Ways to fix the bad module info error

Users recently often encounter the “Bad Module Info” error (in most cases when launching modern games such as PUBG and CS: GO), especially after updating Windows 1709 for developers. Since then, players playing PUBG, CS Go, and Fortnite have occasionally reported this bug. The main reason is the mechanisms and modules involved in running the game on your computer running Windows itself. The complete error message: “The program bad_module_info does not work.”

Fix bad module info error.

Cause of bad module info error in Windows

You might think that since PUBG and other games have their own launcher, it has nothing to do with various libraries and Windows modules. But it does not work that way; each game uses a predefined mechanism implemented in Windows, and as the main structure they perform their operations during the launch of the game. Among the main causes of the error:

  • Enabled fullscreen optimization feature.
  • Incorrect settings for virtual memory.
  • Incompatibility of applications and your version of Windows.
  • Outdated video card drivers or other hardware.
  • Incorrectly installed OS updates (or lack thereof).
  • Other resource-intensive applications / games running in the background.
  • Game panel built into Windows
  • Outdated BIOS version.

Consider the possible methods of solving the problem in more detail.

Error recovery methods

When you see the bad_module_info error, the first thing you should try is to put your game in the background.

Disable fullscreen optimization

Windows has the “Fullscreen Optimization” feature, which allows the operating system to improve game quality and performance when the program is running in fullscreen mode. Since modern games are mostly configured for full-screen mode, this mechanism turns on and tries to optimize it. Instead of updating Windows 1709, there are many messages that this causes an error message. To fix the bad module info in Windows 10, you can turn off full-screen optimization and see if this solves the problem. Remember that turning off this option will reduce FPS, but at least you can play.

  1. Right-click on the game / program shortcut or launcher and select Properties.
  2. After that, select the Compatibility tab and check the “Disable full-screen optimization” option. Also check the box "Run this program as an administrator."
  3. Click “Apply” to save changes and exit.

Changing the value of virtual memory

Virtual memory is an extension of physical memory. If you installed Windows 10 (1709) on an SSD, you can change the virtual memory to prevent the bad_module_info error message:

  1. Use the Win + PauseBreak keyboard shortcuts to launch the system properties window.
  2. On the left side, click Advanced System Settings.
  3. Click the Advanced tab. Under the "Performance" element, click "Settings" to open the performance settings.
  4. Select the Advanced tab and click the Edit button.
  5. Uncheck the "Automatically manage the paging file size for all disks."
  6. Select Custom size to set the correct paging file size for each disk.

Check if the error of the bad module info failed.

Run programs in Windows 7 or 8 compatibility mode

Demanding games and programs may not be compatible with the latest version of Windows 10 Fall Creator Update (1709), and to fix the bad_module_info failure, you can enable the program file compatibility mode with the .exe extension:

  1. Find the .exe file of your failed application and right-click it. select "Properties".
  2. Click the Compatibility tab. Here check the box “Run this program in compatibility mode”. Then from the drop-down menu, select Windows 7.
  3. Click the “Change high DPI settings” button, select the “Override the scaling mode” checkbox and select “System (Advanced)” from the drop-down list. Click OK.
  4. Check "Run this program as administrator".
  5. Click "Apply" and the OK button.

Video Card Driver Update

The module may stop working because you are using the wrong device drivers or they are outdated. In case this is the source of the error, you need to update all the drivers and see if this solves the problem. You can do it manually. Click Win + X and select Device Manager. In the opened window, expand the Video adapters branch, find and double-click your video card. In the window, select the Driver tab and click the “Update Driver” button. Then you will be prompted to select automatic or manual installation (select automatic), wait for the scan and installation to complete, then restart the PC.

Windows update

In addition to other companies, PUBG developers officially recognized the error message and also reported that it is not the only game affected by the Windows 1709 update. According to PUBG:

At the time of publication there were no possible workarounds for the situation. This error was quickly noticed by Microsoft engineers, who later released several software updates to fix the error message. Following Microsoft, PUBG also updated the game to fix the problem and make sure that this does not happen in the future.

