I created this launcher to provide multiple profiles for the single player game of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. As there are multiple ways to acquire this game and install it, this may not work for everyone.
Instructions:
- Download the zip file here
- Extract the contents to the install directory for Modern Warfare 2
- Create a shortcut on your desktop for MW2 Loader.exe and use it instead of launching the game directly.
- When you click “Launch” and you’re asked to select a program or shortcut to run, navigate to the shortcut you would normally use to launch the single player game and select it. This will ensure that the game is run through Steam.
- If for some reason you need to re-select a program or shortcut to run, you can do this by resetting the Loader. To do this you need to delete the profiles.xml file located in:
(XP) C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MW2_Loader\
(Vista) C:\Program Data\MW2_Loader\
(Win7) C:\ProgramData\MW2_Loader\ - If you don’t already have the Microsoft .Net Framework 3.5 installed on your system, you will need to download it here
Here’s a picture of what the game directory should look like after you’ve extracted the file:
Note: This only works for the PC version of the game and as far as I know only changes your Single Player profile, which includes all game settings and saved games.
If you have any questions or comments please feel free to post them below. Feedback and praise is always welcome!
Updates:
2009-11-16:
- Fixed System.IO.FileFormatException: The image format is unrecognized bug.
2009-11-15:
- Fixed bug with new profiles disappearing when not launched.
- Changed program icon in an attempt to better support Vista and WPF.
- Implemented ability to choose program or shortcut to launch after loading a profile. You should use this to select the shortcut you regularly use to launch the game with Steam.
first it gives me a fatal error “steam must be running to play this game” then i did as per your(Mel’s) instruction make a shortcut to MW_2 loader & using this insted of launch the game directly,but when i double clicking on the loader it gives me a error as snap:
i can’t post the snap here,give me your mail id mel,mine is don.20061@gmail.com what a bull**** game i hv purchase.
Hey Don,
Sorry you’re having such a hard time. Shoot me an email at mastermel@gmail.com with some more information and maybe a screenshot and I’ll see if I can help you out
Thank a lot bro…
It works just fine..
This is awesome – it works brilliantly.
Many, many thanks
Hi…… Every buddy!…..
nasirz_me@hotmail.com HELLO every buddy….
Can any one help me for my this problem I’m having a problem…
My game is not launching have “Fatal Error”
and below it show “Steam must be running to play his game”
What would i do…
I’m waiting……
I try this app on multiplayer and it works for me, of course im using an non original copy :p, “problem i found” dont change nick, but i can change it manually in the multiplayer patch .ini but every thing elese works fine, key configs, weapons, rank etc..
Tvm for this app
P.S. Sorry for my bad english.
I can not open the game it seas could not load localozation.txt. please make sure Modern Warfere 2 is run from the correct folder,please help.
Hey Petter,
What shortcut/program did you select to have the loader launch?
hey i hav had mw2 before! i found the website forum that has the exacct locations for the players folder but tht computer broke and i donwloaded it again on my desktop but tht website that had the players folder exact locations is lost… i need help to see the exact location for the players folder i know its a sub folder and its hidden but i need to find it !
I cant find profiles.xml.
I use xp but there is no mw2_loader folder in application data
Hey DeDarkill,
Are you looking in the All Users\Application Data folder or the Application Data for your Windows user?
Hi
I’ve installed, created and run the launcher, and everything works as expected :
The profile.xml as well as the Directories for each user is created in c:\ProgramData\MW2_Launcher
When I run the launcher, and select the profile and launch the game, it loads, and allows me to play, yet, when I save and quit, not files are saved back into the c:\ProgramData\MW2_Launcher directory.
I therefore still only have ONE profile.
Hope I made my problem clear and that you can help.
Kind Regards & Thanks,
Ralph
Problem Solved … The profile.xml for some reason had the incorrect file permissions.
Works 100% now, thank you.
Great! I’m glad you were able to get it to work.
Hey i have a problem,when i click to launch it on my desktop it goes to profile loader so i click launch on that and it goes back to the profile launcher
Hey David,
You likely selected the loader by mistake the first time you ran it when it prompted you to select the shortcut to run MW2. What you need to do is delete the profiles.xml (described in my post) and then run the loader and hit “Launch”. This time browse to the original Steam shortcut for MW2 and select it to launch.
