I’d like to say that Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare was the greatest game that I ever played. Unfortunately, I can’t do that. I can’t even play the game at all. After messing around for hours, trying to get the game to work, I’ve given up. At first, I thought it was my computer. After doing some research online, it seems that I’m not the only one with CoD4 technical difficulties.
I mean sure, my computer is starting to get old. It’s been about three years since I pulled the demo unit off the shelves of Best Buy. I threw in a nice nVidia 6800 Graphics Processor and that was all I needed. Two years later, I added some RAM and I still had an effective gaming machine. I never really looked at gaming boxes for specs. When CoD4 started crashing, I reviewed the minimum system requirements. Not surprisingly, my computer seemed to qualify. My machine has been pretty good at running the latest games.
Not this time! 
After sitting through a boring installation process, the game failed almost immediately. When I load the game for the first time, it will crash. I’ll load the game again, but this time in safe mode. It will make it through the videos, and then it will crash. After three installs, reducing my monitor to 800×600 and quitting nonessential applications, the results are the same – CRASH!
Wooooo… isn’t this fun! 
When I visited the Infinity Ward forum, only to see that other players were experiencing the same problems, I began to lose faith in PC gaming. Now I know why retail stores have pushed PC games to a forgotten corner of the store. Who wants to click through End User License Agreements, DirectX updates and software installations, only to be welcomed by a Microsoft Error Reporting window. After sending about three dozen crash reports, I decided that this wasn’t fun at all.
Before buying Call of Duty 4, I had to wonder why the XBOX 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of CoD4 were $10 more. Now, I find myself dreaming of the simplicity of consoles. Just drop in the disk and play. I mean sure, I still prefer a mouse to an an analogue thumb stick, but I can’t even play the PC version at all.
Maybe Activision / Infinity Ward will get around to releasing a Patch. Until then, CoD4 is a most challenging game indeed – GETTING IT TO WORK! 
Well to be fair, I had to turn off the 720p and 1080i support from my PS3 in order to make sure the game ran at 1080p. Otherwise it runs in 720p and if that’s not checked it runs at 1080i. Lame I know, and I’m telling you it’s hard to go into a menu scroll down, hit the X button, and then hit the X button twice more to uncheck 720p and 1080i. Whew hard work. I saved and loaded the game. Worked like a charm!
If you have to disable features in your console to make a game work, there is something wrong.
Software wise, not Hardware wise. It was a fix on COD’s website. At least I can get 1080p, where as the 360 gets fake 1080p.
Besides it’s turning off lower resolution options. Not ‘features’
Well at least you guys can get it running, I cant even get past the load screen, it just fails starts to load then closes automatically, multiplayer last a bit longer but comes up with a windows error message saying the game .exe file encountered an error and had to close. What a waste of £30 if it don’t work.
Same problem. It’s a conflict with your sound card. After installation go to the folder \Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare\miles and change the extension of the file mssmp3 to .bak This worked for me.
Renaming extension on the mssmp3 file did the trick for me too. Cheers
Peter you the man
I’ve been trying to make my game run and now it finally started.
Hey, I get this problem. Can anyone help? Iw3SP.exe encounterd a problem and needs to close. This happens when I install and first load up I play try to change the options for screen res and crashes I die and crashes can anyone help?
I have it on PC and XBOX, and I like XBOX much more than PC. Not only is XBOX much smoother to control, but also the clear, defined graphics help also. Not to mention my XBOX doesn’t show some random pop up about some internal error that needs to close every 20 minutes. Personally, XBOX seems the much better choice for the game, not to mention how glitchy and laggy COD 4 can be 0_0
I can get Singe Player to work fine, but every time I try to open Multiplayer I get:
“iw3mp.exe has stopped working”
Renaming the extension to “.bak” means like changing the “.asi” in “mssmp3.asi” into “mssmp3.bak” right?
update: All I had to do was plug in a mic, kind of odd, but it works now.
Get all of your answers here:
http://www.infinityward.com/community/forum/index.php?topic=3890.0
I have this same problem and I tried every thing but the sound card. I’m gonna try it to see if it work thanks.
