14 Fixes: Hl2.Exe Has Stopped Working Error

hl2.exe has stopped working

Windows 10 is known to have problems with old games, mainly due to the outdated engines that the developers no longer support. Such an issue is quite common for a game Half-life 2. Users usually experience the game crashing in this error, which ruins the game’s overall experience.

Have you recently experienced an hl2.exe application error? Well, don’t worry, this article will guide you on how to fix and avoid the problem in the future.

Solutions for Troubleshooting Hl2.Exe has Stopped Working Error

  1. Restart Your Computer
  2. Manually Update the GPU Drivers
  3. Use Driverfix to Update Drivers Automatically
  4. Run the Game File as an Administrator
  5. Check the Compatibility of the Directx Version
  6. Disable Background Processes
  7. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Temporarily
  8. Use Steam Client to Validate Game Files 
  9. Re-Install Half-Life 2
  10. Modify Gmod in Steam
  11. Delete Gmod From Steam
  12. Modify Monitor’s Refresh Rate
  13. Revert Amd Drivers
  14. Prevent Data Execution

What Causes the HI2.exe Has Stopped Working Error?

There are many reasons why your Hl2.exe might stop working. However, there are a few things that are usually the cause behind this error, such as:

Outdated GPU Drivers

 If you have older versions of GPU drivers installed on your PC, you might face difficulties running Half-life 2 as the drivers might not be compatible with the game.

Refresh Rate

 If the refresh rate of your monitor isn’t properly configured, it may cause problems in running the game. The FPS of your game depends on the refresh rate of your monitor.

Antivirus

Sometimes your PC’s antivirus interferes with specific components of the game, which can lead to an Hl2.exe error.

Missing Permissions 

It is also possible that your computer may be missing some permissions necessary to run the game.

Incompatible system requirements

Some people can also face the issue if their computer’s hardware is incompatible with the game. This means the computer doesn’t have the minimum specifications to run the game. 

You can see the minimum system requirements for Half-life 2 by visiting their official website and looking at the Minimum System Requirements section.

Note: If you have incompatible system requirements, then the below fixes won’t work. The only thing you can do is upgrade the specifications of your PC to run the game.

1. Restart Your Computer

The Hl2.exe error can sometimes occur due to some temporary error in your computer’s window. These temporary issues can be resolved by restarting the computer. So, restart your computer and relaunch the game to see if it works. You can move on to the next solution on our list if it doesn’t.

2. Manually Update the GPU Drivers

If your computer has a newer graphic card driver, it can cause problems in the game. You can try manually sifting back to the older version to see if this resolves the issue.

However, you should remember that the windows update feature allows Windows 10 to update drivers automatically. So make sure to turn off this feature before performing the steps below:

  • First, open the Start menu, search View advanced system settings, and press Enter.
  • Now go to Hardware Tab and select the Device Installation Settings option at the bottom.
  • Select No in the pop-up menu and click on the Save Changes option.
  • Now search for Device Manager in the start menu and press enter. Expand the Display Adapters option in the Device Manager window.
  • Then right-click on your GPU and select the Uninstall drive option.
Update Driver
  • Afterward, go to your GPU manufacturer’s website, for example, Nvidia / AMD, and download their display drivers.
  • Once the download is complete, install these files and download their relevant graphic driver.
  • Restart your PC and open the game. If the game still crashes, download an older version of the GPU display driver, which is compatible with Half-Life 2.

3. Use Driverfix to Update Drivers Automatically

An easier way to fix these driver issues is by installing a driver update tool named DriverFix. Here are the steps you need to follow for this method.

  • Download and install the software.
  • Once the installation process is complete, launch the software, and click the Scan button. (The software will take a few minutes to scan and detect the faulty drivers in your computer)
Driverfix tool
  • When the scanning process is complete, pick the ones that need to be fixed and give some time to the software to download and install the latest files.
  • Restart your PC and relaunch Half-Life 2 to see if the issue has been fixed.