Good luck!
Thanks for your effort mate. My friend and I play this game on my computer and everytime he was overwriting my game (you can imagine the agony it caused me!). Thanks again!
Nicely done! This works a treat. I can’t believe that the morons who developed this game thought they should restrict access to one user. Thanks again for this great little app, my son’s appreciate this immensely. PS. Much better than the shell script I would have put together.
Thanks Lou, glad you like it!
I’m getting this error now?
http://i47.tinypic.com/30ic4mu.jpg
I followed the steps correctly, i still don’t understand why it wont work?
Ah, the error you’re experiencing is due to the loader not having access rights to the Modern Warfare 2. Try running the loader as administrator by right-clicking on it.
Or you can grant full access to your Windows user for the Modern Warfare 2 directory.
My single player dont work anymore, it say’s single player not available???
Hey Peter,
I’m not sure what would cause this, it’s not an error I’ve seen before. Try re-installing MW2 through steam and then following the steps again.
i havethe same problem please help
please hulp i don’t understand how to play MW 2 ,STEAM MUST BE RUNNING ! please help ! ! !
)
Hey Roy,
That probably means that you didn’t select the right shortcut during step 4 above. Follow step 5 to delete your profile.xml file and then redo step 4. Good luck!
can u PLz make a video for this n mail me on my email id
deep_vira2000@yahoo.com
PLZ>PLZ>>>>>>
Just in case you are interested in creating a version that works for multiplayer I know where the multi player files are stored, at least on my machine, which is running Vista. They are in a directory called Program Files/Steam/userdata/<number>/10190. If I rename 10190 to something else then I start back at rank 1. I presume that <number> is some unique id created for my steam account so will vary from machine to machine.
Hey Paul,
Thanks for the info! I have had a few other tips on enhancing this Loader to work with multiplayer, but as of now I just haven’t had the time to put into it. It’s a bit difficult for me to do since I don’t actually have a legitimate copy of the game running on Steam. So it’ll be through tips like this and a little bit of guesswork that I’ll get it working.
I do have a few questions that would help me. When you rename the 10190 folder and run the game, does it create another 10190 folder in its place? If it does, can you then delete the new 10190 folder, rename the original one back, and have all of your multiplayer profile restored?
Thanks!
Yes and yes.
I tried to manually create a new profile for my son but unfortunately just moving the 10190 folder wasn’t enough. There is a copy of the same information in the following directory:
C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2\players
That directory contains settings as well as player details. After I moved it out of the way I got a new profile for my son to use.
Hi Mel,
My Machine already have 3.5 Framework SP1 but your exe does not want to run it throws above said error. My machine’s config is here under:
AMD Athlon64 X2 4000+, 4GB RAM (667MHz), nVidia 8400GS (512MB), ASUS M2NPV-VM Motherboard.
XP Professional 32-bit with SP3.
Framework: 2.0, 3.0 and 3.5 SP1
Game Location: D:\Installed_Games\Modern Warfare 2\
Permission: Everyone (Full Control)
I can provide you more info if you need them.
Thanks,
Sameer…
Thanks Sameer,
I’ll do some research into it over the next few days and try and get a fix up!
On my XP SP3 with Framework 3.5 SP1 I got this huge error.
—————————
Error with Launcher
—————————
There was an error with the program, please submit to http://mel-green.com/blog.
Error:
System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for ‘System.Windows.Media.FontFamily’ threw an exception. —> System.TypeInitializationException: The type initializer for ‘MS.Internal.FontCache.Util’ threw an exception. —> System.UriFormatException: Invalid URI: The format of the URI could not be determined.
