Looking for guidance on false bans in CoD?
Looking for guidance on false bans in CoD?
Good evening, I don't know where else to turn with our problems. The thing is, we have four accounts (mine and my friends') that are permanently banned from CoDBOCW and, as a result, labeled as cheaters on Steam, even though we are not actually cheaters. This happened simply because the games were launched on a disk with ReFS where Windows 11 24h2 is installed. I understand that this installation is unofficial for Windows and supposedly not supported, but there is no mention of this anywhere. Just like the ban itself, which refers to a violation of the terms, policy, or agreement, but there is absolutely no mention of this anywhere. activision support is also not helpful, and what's more, they have banned me from accessing their technical support; the SUBMIT button has simply become inactive. I kindly request assistance with this issue and would be very grateful for it. Even if it is not resolved, at least people will be aware of and see activision's actual attitude toward regular players and users. Evidence and references to our articles: reddit.com/r/Warzone/comments/1kl8wys habr.com/articles/929782 habr.com/articles/923190
Consider reaching out to Steam support for assistance, which might help with a refund or resolving the VAC status.
You're choosing ReFS for its specific features, but I'm curious about why it's causing issues. Is it because it's being mistaken for running in a virtual environment or server that might trigger restrictions? Or is it related to how the file system manages game data? Regarding the ban, it seems you're relying on Activision's support, and it's unlikely many people will misuse ReFS for false bans. You might want to contact the anti-cheat service directly to report the problem, though it may not resolve your situation.
It began this winter when I upgraded and set up the newest options, including converting my future C: drive to ReFS. I was genuinely surprised by how quickly everything functioned compared to NTFS, even basic tasks like switching from the login screen to the desktop. My Surface Pro 4 boots instantly. I wasn’t banned in any game, yet for a while I struggled to locate anyone in BO6 and WZ multiplayer. Then I found out I had a shadow ban, but I didn’t know why. Assuming they were blocking me without cause, I downloaded BOCW and received an email about a violation and a permanent ban. Over six months we investigated, and the truth emerged: the restriction stemmed from launching the game on the ReFS partition where Windows was installed—four times. Old titles worked fine, but trial and error showed the issue started with Black Ops 4. Without admin rights on a ReFS system, it wouldn’t start at all. With admin access, it did launch, and no bans have occurred this year. It seems a check was deleted in BOCW, causing these restrictions. I also discovered that launching the game via Wine/Proton often resulted in permanent bans. Regarding BO6/WZ, the shadow appears and disappears within a week, then repeats. Support claimed I’d broken their terms, policy, or agreement, but none of those mentioned file systems. Eventually, access to support was cut off, and the submit button stopped working. All four appeals with direct bug reports were denied. That’s why we’re reaching out for help to get Activision to act—especially to lift the cheater label from Steam accounts. By the way, here’s another genuine response from customer support. It’s real; I can share it with anyone who needs to see it. They don’t even offer a second chance, but they could respond differently: “Alright, reinstall NTFS and we’ll remove the ban.” Yet somehow, this didn’t happen. There were no warnings about this at all—it started as an accident and was later confirmed through testing with friends. Someone like @dartraiden, who worked on p106-100, personally documented the problem on his own hardware. An example of ReFS running smoothly on a solid SSD is here: https://youtu.be/U0a8r-viVok https://youtu.be/VkH56gLslio Initially, I thought it was a DLSS Override ban, but it turned out otherwise. Although Pro Hi-Tech hesitated to discuss this publicly, he confirmed no bans exist in BOCW or WZ. But the worst came on guru3d, where local admin Unwinder—author of msi afterburner—banned me instead of helping. He claimed such bans shouldn’t be allowed, even though similar cases have happened before for things like RGB mouse lighting and AMD anti-lag. https://steamcommunity.com/id/bunkerbox
My account: https://steamcommunity.com/id/reginadino
Friend’s account: https://steamcommunity.com/id/htgyoma
dartraiden account: https://steamcommunity.com/profiles/76561199129804136
Personal account: https://youtu.be/vwNpGhFKEDg
Stream recording & video: https://youtu.be/lQBMKELPves
Demo of shadow ban in Black Ops 6: https://youtu.be/r0xKmV8a3Mk
Sleep mode or fast startup? None here: https://youtu.be/80IaDjXdM8Y
Initial thought: DLSS Override ban? Turns out it wasn’t.
Despite Pro Hi-Tech’s reluctance, he confirmed no bans for this in BOCW and WZ.
The worst happened on guru3d, where the local admin Unwinder—creator of msi afterburner—simply banned me from the forum and insisted such bans shouldn’t exist, even though history shows others faced consequences for similar software. https://steamcommunity.com/id/reginadino #support-needed
I also attempted to message them via LinkedIn, but beyond seeing reactions from actual users at Activision, there was no reply. If you're interested and have some spare time, you might be surprised if you receive a personal ban within the game. Just follow the usual steps: install Windows as normal, after creating the C: partition, format it using DiskPart in the references, then continue the setup. After that, install BOCW as usual, start it, adjust the graphics to your preference, and attempt to play the game. Immediately after, you'll notice a shadow ban on the support page, which may turn into a permanent one. If you don’t want such a ban, the free version is sufficient—it will simply enter a shadow ban and be lifted after about a week. Regardless of whether you use Blizzard or Steam, the version from MSStore on PC won’t work because it won’t install at all. I also want to remind you that any ban issued for an Activision account will automatically block any game purchased on it, even if you don’t open it. Plus, the worst part is that I bought these titles multiple times across different platforms and shared them with friends. While I’ve generally supported this series, this experience still shocks me. I now just want my account free of cheater labels and my Steam friends removed. I’d like someone to write an article or make a video about this situation. All the proof is there, and the issue is easy to replicate. There’s also another concern: since Activision is now under Microsoft, it seems a game set in the future won’t work with the new file systems on upcoming OS versions—especially within the Microsoft ecosystem. Until then, this could be a risky move for anyone who buys a used PC without reinstalling Windows. It might lead to unexpected bans if you run CoD on a ReFS disk, and there’s no way to appeal or explain it. This scenario feels very likely... Personally, this reminds me of how easily you can get banned in games like PunkBuster just by launching them through Steam.
I didn't realize you were the same individual in the Reddit link you shared. I thought it was something recent and noticed others posting from your account after a ban. Your situation is over six months old, and you've kept discussing it online. This isn't worth it. Even if you disagree with the decision, an unjust ban doesn't require you to accept or respond to appeals. Harassing Activision staff on LinkedIn or elsewhere during your ban is completely inappropriate. Stop engaging. Move forward. They won't lift your ban. Try other games instead. If you think the ban was due to ReFS, consider reinstalling Windows with NTFS if you intend to play anti-cheat games.
they mention things that aren’t real, even when you provide thorough explanations and evidence. It’s frustrating because these claims are already documented and easy to verify. I’ll still look into BF6 if I wasn’t blocked from testing, but the fact that the game can’t launch due to ASLR in exploit protection is misleading. Why should I be labeled a cheater on Steam because of programming errors, especially when my friends agree? This attitude isn’t acceptable at any company. https://www.protondb.com/app/1985810 Please keep this thread open so others can understand how such a big company treats regular players.