atvi-randgrid_sr Failed to Start Service (1060) Fix: MW4, BO7, Warzone

Quick answer (TLDR): Modern Warfare 4, Black Ops 7 or Warzone flashes "running" in Steam and then does nothing? Open bootstrapper.log in the game folder and search for randgrid. If it names atvi-randgrid_sr, the Windows service behind the RICOCHET anti-cheat driver is missing or stuck. Here's the fix:

• Verify the game's files in your launcher and try again. That alone fixed it for the player who started the biggest MW4 thread we found on this.
• Still dead? Open Command Prompt as administrator and run sc.exe delete atvi-randgrid_sr.
• Restart the PC. Don't skip this.
• Verify the game's files again and launch.

On the Xbox app version, the service is atvi-randgrid_msstore instead. We couldn't find a published Activision fix for this error, and it isn't on the MW4 Known Issues page as of November 2. The steps below come from players who got back in. No single fix worked for everyone, and we flag which ones are riskier. Service missing and verify won't restore it? Use the clean reinstall or the manual rebuild further down.

This one is annoying because the game shows no error window. In Steam, the Play button turns to Stop for a few seconds and flips back. The only clue is a text file most players never open.

What does atvi-randgrid_sr actually do?

It's the Windows service that loads randgrid.sys, the kernel-level driver for Call of Duty's RICOCHET Anti-Cheat. Activision doesn't name the file or the service publicly, but its RICOCHET article covers Modern Warfare 4, Black Ops 7, Black Ops 6 and Warzone and says listed PC titles use a kernel-level driver for all players. That driver only runs while a protected game is running, according to Call of Duty's RICOCHET page.

So the game can't start until that service exists, can stop and start cleanly, and points at the right file. If any of those three is off, Call of Duty quits before a window ever appears.

This is showing up on MW4 right now. A 38-comment r/modernwarfare4 thread from October 16 and an 86-comment thread from October 23 describe the same symptom. It came up again on October 31:

"There's no error that displays, but if you check your Call of Duty HQ directory there's a bootstrapper.log file that will contain the error (mine said "Failed to start driver service "atvi-randgrid_sr"")." — u/murphs33, r/modernwarfare

Where do you find the error in bootstrapper.log?

In Steam, right-click Call of Duty, then pick Manage > Browse local files. Open bootstrapper.log in Notepad and search for randgrid. In the Xbox app, go to the game in My Collection, open Manage and use the Files tab.

On a default Steam install, one player's write-up puts the log here:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Call of Duty HQ\bootstrapper.log

Black Ops 6 no longer lives inside COD HQ, so use Browse local files rather than this path. Our BO6 standalone launch guide covers that split.

Match your log line to this table:

Log line	What it means	Start with
Failed to start driver service "atvi-randgrid_sr"	The service exists or was expected, but didn't start	Verify, then delete and restart
Failed to open service atvi-randgrid_sr (1060)	The service doesn't exist	Verify, then reinstall or manual rebuild
Failed to start service (1058)	The service is disabled	Re-enable it
Failed to open ...randgrid.sys (2)	The service points at a file that isn't there	Delete, restart, verify

The numbers are standard Windows codes. Microsoft's list defines 1060 as "The specified service does not exist as an installed service" and 1058 as a service that "cannot be started, either because it is disabled or because it has no enabled devices associated with it."

One more string is worth searching for. A player in the 86-comment thread found Service status is not STOPPED, waiting next to atvi-randgrid_sr in bootstrapper_installer.log, which sits in the same folder, even though the service didn't exist on their PC. If you see that line, run sc.exe query atvi-randgrid_sr from an admin Command Prompt. If the service is listed, use the delete fix below. If it's missing, go to the reinstall or the manual rebuild.

How do you fix it in order, safest first?

Step 1: Verify files. In Steam, go to Properties > Installed Files > Verify integrity of game files. In Battle.net, use Scan and Repair. In the Xbox app, open Manage > Files > Verify and Repair. On MW4, this was the fix for u/No_Spite_6630, who started the 86-comment thread. It costs you nothing, but don't expect it to work every time: u/Junior-Plate-8681 said in the same thread that "verifying does nothing."