at System.Uri.CreateThis(String uri, Boolean dontEscape, UriKind uriKind)
at System.Uri..ctor(String uriString, UriKind uriKind)
at MS.Internal.FontCache.Util..cctor()
— End of inner exception stack trace —
at System.Windows.Media.FontFamily.PreCreateDefaultFamilyCollection()
at System.Windows.Media.FontFamily..cctor()
— End of inner exception stack trace —
at System.Windows.Media.Typeface..ctor(FontFamily fontFamily, FontStyle style, FontWeight weight, FontStretch stretch)
at MS.Internal.Text.DynamicPropertyReader.GetTypeface(DependencyObject element)
at MS.Internal.Text.TextProperties.InitCommon(DependencyObject target)
at MS.Internal.Text.TextProperties..ctor(FrameworkElement target, Boolean isTypographyDefaultValue)
at System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock.GetLineProperties()
at System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock.EnsureTextBlockCache()
at System.Windows.Controls.TextBlock.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at MS.Internal.Helper.MeasureElementWithSingleChild(UIElement element, Size constraint)
at System.Windows.Controls.ContentPresenter.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at Microsoft.Windows.Themes.ButtonChrome.MeasureOverride(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.Control.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.StackPanel.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.DockPanel.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.DockPanel.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at MS.Internal.Helper.MeasureElementWithSingleChild(UIElement element, Size constraint)
at System.Windows.Controls.ContentPresenter.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.Decorator.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.Documents.AdornerDecorator.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Controls.Border.MeasureOverride(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Window.MeasureOverrideHelper(Size constraint)
at System.Windows.Window.MeasureOverride(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.FrameworkElement.MeasureCore(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.UIElement.Measure(Size availableSize)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.SetLayoutSize()
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.set_RootVisualInternal(Visual value)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.set_RootVisual(Visual value)
at System.Windows.Window.SetRootVisual()
at System.Windows.Window.SetupInitialState(Double requestedTop, Double requestedLeft, Double requestedWidth, Double requestedHeight)
at System.Windows.Window.CreateSourceWindowImpl()
at System.Windows.Window.SafeCreateWindow()
at System.Windows.Window.ShowHelper(Object booleanBox)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(Object source, Delegate callback, Object args, Boolean isSingleParameter, Delegate catchHandler)
—————————
OK
—————————
Hey Sameer,
I don’t think I’ve seen that error yet. Have you installed .Net Framework 3.5 SP1? You can download it here.
Let me know if that changes anything for you!
i had the same problem
i installed the Net Framework 3.5
then i restarted the computer…
and when i launched thru the LOADER i got same fatal error
telling me about being on steam…
please help… i would like to kick some S in MW2
Hey jaxx,
If your error is about “Steam must be running” then it’s likely that you selected the wrong shortcut to run the game.
Try following steps 5 and 4 under the instructions above and see if that helps.
Good luck!
running on vista but can’t seem to find C:\Program Data\MW2_Loader\profiles.xml anywhere. How do Isearch for hidden folders? each time i try and launch the game i get a file on my desk top “iw4sp.exe.4556.STEAMSTART” i’m very close to throwing my system out my window and would greatly appreciate any help
thanks in advance!
Hey Noo-B,
To show hidden files/folders in Windows Vista you can follow this tutorial: http://www.bleepingcomputer.co.....al130.html. I’m not sure why that file would be created on your desktop. What shorcut/executable did you select in the launcher to run?
hey mel, sorry for late reply, I managed to sort it. I recently reloaded the game and now i have a new problem. for some reason the install directory for the game only has a few files in it, ‘main’ and ‘players’ folders, and ‘iw4mp’ exe. before i reloaded the game the directory was the same as it is above in your instructions. I can’t understand why there is no single player exe, but I can run the game from the start menu. head scratcher!
The game probably installed to a different directory. Try viewing the properties of the shortcut in your start menu that launches the game and see where it’s pointing to. Or, if that’s not successful, try doing a search for iw4sp.exe across your whole computer.
The game wouldn’t be able to run without all those files, so it must be in a different directory. Once you find it you can put the loader there and try it again. Good luck!
hi thanks a lot, that works perfectly, but <hat can i do to save those two profile i created with your software?
thanks
I’ve done all that u have said..
but not still working.
The Mel Cod6.bat file seems to be missing??
Please Help…
Hey hari,
I’m not sure what you mean by the Cod6.bat file. I’m not aware of anything like that existing. Did you download the loader from my website?
Mel, it works succesfully for me, thanks a lot for that. the only inconvenience is that changed the language from Spanish to English, that was the default here (the case I bought said “game fully in Spanish”). Any idea how to recover the Spanish language..????