So, if you encounter this error, it probably means that you do not have the latest version of Windows. In this case, we recommend updating Windows as soon as possible using the steps below:

  1. Click Windows + S, enter “Refresh” in the dialog box and open the “Settings” application.
  2. Select the option "Check for Updates and Allow Windows Update." Before continuing, make sure you have an active internet connection.
  3. After installing the update, restart the computer and run the game or application that caused the error again.

In addition to Windows, also make sure you have the latest version of the game / application installed.

Disable the game panel

The game panel is a new feature that appeared in the latest updates of Windows 10. It automatically detects a running game and opens the “game panel” in the center of the bottom of the screen and allows you to record, capture or shoot gameplay using hot keys. Access to the console can be easily obtained in the game by pressing Windows + G when you play any game in or outside the Xbox application. The practice of gamers has shown that the game panel often causes several errors and complicates the work of the game. You can try to disable it and see if it helps. You can always turn on the panel again, if in your case it does not help.

In the latest Microsoft updates, Windows has released a feature called “Game Panel”, which allows users to record their process when they play games. This is a very useful feature that becomes convenient as you do not need to leave the game or allow third-party programs to record your session. Instead, the game panel automatically starts whenever you play any game, and allows you to use the tools with hot keys. The gamebarpresencewriter executable file is the process of executing the Game Bar functionality. You can easily access the game panel when you play any game by pressing Windows + G. It includes settings that allow you to take a screen shot, record your gameplay or quickly launch the Xbox application.

However, there were many users who reported that this application caused abnormal use of CPU or memory when running any game on their computers. In addition, there was also a case when an error occurred, because the Game Bar files were not available in the system for use. With the exception of errors, there were serious cases when people could not turn off the launch of the game panel when opening any game. It should also be noted that some Xbox games are dependent on the game DVR for their smooth operation. If you turn it off, they may become unstable and cause unexpected errors. If they do, you can always undo the changes using the same method.

Disable the game panel in the Xbox app

The game panel is, first of all, a feature of the Xbox application that is present in your Windows. First, we will try to disable the game panel directly from the Xbox app and see if it has any meaning. If this does not work, we will consider the possibility of disabling the Xbox DVR or game panel using the registry.

  • Click Windows + S, enter "Xbox" in the dialog box and open the application.
  • Click on the “Settings” icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Now select “Game DVR” from the list of tabs and uncheck the “Record game clips and screenshots using Game DVR” checkbox.
  • Restart the computer for the changes to take effect, and see if the problem is resolved.

Disable using settings

If you still cannot disable the features using the above two solutions, we can try to disable them using your application’s default settings. Please note that this feature has been enabled in the settings after the developer update. If you do not have this version installed, you will not be able to follow the solution below.

  • Click Windows + S, enter “settings” in the dialog box and press Enter.
  • In the settings, click "Games" and select "Game Panel" using the navigation bar on the right side of the screen.
  • Uncheck the "Record game clips, screenshots and broadcast using the game panel."

Restart the computer and see if the problem is resolved.

Disable the game panel using pop-up settings

If you deleted the Xbox application from your computer, you may not be able to change the settings and disable the game panel, as described above. In this case, the fix is ​​quite simple; we will disable the launch of the Game Bar when you start the game using your own settings.

  • Let the Game Bar appear on your computer every time you start a game, and if not, press Windows + G to launch it.
  • After launching the game panel, click on the “Settings” icon on the right side of the panel.
  • Uncheck all of the following options:
    • "Open the game panel when using (Xbox) on the controller."
    • "Show the game panel when I play full-screen games that Microsoft has checked."
    • "Remember this as a game."
  • After making the necessary changes, restart the computer and see if the problem is resolved.

There are also other workarounds, such as deleting an Xbox application, running gamebarpresencewriter.exe with administrative rights, or changing registry files. In some cases, they work, but in others they make the problem worse.

Update BIOS

BIOS stands for Basic Input / Output System. It connects the components of your computer with the operating system. Outdated BIOS can cause errors and crashes, including during the game, such as "bad_module_info". BIOS is a very small program up to 16 MB. Modern BIOSes have a user interface, commonly called the Setup Utility, where the user can configure a variety of hardware options. On laptops or tablets, you often come across simplified BIOS versions in which the user can only set the time and a couple of other things, such as boot order. On more advanced motherboards, such as those installed on desktop computers, the BIOS provides many options, including ways to adjust the processor's clock frequency or voltage, shared memory between the processor and the graphics processor, RAM latency, etc.