4. Run the Game File as an Administrator

Running the game as an administrator would resolve the issue if the error occurs due to missing permissions. To Successfully proceed with this method, follow the steps given below:

  • Please navigate to the game’s installation folder and find its executable file that ends with .exe.
  • Now right-click on the file and click on the Properties option.
  • Go to the compatibility tab and then the compatibility mode section and Mark the Run this program in the compatibility mode box.
  • After this, choose the windows version from the drop-down list mentioned in the game’s system requirements.
  • Also, Mark the Run this program as an administrator box present at the bottom of the compatibility tab.
Run as administrator
  • Click on Apply and then press the OK button. 
  • Restart your computer and rerun the game to check if the Hl2.exe error has been resolved.

5. Check the Compatibility of the Directx Version

Your DirectX version can also be a cause for this issue. The Half-life 2 game is more compatible with the older version of DirectX than the new one. You can check your version of DirectX by following the steps mentioned below:

  • Open Run dialogue on your computer by holding Windows + R, then type in the command dxdiag in the search box and click OK.
  • DirectX Diagnostic Tool window will pop up in front of you. Your main system specifications will be given in that window, and at the bottom of the list, you will be able to see the installed version of DirectX on your computer.
DirectX version
  • The installed version should be DirectX 9; if another version is installed, you would need to download the DirectX 9 version and install it by following its on-screen instructions.
  • Now launch the game to see if the problem has been solved.

6. Disable Background Processes

If too many apps and software are running in the background, they may occupy the system resources and cause the game to crash.

Restricting apps from running in the background can resolve this error. Here are the steps you need to follow to disable apps that are running in the background:

Task Manager
  • Go to the Processes tab, which will show you a list of all the tasks currently running in the background.
  • To disable the task, right-click on them individually and select the option Disable.
  • Reboot your PC and then relaunch the game.

7. Disable Third-Party Antivirus Temporarily

Some Antivirus software detects Half-life 2 files harmful to your computer and doesn’t allow them to work. To options can be executed to prevent Antivirus from interfering with the game files, which are mentioned below:

Pause Protection

  • For pausing protection and disabling the antivirus, click on the show Hidden Icon option on the right corner of the taskbar and find your antivirus.
  • Now right-click on it and select the Pause Protection or Disable Antivirus option. (The option may differ depending upon the antivirus you’re using)
Disable antivirus
  • A warning prompt window will pop up; click on the OK button.

Add File/Folder to the Exception List

  • Please navigate the Show Hidden Icons option on the right corner of the taskbar, find your antivirus, and right-click on it.
  • Click on the Settings option and then select the Advanced Settings option.
  • Go to the Exceptions option and add Half-life 2 installation folder link to the exceptions list. 
Exception list
  • Press Save to save these settings and then exit the antivirus.

8. Use Steam Client to Validate Game Files 

Game files can sometimes get corrupted or removed by the antivirus, leading to this error. However, you can use the Steam client to validate these game files. You can follow the steps below to repair the game files with the steam client.

  • Double-click the Steam icon on the desktop screen to open the steam service.
  • Go to the Games Library section and right-click on the game.
  • Now select the Properties option.
  • Find the Local Files tab and select Verify integrity of the game cache option at the bottom of the list.
Verify game integrity
  • The steam client will check the integrity of the affected game files. 

This process will take some time. Once complete, you can relaunch the game to check if the issue has been resolved. If not, you can move on to the next step.

9. Re-Install Half-Life 2

You might need to reinstall the game if the steam client cannot resolve the issue. Follow the below-mentioned steps to reinstall Half-life 2 successfully:

  • Open steam by clicking on its icon on your desktop.
  • Go to the library tab, right-click on the game, and then select uninstall.
  • Find the game’s installation folder and delete any files left behind (if any).
  • Reinstall the game from the steam library to see if the issue is resolved.

10. Modify Gmod in Steam

  1. Click on the steam icon to open its application and go to the Library option.
  2. Find Gmod and right-click on it, then select the Properties option.
Gmod.exe
  1. A new window will pop up; go to the Set Launch Options button at the bottom and click it. 
  2. After a box appears in front of you, typedxlevel 80 in that box and press the OK button.
  3. Now restart the game, and hopefully, the error will be fixed.