Thanks in advance..!!!
Sergio
Still not working for me… plz help!
http://img3.imageshack.us/img3/8237/nonamelj.jpg
Hey David,
That error means that the launcher can’t gain access to the ‘players’ folder inside the MW2 install directory.
You need to grant permissions to either everyone or your user for the MW2 install directory where you’re running the launcher from. Or you can run the launcher as administrator (right-click > Run as administrator).
hey mel, i am trying to launch the game for the first time it kept telling me that “steam must be running to play this game”
i have no idea what steam is & how to run the game, plus ur app didn’t quite work it gave me the same error code as david although i gave it permission.
a little help would be appreciated.thx
i got the same thing…
i am really hopeless with this
can someone help us???
i followed yer steps but i got an error that says fatal error-plz make sure mw2 is run from the correct folder
Hey Drakka,
What directory are you running the MW2_Loader.exe from?
The solution for the steam problem:
just download this crack e extract it. So, cut and paste in the cod folder, like a normal crack.
http://hotfile.com/dl/18913336.....k.rar.html
It works for me!!
Just buck up and buy two computers capable of running the games. Then create two Steam accounts, one for each PC. Then buy all your games through Steam and never again worry with CD’s or DVD’s to run games. I have been doing this every since Half Life came out and required Steam to run. I B****ed about it then till I was blue in the face, didn’t do any good. Steam is growing and has a solid financial base.
I, with four kids, now have four PC’s, Four Steam accounts, and Four copies of each game we play. It’s expensive, but entertainment CAN be expensive no matter which method of entertainment you choose.
fatal error: steam must be running…
can some one tell me what is steam?? how to start it
Thanks for this Mel, it works great.
I know I’m a bit paranoid, but would you get banned for doing this?
Hey Ahmed,
Since this currently only changes the single player profile information, I can’t imagine how Steam/Activision would even detect it, let alone ban you for it. Although there’s no guarantees, I’d say it’s pretty safe.
Hey Mel, I hope you don’t mind me posting this, but I wrote a petition to get Multiple Profile Support added to the game. The petition can be found at http://www.petitionspot.com/pe.....w2profiles and I hope everyone will sign it so that, if it gets large enough, Steam/Activision will do something about the issue. Btw, your loader is absolutely great and works perfectly for me in Single Player.
is it possible for there to be one with multi player?
Hey guys, please refer to my earlier post on resolving the “Steam must be running” error. It’s due to the wrong program/shortcut being selected to launch.
@Matt – Sorry you’re getting an error. However I wasn’t able to access the image you linked to. Could you try linking it again?
@Josh – Sorry bud, but the loader currently doesn’t support multiple profiles for “multiplayer”. I have some leads on adding that feature but I just haven’t had the time yet to work on it. I hope you enjoy the SP support though!
Alright thanks for everything
sorry for all the comments but the last thing I was wandering, is there away to download a second MW2_Loader then connect it to Mulitplayer?
seems to work for me, superb little app, thanks
MW2 Loader says I need to be running Steam at the same time when ever I click Launch, I was wandering how I can do that?
didnt work, i get the error ” steam must be running” plus it deleted my single player save files… sweet
I still get the “Error with launcher” message when creating a new profile :S
Hey Swanztyger,
Can you email me a copy of all the text associated with the error? Or take a screenshot of the error (maximize the error window) and upload it somewhere and then post a link to it?
Hey, I’m getting the same error message, and then the launcher closes. Here’s a screenshot.
<img height=”363″ width=”500″ src=”http://19.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kv8b0eAWoc1qzjknso1_500.png” alt=”" class=”image”/>
Or not. I guess HTML doesn’t work here? In any case, here;s a link to the screenshot: http://s3.amazonaws.com/data.t.....5xk4Dsw%3D
Hey guys,
Sorry for some of the inconvenience and complexity in using this loader. If you’re receiving the “Steam must be running error” then you need to reset the loader and select the shortcut (possibly on your desktop) that you would normally use to launch the single player game. Here’s some steps:
You need to delete the profiles.xml file located in:
(XP) C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MW2_Loader\
(Vista) C:\Program Data\MW2_Loader\
(Win7) C:\ProgramData\MW2_Loader\
After that when you run the loader again you will be prompted to select the program or shortcut to launch. Browse to your desktop and select the shortcut you would regularly use to run the single player game.>
Let me know if you guys still need help. Good luck!