Configuring an extended BIOS can be dangerous if the user does not know what each parameter is doing and sets incorrect values, as system components have limitations in how they are installed. For example, accessing a processor at a very high frequency may cause it to overheat, which leads to an infinite reboot of the computer. To make sure that you are safe, configure the BIOS settings only after reading the manual for your system and make sure that you know the capabilities of the hardware components you are installing.

Another challenge for the BIOS is to preserve these configuration settings when the system is turned off. For this, it has a small amount of volatile CMOS memory, which is battery powered. The term CMOS means additional metal oxide semiconductor, representing the process used to make this memory chip. With respect to computers, CMOS is a memory chip that contains the hardware settings of the computer. If the battery in the CMOS memory chip is low and can no longer supply power, the BIOS will use the built-in default settings, not the user settings you made.

The most important task that the BIOS has to solve is to move from a mechanical hardware gesture, for example, to touch the power button, to a more abstract level, for example, to display the logo of the operating system on the screen. This means that when you turn on your system, the BIOS is started by the first program. His task is to run coolers, check power levels, perform several quick tests that evaluate the performance of the system hardware, and then load the drivers and start the operating system boot process. If a failure occurs during this process, the BIOS will display a message informing you of what is wrong. In the screenshot below you can see an example of a possible error. If this memory chip fails, the BIOS can no longer be loaded and the motherboard can not be used. That is why motherboard manufacturers use the Dual-BIOS system on their modern motherboards. Dual BIOS means that there are two chips for storing BIOS: one for the main BIOS and one for the backup. If the main BIOS chip fails, you are prompted to restart the computer, and the backup BIOS chip is used to boot the BIOS with the default settings.

UEFI stands for Unified Extensible Firmware Interface, and you can think of it as a modern and more powerful BIOS. It plays the same role as the traditional BIOS, but includes more features such as cryptography or remote diagnostics and computer repair, even if the operating system is not installed. This type of BIOS was invented by Intel, and it was first released in 2005. UEFI became popular after the launch of the Windows 8 operating system, because it was the first Microsoft operating system to provide its own support. As in the usual BIOS, UEFI is configured by the manufacturer of the motherboard used. UEFI BIOS will display several settings on tablets and laptops.

The BIOS is a key component of any computer or device, and knowing how to use it can provide greater flexibility and some performance advantages. Knowledgeable users and IT professionals can use the BIOS to squeeze the maximum performance out of their computers and devices. If you're not a big expert, that's fine. The default BIOS settings usually match the needs of the average user, and your system will work fine, even if you do not use its settings. To update the BIOS, you can go to the technical support site of your motherboard and download the latest update from it. After that, simply install the update on your computer and see if it solves the problem. The BIOS update installation process may differ depending on which motherboard you are using. If you do something wrong, it can have unexpected consequences, so do everything carefully. You may need the help of a technician when updating the BIOS.

Reboot and restore PC

Resetting your computer can help you undo changes you have made (especially any updates you have installed) that could cause a bad_module_info error. But do not worry, it will not lead to the loss of all your personal files and data. Here is how you can restart the computer:

  1. Click the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen and press the power button. Then press and hold the Shift key on the keyboard and click "Restart".
  2. Select Troubleshooting.
  3. Select "Reset this PC."
  4. Select "Save my files." Your computer will restart. This option will remove your applications. You will need to reinstall them after restarting the computer.
  5. Select your account and enter a password to continue the process.
  6. Click Reset.
  7. Wait until the end of the process, and then check whether your problem is fixed.

In addition to the above methods, you can also try:

  • Turn on and then turn on your computer.
  • Installing the latest versions of all drivers (in addition to graphics drivers).
  • Make sure no other game is running in the background.
  • Make sure you are logged in as an administrator.

As you can see, you can get rid of the error in several ways available to almost any PC user. If none of the solutions helped you or you got rid of the problem in another way, share it in the comments under the article. We will try it out and in the next article we will definitely provide detailed instructions.