Ctrl+Alt+Delete, Select Task Manager and click the Performance tab, expand the Details section and look at the Performance Information – Performance Monitor details and then Look at the Processes tab and locate pnkbstra.exe under System processes.
Sometimes high CPU usage indicates a malware attack or a malfunction of the operating system.
How to check if pnkbstra.exe is causing high disk usage
Pnkbstra.exe may cause high disk usage on your system if it’s constantly running or suddenly began working overtime. To confirm if pnkbstra.exe is the reason for a sudden spike in disk usage, open Task Manager, click on Disk Option and check its disk usage.
How to check if pnkbstra.exe has high network usage
When Pnkbstra.exe has high network usage, its internet processing becomes slow, and many resources are consumed. This can be because it is being used to scan websites for security threats and low-quality software. To check if there is high network usage, open Task Manager, find PnkBstrA.exe and see the percentage of network usage.