Hey, so I figured out the problem with that long list of code that kept showing up. In order to use the launcher, the user that wants to play has to be logged into the Steam accound that has the copy of the game activated on it. If this is done, then the user can still utilize the launcher and the multiple user accounts created inside it. Best of luck to everyone, and great coding!
I can’t find that file, I get to the folder All Users then shows for folders but none of them are Application Data, it’s just: Desktop, Favorites, Shared Documents, and Start Up Menu, when I looked through the files I couldn’t find the MW2 Loader any where, but in a different file I found the shortcut to the MW2 Loader, is that what I suppose to delete?
Hey mel.. i cant find the loader.. i try putting the C:\Program Data\MW2_Loader\ in my run and it wont work.. plz help iam really frustrated
Hi when i try to start it with iwmp or iwsp it says steam most be runing what does i make wrong ?
ok, i have ran through everything as stated and i’m still getting steam msg. i’ve tried ur program and everytime i run it i get a error message titled “error with the launcher” anda list of lines. I’ve made the effort of downloading steam and i still have the prob. I need ur advice asap. ty
oh.. when i use default it asks me which program and when i create i new profile i get that error with the launcher window
Hi,
I followed the steps correctly, and when i launch the MW loader, it still gives me the same error,
Steam must be running to play this game
What should I DO?? CAn u help please??
I have the same problem !! =(
I have Win 7. I need to delete profiles.xml. I have no program data folder. The install folder is in C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\call of duty modern warfare 2. I used the wrong shortcut. I did a search for MW2_Loader folder and profiles.xml and didn’t come up with nothing. I can’t find them.
Hey Rodney,
The ProgramData folder is a hidden folder, so by default it wouldn’t show up in Windows Explorer. Try setting explorer to show hidden files/folders or bring up the Run dialog (WindowsKey+R) and typing in the full path: C:\ProgramData\MW2_Launcher\.
Good luck, let me know if either of those works for you.
Thanks. I already did that but when I upgraded to Win 7 it must have hidden the files and folders again. Thanks again for the help and the file.
fine man!!!! congrat…!!!!
I just want to say thanks! works perfectly for me and my
brother, playing on single player. Great job!
Hey guys, sorry you’re having problems. The “Steam must be running to play this game” error means that you don’t have the right startup shortcut selected.
When the program runs for the first time it will prompt you to select the program/shortcut to run after changing profiles. When this happens you should select the shortcut on the desktop that you generally use to launch the game.
To reset the program so it prompts you again you need to delete the file “profiles.xml”. Check earlier comments or my blog post for locations to find that.
Hi, when I try to lunch the game I get an error message: “Steam must be running to play this game”. My install dir appears to be, by default: steam/steamapps/common/call of duty modern warfare 2. As a comparison, when I create a shortcut from steam it’s different: Steam\steam.exe -applaunch 10180
I tried to paste this path in xml file, but it doesnt work.
Any ideas?
it says: fatal error: steam must be running to play this game
what can i do??
It seems it is working for SP. Good. There is one problem though: my own profile got deleted and I can’t find it back. It happened after I clicked on MP in the second profile (which directed me automatically to the default). I have to start over again with the game. Fortunately I was not that far yet. Hopefully it will not erase any progress in future though.
So has anyone tried this with multi player as this is the main reason I want to use the multiple profiles. If someone has tried it and works can they let me know
ladyhawknz@hotmail.com
Hey LadyHawknz,
At the moment the loader only works for single player. I’m currently working on a fix for that but it’s going slow. If I get something working I’ll post it here so stay tuned!
How can i change the shortcut launcher? please help…i made a mistake!!
Hey Mike,
You can reset the prompt for the startup app by either deleting or editing this file: C:\Program Data\MW2_Loader\profiles.xml (Vista/7), or C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\MW2_Loader\profiles.xm (XP)