The process that is usually associated with the executable file pnkbstra.exe is known as PunkBuster Online Gaming Anti-Cheat Automatic Update Service. This is the auto updater for your software, which searches for updates on the Internet, and then prompts you if updates are available. The file generally gets installed when you download and install specific games, especially MMORPG games. The update service is actually an important component of your PunkBuster software, because usually, outdated software gets users kicked out of the game. On the other hand, if you no longer play any of your games, or do not plan in doing so anytime soon; you may safely uninstall the file together with your PunkBuster software. The file is not a vital part of the system, so you should not worry about deleting the file. It will also not render the software that it installed it, which was your gaming software, as generally unusable, but the version that you have may not remain current for long.

Most non-system processes that are running can be stopped because they are not involved in running your operating system. pnkbstra.exe. is used by PunkBuster Online Gaming Anti-Cheat Automatic Update Service, If you shut down pnkbstra.exe, it will likely start again at a later time either after you restart your computer or after an application start. To stop pnkbstra.exe, permanently you need to uninstall the application that runs this process which in this case is PunkBuster Online Gaming Anti-Cheat Automatic Update Service, from your system.

After uninstalling applications it is a good idea to scan you Windows registry for any left over traces of applications. Registry Reviver by ReviverSoft is a great tool for doing this.

The ReviverSoft experts have not yet reviewed pnkbstra.exe

A process usually a part of an installed application such as PunkBuster Online Gaming Anti-Cheat Automatic Update Service, or your operating system that is responsible for running in functions of that application. Some application require that they have processes running all the time so they can do things such as check for updates or notify you when you get an instant message. Some poorly written applications have many processes that run that may not be required and take up valuable processing power within your computer.

We have not received any complaint about this process having higher than normal impact on PC performance. If you have had bad experiences with it please let us know in a comment below and we will investigate it further.

The first thing you should do if pnkbstra.exe. is causing errors on your computer is to run a Windows registry scan with Registry Reviver If you are still seeing errors after this you should uninstall the program that pnkbstra.exe, belongs to, in this case PunkBuster Online Gaming Anti-Cheat Automatic Update Service