The PnkBstrB.exe Heartbeats Stopped error is most often caused by interference of another program, such as a firewall or anti-virus software. If you have any type of security software on your computer, be sure to either disable it while playing a game or make sure that PnkBstrA.exe, PnkBstrB.exe, and PnkBstrK.sys all have access to the internet and are not being blocked.

Many anti-virus programs have been known to block out any new services and kernel drivers when they are first released. Until these programs update to identify that PnkBstr services are components of PunkBuster, you will have to manually adjust the settings of your anti-virus software, or disable it.

This error may also be caused by the PnkBstrA.exe, PnkBstrB.exe, and PnkBstrK.sys services failing to start. If you have previously disabled these services, you will need to Reinstall PunkBuster as these services are now mandatory.