8 Ways to Fix ‘Borderlands General Protection Fault’ Error

Borderlands is just an amazing adventure first-person shooter which is popular for its cartoonish design and loads of unique weapons. However, users have reported that a “General protection fault” error message appears as soon as they enter the game and try to access the home menu screen.

Luckily, there have been several different useful methods that can be used to resolve the problem easily. We have found methods confirmed to have helped other users deal with this problem and provided step-by-step instructions for them. Make sure you check out the methods below and follow the instructions carefully.

What Causes the General Protection Fault Error in Borderlands?

There are quite a few different and distinct causes of this problem which appears when playing Borderlands on your Windows PC. We have decided to create a list of causes that should help you pick out your scenario. Once you know the case, you also know which method to use to resolve the problem and everything becomes easier! Check out the list below!

Solution 1: Make an Exception for the Game in Windows Defender (Windows Security)

Many users have reported that the game needs to be allowed as an exception inside the Windows Defender antivirus tool. If you have a third-party antivirus installed, you should also add an exception for the game inside it. The steps to add exceptions in other antivirus tools is different but have a look at how to do so in Windows Defender.

1. Look at your system tray (right part of the taskbar) and try to find a shield You might need to click the upwards-facing arrow to display more icons. Right-click the shield icon and choose the Open security dashboard option to open the Windows Security Center.
2. Also, you can tap the Windows Key and I keys at the same time to open Windows 10 Settings. Find the Update & Security section and left-click to open it. Navigate to the Windows Security tab inside and click the Open Windows Security button at the right side of the window.

3. Click the shield icon on the left-side vertical menu. Scroll until you see the Virus & threat protection settings section and click the Manage settings button underneath.
4. Scroll down this window again until you reach the Exclusions entry inside and click the Add or remove exclusions.

5. Click the + button next to Add an exclusion and choose Folder from the dropdown menu which will appear. File explorer should open so make sure you locate the folder where you installed Borderlands. By default, it should be:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Borderlands

6. This is the case if you installed the game via Steam. Make sure you select the proper folder if you chose a different one during the installation. Select it and confirm any prompts which may appear. Reopen the game to see if the “General protection fault” error message persists!

Solution 2: Verify the Integrity of Game Files

If some crucial game files are missing or corrupt and if you installed the game via Steam, you should use a great feature Steam provides. You can easily verify the integrity of game files. This will scan the game’s installation folder for files that are missing or corrupt and Steam will redownload them. Follow the steps below for more details.

1. Start the Steam client on your computer by double-click the Steam shortcut on the Desktop. If it’s not there, simply click the Start menu or the Search/Cortana button and type “Steam” to open its client. Left-click the first result.

2. Once the Steam client opens, navigate to the Library tab from the menu at the top of the window and locate the Borderlands entry in the list of games you have installed. Right-click the game’s entry and choose Properties from the context menu which will appear.
3. Navigate to the Local Files tab in the Properties window and click the Verify integrity of game files button inside.

4. Wait for the verification process to finish and for Steam to eventually download some missing files. Reopen the game and check to see if the “General protection fault” error still appears

Solution 3: Update to the Latest Graphics Card Drivers

Graphics card drivers are the cause of many different problems that appear with various video games, and this problem is no exception. Many users have reported that simply installing the latest graphics card drivers managed to resolve the “General protection fault” and prevent it from happening ever since. Follow the steps below to update your drivers!

1. Before starting anything else, you will need to uninstall the graphics driver that is currently installed on your computer. Tap the Windows Key + R keys at the same time to open the Run dialog box. In the Open textbox, type “devmgmt.msc” and click the OK button to open the Device Manager.

2. Also, you can click the Start menu or the Search button, type “Device Manager”, and click the first result available. Once inside, expand the Display Adapters section, locate your graphics card, right-click its entry, and choose Uninstall device from the context menu which will appear.
3. Confirm any dialogs or prompts which may appear after you click to uninstall it.

4. After that, open a web browser and visit your graphics card manufacturer’s website. Here are links for NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel graphics drivers! Enter everything significant about your gaming setup and search for available drivers.
5. Make sure you select the latest one from the list which will appear and click the Download button. Run its executable from the Downloads folder and follow the instructions on-screen to install it on your computer.

6. Reopen Borderlands and check to see if the “General protection fault” error still appears while playing!

Solution 4: Use the Right Graphics Processor

Users have also reported that the error appeared because the game started to use the integrated graphics card instead of the NVIDIA chipset. This method is great for NVIDIA users! You can easily resolve the problem inside the NVIDIA Control Panel so make sure you follow the steps we have prepared below!

1. Right-click your Desktop and choose the NVIDIA Control Panel from the context menu which will appear. Alternatively, you can search for Control Panel in the Start menu or the Search/Cortana button and left-click it from the list of results.

2. Click to set the View by option to Large or Small icons and scroll until you reach the NVIDIA Control Panel entry inside. Left-click to open it.
3. Expand the 3D settings section from the left-side menu by clicking the + button and click Manage 3D Settings. Navigate to the Program Settings Under the Select a program to customize menu, left-click to open the dropdown menu and choose Borderlands from the list of programs you have installed.