11. Delete Gmod From Steam

For some people deleting Gmod from steam also resolved the issue. Therefore if any of the methods mentioned above didn’t work for you, you could try out this method by following the steps below:

Method 1: 

  • Open the Steam application and go to the Library tab
  • Now find Gmod, right-click on it, and select the Properties option.
  • Afterward, select the Verify Integrity of Game Cache option in the Local Files tab.

If this method doesn’t work, you can move on to the second method below.

Method 2:

  • Open the steam application and go to the library tab.
  • Find Gmod and right-click on it.
  • Now select the Properties option.
  • Go to the Local Files tab and browse files there.
  • Now come to the previous folder and Delete Gmod.
  • Once that is done, uninstall Gmod from the steam menu.
  • Restart the computer after you have performed all the steps and check if the error has been resolved.

12. Modify Monitor’s Refresh Rate

Sometimes modifying the refresh rate of the monitor can also resolve the issue. For this, you need to follow the below-given steps:

  • Open the Start menu, type in Display settings in the search bar, and press the Enter button.
  • Now find Advanced Display Settings and click on it; you can see the Refresh Rate of your monitor here.
refresh rate
  • Now go to Steam, right-click on the game icon, and find Launch Options. 
  • A box will pop up in front of you; type in -refresh XX in that box, and press OK.

Note: XX means your monitor’s refresh rate in Hertz. So if your monitor’s refresh rate is 1920 x 1080, you need to type in -refresh 60. (1920 x 1080 = 60Hz)

  • Restart the game now and check if the problem is solved now. If not, you can try out the next solution.

13. Revert AMD Drivers

Some users found that reverting to the old display drivers solved the issue. After experiencing different versions of display drivers, the 15.11.1 version from 2015 was the most compatible with the game instead of newer versions.

Thus the people who reverted to this version of display drivers reported no issue in the game. Here are the steps you need to follow to roll back to the previous version of your AMD driver:

  • Open Device Manager.
  • Now right-click on your AMD Driver and select Properties.
  • Click on the Driver tab and select Roll Back Driver to revert to the previously installed driver.

14. Prevent Data Execution

The data execution feature of Windows can sometimes interfere with the game files and prevent them from working properly.

Preventing data execution can sometimes help resolve this issue. To prevent data execution on your computer, you can follow these steps:

  • Open the Start menu and search View Advanced System settings in the search box.
  • A window with the system properties will open in front of you. Go to the Advanced tab and click on Settings in the Performance menu.
  • The performance options window will open. Select the Data Execution Prevention tab and click the Turn on DEP for all programs and services except those I select an option.
  • After this, click on the Add option at the bottom of the Performance Options window.
  • Now find the Steam.exe file that is located in the following directory, and afterward, add the below-mentioned file to the exceptions list:

C:\Program Files\Steam

  • Again select Add option and then locate and add the HI2.exe file in the same exceptions list.
  • Restart your computer and then relaunch the game, and most probably, the HI2.exe error would’ve been fixed by now.

Conclusion

The Hl2.exe error can occur for several reasons, which can sometimes be difficult to troubleshoot. However, if you stick to the solutions mentioned in the article, you will hopefully be able to resolve the issue on your own. 

If the solutions don’t work for you, try rechecking the specification of your computer and system requirements because if your computer doesn’t meet the system requirements, no solution will work.

FAQs

Why Are All Source Games Hl2 Exe?

Source uses source engines in all their games. However, this engine was initially made for Half-life 2, which is why it became popular as Hl2.exe.

Is Half-Life 2 A Source?

Yes! Half-life 2 is a source game as it was created using Valve’s Source engine, which was also created at the same time the game was created.

How Do I Fix The Setup Exe?

– Press Windows + R to open Run and type in the command cleanmgr.exe.
– Select Drive C for cleanup, and check the box to clear temporary files.
– After this, restart your computer and run the installer again.

Why Is The EXE File Not Opening?

If the EXE file fails to open, it can be due to corrupt registry settings or some third-party product (or viruses) that can alter the default configuration for running EXE files.