When I start single player, my computer restarts. Would this be the game or my system?? I have an 8600 graphics card and think that might have something to do with it…idk, plz help!!!
Question, I just got CoD4 and it is off the charts laggy! What’s wrong? Is it the game? I did the game on my mom’s computer and again laggy as heck. What’s the problem?
I’ve got the problem that my main PC won’t read the disc but my laptop will. I put disk in nothing happens and it freezes my computer. If I try and open dat, I think my cd/dvd player might need an upgrade to play it… but not sure what and where to get it… any suggstions?
Can someone help? I also have problems with my Call of Duty 4 game on PC. When I try to play an error pops up saying the game can’t write a file, probaly because its hard drive is full.
I can delete anythin because it’s read only… help!!!!!!!
Thanks Justin. Man, if it wasnt for you, I would have returnd the game.
Well, I just got COD4 for PC and it just seems to be really laggish and not running smoothly. I’m pretty sure my comp is up to date… never had problems with World of Warcraft or Counter Strike.
Any one got any suggestions on how to make it run more smoothly?
P.S. I’m not too familiar with computers, besides just playing games on them.
thank you
I cannot set up a server. My PC goes through the setup OK, then I fire it up and all I get is the console telling me that there is a hitch warning. Can anybody help please?
I loaded COD 4 just fine but when I try to load to play comes up message that game will not load alpha glow and will not start any help?
I loaded CoD4 fine, but I always get crashes when I play the game. Sometimes I’m able to play for 2min, sometimes it happenes during the first movie. If you have any info to help me out PLZ I’M BEGGING YOU!!!!!!!
I have exactly the same problem. I’ve loaded the game fine, the game seems to start OK and then asks me if I want to run it in safe mode because last time I played it the game never quit properly. The thing is I havent played the game yet and it comes up with a technical mesage that I have no idea what it means. Any help people?
Okay, I thought I’d share my experience with this f*%$@n “iw3sp.exe” error.
First stats for my rig (from Dxdiag):
Operating System: Windows XP Professional (5.1, Build 2600) Service Pack 2 (2600.xpsp_sp2_gdr.070227-2254)
Language: English (Regional Setting: English)
System Manufacturer: NVIDIA
System Model: 122-CK-NF68
BIOS: Phoenix – AwardBIOS v6.00PG
Processor: Intel(R) Core(TM)2 CPU 6400 @ 2.13GHz (2 CPUs)
Memory: 2046MB RAM
Page File: 348MB used, 3590MB available
Windows Dir: C:\WINDOWS
DirectX Version: DirectX 9.0c (4.09.0000.0904)
DX Setup Parameters: Not found
DxDiag Version: 5.03.2600.2180 32bit Unicode
Display Devices
—————
Card name: NVIDIA GeForce 7950 GT
Manufacturer: NVIDIA
Chip type: GeForce 7950 GT
DAC type: Integrated RAMDAC
Device Key: Enum\PCI\VEN_10DE&DEV_0295&SUBSYS_C6353842&REV_A1
Display Memory: 512.0 MB
Current Mode: 1280 x 1024 (32 bit) (60Hz)
Monitor: SyncMaster 931B/931BF/931BA/930BA(Digital)
Monitor Max Res: 1280,1024
Driver Name: nv4_disp.dll
Driver Version: 6.14.0011.6921 (English)
Finally, I have Realtek onboard sound (Driver 5.10.0.5532, Codec ALC885)
As you can see, my rig more than satisfies the Minimum Requriements…
The first time I installed, the program worked fine. Then when I quit the game and came back to it I came up with the recurring “iw3sp.exe” error. To make the game work I had to do the following:
1) Update Realtek drivers
2) Use the Nvidia *BETA* drivers
3) The machine *MUST* be booted up as follows: sound set to “basic”, screen resolution set to 600×800.
PLEASE NOTE: If I boot up in any other way, THE GAME WILL NOT LOAD. If I exit the game and make any changes to the sound settings or screen resolution, THE GAME WILL NOT LOAD.