4. Locate the Select the preferred graphics processor for this program option and click to change this setting to High Performance NVIDIA Processor. Click the Apply button from the bottom of the window and check to see if the “General protection fault” error message still appears while playing Borderlands.

Solution 5: Tweak DLL Files in the Game’s Installation Folder

There is a method posted by a Steam user where the user claims he was able to resolve the problem easily by managing certain DLL files inside the game’s installation folder. This method should be easy to manage and many users claim that the set of steps below is all it took for the problem to go away!

1. Start the Steam client on your computer by double-click the Steam shortcut on the Desktop. If it’s not there, simply click the Start menu or the Search/Cortana button and type “Steam” to open its client. Left-click the first result.

2. Once the Steam client opens, navigate to the Library tab from the menu at the top of the window and locate the Borderlands entry in the list of games you have installed. Right-click the game’s entry and choose Properties from the context menu which will appear.
3. Navigate to the Local Files tab in the Properties window and click the Browse Local Files button inside.

4. Once inside the Borderlands installation folder, open the Binaries folder inside. Locate a file named “dll”, right-click its entry, and choose the Copy button from the context menu which will appear.
5. Use the Ctrl + V key combination or right-click anywhere inside the same folder and choose Paste from the menu which will appear.

6. A file should appear named “cudart – Copy.dll”. If a dialog prompt appears asking you to replace the file or to create a copy, make sure you choose to create a copy.
7. Right-click the copy you just created and choose the Rename option from the menu. Change its name to “physxcudart_20” and click the Enter Reopen the game from Steam and check to see if it still crashes with the same error code.

Solution 6: Install PhysX from the Game’s Installation Folder

PhysX is a physics engine middleware SDK made by NVIDIA and its installer needs to be installed along with the game. It’s possible that users skipped its installation or that the PhysX installation became faulty. Either way, you can simply run the PhysX installation file from the Borderlands installation folder and check to see if that resolves the problem you are experiencing!

1. Follow steps 1-3 from Solution 5 above to open the Borderlands installation folder. If you haven’t installed the game via Steam, you might need to locate the folder manually. If there is a shortcut on the Desktop, right-click it, and choose Open file location from the menu which will appear.
2. Open the Prerequisites folder inside the Borderlands installation folder and look for the PhysX_xx.xx_SystemSoftware file. The little ‘x’ letters are placeholders which determine the current version of the installer.

3. Double-click this file to open it and follow the instructions which will appear on the screen to install NVIDIA PhysX. Head back to Steam Library, right-click Borderlands from the list of games, and choose Play Game. Check to see if the same problem still appears!

Solution 7: Turn off Fullscreen Optimizations

This method is one of the lesser-known methods which can be used to resolve the problem n your computer. However, many users have reported that disabling fullscreen optimizations actually manage to help their cause when every method above failed to produce results so make sure you check out this method by following the steps prepared below!

1. You will need to locate the Borderlands executable. If you haven’t installed the game via Steam, it might be on your Desktop so make sure you simply right-click its entry and choose Properties from the menu which will open.
2. If the game is installed via Steam, you should first open the Steam client. After that, switch to the Library tab, right-click Borderlands from the list of installed games, and choose Properties. Navigate to the Local Files tab and click the Browse Local Files.

3. Inside, open the Binaries folder and look for the Borderlands executable file. Right-click its icon and choose Properties from the context menu which will appear.
4. Navigate to the Compatibility tab in the Properties window and check the Settings Check the box next to the Disable fullscreen optimizations option and click the OK button at the bottom to apply the changes you have made.

5. Run Borderlands from the Steam Library by right-clicking its entry and choosing the Play Game option inside. Check to see if the “General protection fault” error still appears while playing the game.

Solution 8: Allow the Game in Your Firewall

A less known fact about this game is that it constantly needs to be connected to the Internet to work properly. If you are trying to start the game without an active Internet connection, connect to the Internet and check if the problem still appears. If you are connected to the Internet and the problem persists, the firewall you have running may be blocking the game’s connection.

If you have a third-party firewall installed, you should open it and look for Exceptions/Exclusions. If you are using the Windows Defender Firewall, you can check out the steps below!

1. Open Control Panel by searching for it in the Start menu. You can also use the Windows Key + R combination to bring up the Run box and type “control.exe” inside to open it in an alternative manner.

2. Set the View by option to Large or Small icons and check the bottom of the list for the Windows Defender Firewall
3. Left-click to open this set of settings and click the Allow an app through Windows Defender Firewall button at the left-side menu of the new window.

4. Click the Change settings button at the top right part of the window to provide administrator permissions to make changes. The game might already be in the list of Allowed apps and features to make sure you check the boxes next to both Private and Public columns in the window.
5. If the game is not there, click the Allow another app button at the bottom. Click the Browse button inside and navigate to the game’s installation folder. The default one for Steam games is:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Borderlands\Binaries\Borderlands.exe

6. Select this file. Click the Network types button and check the boxes next to both Private and Public Click the Add button to allow the game through. Click OK, run the game, and check to see if the problem ceases to appear on your computer!