CoD4 “Connection Time Out” Fix

If you are trying to connect to an online server in Call of Duty, you have probably noticed that you will wait through “Awaiting Connection” for about 10 or 11 seconds, then the connection times out. This is due to the Activision master server browser having issues (presumably because Call of Duty 4 has been more popular than they thought).

A quick remedy for this connection problem is to set the timeout to be longer in your CoD 4 multiplayer config file, found in the profile folder of your player. For example, mine is: C:\Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 4 - Modern Warfare\players\profiles\string\config_mp.cfg Yours could be C:\Program Files\Activision\Call of Duty 4 – Modern Warfare\players\profiles\YOURNAME\config_mp.cfg

Open the file up in notepad or any other text editor (I use ConText), and add this line: seta cl_connectionAttempts "30" – this will give the connection 30 seconds, and normally fixes the problem.

Happy Call of Duty 4 playing!

43 replies on “CoD4 “Connection Time Out” Fix”

  1. Hi

    I’ve tried doing this but can’t locate the file players\profiles\string\config_mp.cfg. The only cfg extension file i can find in game is default_server.cfg and i’m using vista. I’ve tried searching for the file but nothing appears. What do i do please – help.

    Thanks.

  2. Uninstall Vista crap and try again :0)
    No seriously my friend has Vista and found the file without any probs. Read the instruction again carefully and I am sure you´ll find it. If not let me know again and I can send the file with above string……

  3. if you’re using xp it’s under the player profile folder, it’s called config_mp.

    But that aside, it still doesn’t work.
    don’tlikegivingoutemail
    I’ve set it to 30, and i can’t connect, hope they fix this soon.

  4. Hi!
    I’ve tried this. But nothing happened after 30 seconds! I got this message again: “ERROR, server connection timed out”.

  5. Cheers m8 for the help, though i’ve looked everywhere and no such profile folder or file in mine. Though it has been working within 10 secs laterly – What is wrong with these people – Hope they get they this sorted once and for all.

  6. Cheers m8 for the help, though i’ve looked everywhere and no such player profile folder or file in mine. Though it has been working within 10 secs laterly – What is wrong with these people – Hope they get they this sorted once and for all.

  7. wen i play online the trees, guns, cars, and player models are pretty much pitch black. i tried installed updated drivers and messing around with the brightness but none seemed to help. Can anyone help me???

  8. Did you try the demo before you bought the game, if not you might need a better vid card.

    With the above problem, I’ve tried the above “fix” and I still timout at 10-11 secs even after changing the config file. I’va laso updated punkbuster, turned my firewall and anti-virus off and still can’t connect. Meh!

  9. Did you try the demo before you bought the game, if not you might need a better vid card.

    With the above problem, I’ve tried the above “fix” and I still timout at 10-11 secs even after changing the config file. I’ve also updated punkbuster, turned my firewall and anti-virus off and still can’t connect. Meh!

  10. this did not work.
    I pasted what you said:
    seta cl_connectionAttempts “30”
    at the end of all the other text that was in there and nothing differnent happend.
    Am I supposed to do anything else or add any other punctuation?
    thanks

  11. recently changed from xp to vista cant find the player profile lcation to copy my profile over, its not in the activision folder in the programme files and its not in users/documents folder anyone know or am i gonna have to stay up all night to get back to 55

  12. Uhhh… i set it too 30 and that didn’t work, so i moved it up to 100 and it still timed out on the 101th attempt….. should I just give up or is there any possible way to fix this?

  13. fuck this bulshit i can’t get this to work i use to put all the ips on favourite and play them but now it (on favourite) doesn’t show the name of teh server just the damn ip numbers and timing out every time. does anyone know what the third column of the online menu means. that row has an x on it. any help is appreciated.

  14. this is Infinity ward’s problem, they broke the master server, it seems to be affecting 90% of the cod4 population…

  15. When I go into multiplayer for CoD4 on the pc first it says unable to intialize punk buster, so i go to the main menu, then options, and then multiplayer options, then i click enable punkbuster, and then i go to the multiplayer main menu, and then i click join server, and pick a game. . . then it says awaiting connection 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10 and then 11 then the screen is black and in a moment say “server connection timed out” please help.

  16. Check to see if you have any “performance apps” running, and try updating from the punkbuster website.

  17. Heh, it doesn’t work. I was playing CoD4 like two months ago, but i felt like i want to reinstal the game. I did it, and than i had this problem :/ Hell knows why i can’t play it any more, i mean, it’s ‘awaiting connection error’ but if i played before, than why dan’t play now -.-‘ I think i’ll reinstal my system.

  18. Hi guys, I’m really upset about this shit on the multiplayer servers. I can’t get it to work anytime and the fuckin’ mp config script just doesn’t appear probably ’cause I’ve been using vista. Has anybody found the file config_mp somewhere across vista folders?

    Cheers,
    Dan

  19. i will just point out i use vista and i found them in about…. 2 seconds 🙂 put ur cod4 folder on ur desk top… now: Call of Duty 4> Players> you username> config_mp. Not That hard 🙂 hope this helps

  20. ok if you are using vista
    Go to Computer
    you hard drive
    Program Files (x86)
    Activision
    Players
    Profiles
    Click on the folder with the name of your profile.
    then click Config_mp use notepad to open
    then add
    seta cl_connectionAttempts “30”
    Exit the file and click save

  21. I’m currently having this issue, earlier I got the message “Attempt to overrun string…” would this make anything different?

    Help, thanks.

  22. Can’t anyone who knows any fixes reply to all of us. I tried setting cl_connectionattempts 1000 and on 1001 it says connection timed out. Some people said that you need to forward your port but in all lessons i understand nothing about forwarding. If anyone has an EASY solution say pls

  23. ATTENTION ALL in order to see the ‘players’ folder in C:/ProgramFiles/Activision/CallofDuty4ModernWarfare/, when you get in side Call Of Duty 4 Modern Warfare folder click on the Compability Files right above. even though i changed everything i still cant connect to servers 🙁

  24. I think they abandoned the broken server so I don’t think it will ever work agen. only COD new ones will work

  25. cant find it anywhere! looked in everywhere where my cod 4 files are its no where…is it named different for windows 7 users?

  26. even easier, in game enable console via game options
    then use the ~ button (or the one to the left of the “1” at the top of your keyboard) and type cl_connectionAttempts 30
    done

  27. If you have v1.1,2,3,4or5 then install the v1.6 or 1.7 then the servers will come

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