I have spent over 8 hours making this beast work. I was a $%^t’s hair away from returning the game in frustration, but I am a determined individual that used to do tech support on dialup problems for a major ISP, so I was pretty much compelled to fix this problem
BTW: I think that the game is material for GOTY, but I’ll be *VERY* wary about purchasing anything from Infinty Ward again…
Hope this helps!
I finally got it to load on a fresh drive. Now when I try to enter a server, I get:
Error- Code_post_gfx_mp.ff is different from the server.
… this game is really anoying me now… I can’t play multiplayer. I beat the game in veteran. It takes me 5 hours. I beat it 10 times already and I’m kinda getting bored. The problem with my multiplayer is this: iw3mp.exe has stopped working windows is checking for a solution to the problem. I got it for Christmas and I beat it right away. Way to short way to easy and I can’t play online!
please! please help me!
Well, if you read my previous missive from 12/30/07, I thought my problems were over. I even tried my fix twice and the program booted up okay. Now I get the iw3sp.exe error again. I think I’ll just give up….
Awesome, renaming the extension to bak and it works! So, it was the problem with the sound card.
Ok, here I can’t play either single player or multi. Every time I go to load a map it crashes and says directX error. I have directX 10. I even deleted my directX and got every one but it’s still giving me this directX error. I know my system can support it. PLZ HELP ME.
When I start this POS game… all I get is ERROR : Create2DTexture( line_horizontal, 64, 2, 0, 51 ) failed: 8876086c = Invalid call
I have no idea what to do to fix this.
Create2DTexture( line_horizontal, 64, 2, 0, 51 ) failed: 8876086c = Invalid call
I have this too. I dont know what the problem is. I think you must do :
Enable “Support DXT texture format”
Well, I’ve gone to a lot of places about the problems with COD4, some people have reported that they got their game working. They’re the lucky ones, so are Lotto Winners. Well, my Future Store won’t take my game back. And another thing, we can’t be all wrong and our PC’s antique Junk! I couldn’t play the demo and I spent hours loading and re-enstalling this game, (get to the point at the load (it’s good news & bad news and the New Man Soap) then it just freezes there and the progress bar dosen’t even start. Forget about getting any help from Activision. Well, it will be a Blue Moon before I buy anything from them again. Thank God I got a Christmas Gift of “Crysis” by Electronic Arts. IT WORKS JUST FINE. (so did their Demo), go figure.
P.S. Anybody want to buy a new openned COD4?
Regarding the stuff written on the iw3mp.exe problem… NOTHING works for me… I’ve tried EVERYTHING mentioned, reinstalling, changing to .bak, plugging in mic, botting up with 600×800 res and basic sound, updated ALL drivers. I ran a compatability test for COD4 on http://www.systemrequirementslab.com/referrer/srtest and it said my pc passed really well and I failed in none of the requirements. I have an updated geforce 8500, a Realtek onboard sound card updated, core2duo fast PC, 2GB ram and Windows Vista Premium.
Please help, this is driving me INSANE!!!
Can anyone instruct me on the steps of setting up my own server on COD4 PC. I am running a Dell XPS 400, hardwired to cable, and am using a WRT54G Router.
To: EMMA 5 Jan 2003
Used your link to System check and it also said I was okay to run along with CRYSIS which as I mentioned the “Crysis Demo and Game did . I keep a running log of Demo’s I play, type,comments,rate them from X to XXXXX, Excellant to Must Buy and Never etc..
Out of a 145 to date, I’ve only had three that would not play; Rising Eagle – Time Shift and now COD 4.
You’d think these people would get on the their Web and at least offer some explanation or help ??.
Hey, have the game running fine, dialogue in game could be heard during the training but when I got into the first mission no dialogue would play, only subtitles. Any ideas?
Well, now I get it to try to initialize… but it says video card does not meet glow requirements. So, how do I start it anyway without glow???
Hi! I’m going mad! My COD4 loads on OK. But when I try to play the game, it cuts off and asks me to run in safe mode. It didn’t quit properly. I don’t understand. HELP PLEASE!