Easy Anti-Cheat error code 30004: how to fix it

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Error 30004 means Easy Anti-Cheat could not start properly when the game launched. No vendor documents this code, so the steps below come from user reports and guidance for the related error 30005. A full cold restart, verifying the game files and repairing EAC are common general EAC troubleshooting steps, but none is confirmed for 30004 specifically.

Applies to:Windows10, 11Games protected by Easy Anti-Cheate.g. Dead by Daylight, Apex Legends, Vermintide 2, Darktide
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What it means

Error 30004 appears when a game protected by Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) fails to start or initialise the EAC service. The game then refuses to launch, or closes right after you press Play.

One thing to know before you start: neither Epic nor the EAC team has published anything about this specific code. Reports describe it as a generic startup failure, handled in practice much like the better-known error 30005. So the steps below are ordered from least to most invasive, and none of them is a vendor-confirmed cure for 30004. Expect to work down the list.

Don't confuse it with error 1072, which some people see when the EAC repair itself fails. That is a separate problem.

Symptoms and causes

You are likely dealing with this problem if:

  • The game will not launch and shows "Error Code: 30004".
  • The error appears after a game crash and automatic restart, or after restarting the PC.
  • The error appears after a failed Easy Anti-Cheat setup or install step.

The usual causes, most common first:

Stale or stuck EAC service or driver
After a crash, EAC's service or driver may be left in a bad state. In one Dead by Daylight report a cold restart of the PC cleared the error.
Failed or damaged EAC installation
If the EAC setup did not finish cleanly, or its driver file EasyAntiCheat.sys is damaged, the service may not start. One Apex Legends report links 30004 to a failed EAC setup install, and a Microsoft Q&A thread about 30005 mentions a damaged EasyAntiCheat.sys.
Antivirus, firewall or other software interfering
For the related error 30005, a Microsoft Q&A thread and a Darktide Steam thread describe security software or background programs getting in the way of EAC. The same may apply to 30004, but that is not confirmed.
Possible RAM or hardware instability
The Dead by Daylight reporter also saw a Windows bugcheck (0x1a, PAGE_TABLE_RESERVED_BITS_SET) suggesting faulty memory. This is a single report and not confirmed as the cause.

How to fix it

Work through these in order. They start with the quickest, safest checks and move to deeper repairs; stop as soon as the problem is gone.

1.Shut down fully and start the PC again

Easy

May clear a stuck EAC service or driver left over from a crash. It worked as a workaround in the Dead by Daylight report.

  1. Save your work, then open Start > Power and hold Shift while clicking Shut down. This avoids a fast-startup resume.
  2. Wait about 10 seconds, switch the PC on again and launch the game.

2.Verify the game files in the launcher

Easy

Replaces missing or damaged game files without touching your saves. The Dead by Daylight report also points to file validation.

  1. On Steam: right-click the game in your Library, choose Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files.
  2. On Epic Games Launcher: open the game's ... menu in the Library, choose Manage > Verify.
  3. When it finishes, launch the game again.

3.Run the Easy Anti-Cheat repair

Moderate

Reinstalling or repairing the EAC service is listed for the related error 30005 in a Microsoft Q&A thread, and may help if the original install failed.

  1. Open the game's install folder and find the EasyAntiCheat folder (some games use EasyAntiCheat_EOS).
  2. Look for the setup program in that folder, the file with "Setup" in its name. The exact file name differs between games and EAC versions.
  3. Run it, select your game, and use the repair option if one is offered (often labelled Repair Service; the label may vary).
  4. Start the game again. If the repair itself fails with 1072, that is a different error, so move on to the next steps.

4.Check antivirus and firewall for blocks

ModerateChanges settings

Security software can block EAC or lock its files. Exclusions for the game and EAC folders are described for 30005 in the Microsoft Q&A and Darktide threads.

Before you start: Only add exclusions for the game folder and EAC folder, and only for software you trust. Do not leave your protection switched off.

  1. Open your antivirus or firewall settings and look at its quarantine or blocked-items history for EAC or game files. Restore anything it removed.
  2. Add exclusions for the game's install folder and the EAC folder, for example C:\Program Files (x86)\EasyAntiCheat_EOS.
  3. Repeat the EAC repair from the previous solution, then launch the game.

5.Close background apps or do a selective startup

ModerateChanges settings

Other programs can conflict with the EAC service. A Darktide Steam thread about 30005 describes this approach.

Before you start: Selective startup changes how Windows boots. Note what you change and set it back to Normal startup afterwards.

  1. Close other programs that are running, especially any other game with anti-cheat, then relaunch the game.
  2. If that fails, press WinR, type msconfig and press Enter.
    Text
    msconfig
  3. On the General tab choose Selective startup, untick Load startup items, restart, and try the game.
  4. If it works, re-enable items one at a time to find the culprit, then switch back to Normal startup.

6.Delete the EAC driver file, then repair EAC

AdvancedChanges settings

A damaged EasyAntiCheat.sys is mentioned in the Microsoft Q&A thread about 30005. Some users there later said this did not help.

Before you start: Only delete the file inside the game's own EasyAntiCheat folder, not elsewhere in Windows.

  1. Close the game, the launcher and any EAC processes (check Task Manager).
  2. In the game's EasyAntiCheat folder, delete EasyAntiCheat.sys.
  3. Run the EAC setup program again as described in the repair solution, then launch the game. If it still fails, reinstall EAC or the game.

7.Check memory if crashes keep happening

Advanced

If the PC restarts or blue-screens on its own, faulty RAM could be behind both the crashes and the EAC error. This is a possibility, not a confirmed cause.

  1. Press WinR, type mdsched.exe and press Enter.
    Text
    mdsched.exe
  2. Choose Restart now and check for problems, and let the test finish.
  3. If errors are reported, have the memory checked or replaced. Also keep your graphics and chipset drivers up to date from the manufacturer's site.

Check that it worked

  • The game starts and reaches the main menu without the 30004 message.
  • You can join an online match without EAC closing the game.

If it still fails

  • Contact the game's own support team and give them the exact error text, your Windows version and the steps you tried. The EAC site says to take EAC problems to the game's support.
  • If the PC also restarts or blue-screens on its own, treat that as a hardware or driver problem first and have it checked.

Questions

Is error 30004 the same as 30005?

No official source says so. They look similar in practice and share the same fixes in user reports, but 30005 is the better documented one.

Sources

  1. Bug: Random EAC Crashes and Error Code 30004 Post-Update · BetaHub (Dead by Daylight issue tracker)
  2. Microsoft Q&A answer on Easy Anti-Cheat error 30005 · Microsoft Learn Q&A (community)
  3. Warhammer 40,000: Darktide discussion (error 30005) · Steam Community
  4. Error 30005Official · Easy Anti-Cheat

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