Step 2: The admin toggle. Right-click the game's .exe, open Properties > Compatibility and tick Run this program as an administrator. Launch from Steam and let it fail, then close Steam. Untick the box, reopen Steam and launch again. This came from u/Disco-Doug in a Black Ops 6 thread. It's one player's report with no MW4 confirmation, but it's quick and easy to undo.

Step 3: Delete the service and restart. u/No_Spite_6630 added this to their post, quoting another MW4 player from the comments:

"sc.exe delete atvi-randgrid_sr .hit enter and it should say success. After restart your pc and open steam and right click on cod and verify integrity. Start the game and it should work, worked for me"

Run it from Command Prompt as administrator, not PowerShell. If it reports The specified service has been marked for deletion, that's Windows error 1072, and it's fine: the restart finishes the job. If it reports error 1060, there's no service to delete, so skip to the reinstall or the manual rebuild. If Windows shows a User Account Control prompt when you launch, click Yes. This only removes the service entry, not your game files.

It isn't a sure thing. u/Junior-Plate-8681, who was pointed to that update in the same thread, replied "no bueno sadly brother."

Xbox app players swap in atvi-randgrid_msstore, though the MW4 reports of this fix are on Steam. We found no MW4 reports from Battle.net, so there, use the exact service name your log shows.

Disabled service (1058)? Run sc.exe config atvi-randgrid_sr start= demand from the same admin window, then launch.

What if verify doesn't bring the service back?

One Steam player found that repeated installs and uninstalls never recreated the missing service on Black Ops 6, so a few players built it by hand. This changes a kernel service, and the commands come from players, not Activision. Rather not touch that? Skip to the clean reinstall below. It's slower, about 108GB for one MW4 player, but you don't hand-build anything. If you do go ahead, make a restore point first and only use this if everything above failed. These are the steps u/jonasbrdl_ posted for MW4 on Steam:

• Open Command Prompt as administrator, not PowerShell, and run sc.exe query atvi-randgrid_sr.
• If it says access is denied or looks broken, press Win + R, run regedit, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\atvi-randgrid_sr and delete only that exact key. Restart the PC. If it simply says the service is missing, skip this step.
• In Steam, open Properties > Installed Files > Browse, find Randgrid.sys and copy its full path. Keep the spaces after each = sign in the next commands, and if your copied path already has quote marks, don't add a second pair.
• In the admin window, run this with your own path: sc.exe create atvi-randgrid_sr type= kernel binPath= "C:\YOUR\FULL\PATH\TO\Randgrid.sys" start= demand
• Then run this permission command as one line: sc.exe sdset atvi-randgrid_sr D:(A;;CCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRRC;;;SY)(A;;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;BA)(A;;CCLCSWRPWPLOCRRC;;;IU)(A;;CCLCSWLOCRRC;;;SU)S:(AU;FA;CCDCLCSWRPWPDTLOCRSDRCWDWO;;;WD)
• Check it with sc.exe query atvi-randgrid_sr and sc.exe qc atvi-randgrid_sr. You want a stopped service and the correct path.
• Fully close Steam from the system tray, reopen it and press Play.

The reporter's game then pulled about 250MB of files and ran. A June 2025 PSA by u/ILikeToLift95020 gives the same permission string for Black Ops 6, and commenters there were still thanking it on November 2, including one who wrote "Worked for me on Bo7 too." The PSA's author said the commands came from the game's install script, which we couldn't confirm independently.

Don't download randgrid.sys from a DLL or driver site. The file comes with your game, and verifying files is the safe way to replace it.

Still broken?

Go for a clean reinstall. Activision says that if a RICOCHET game is uninstalled, the kernel-level driver is removed from your machine. Check that it was: after uninstalling and restarting, run sc.exe query atvi-randgrid_sr, and if the service is still listed, delete it and restart before you reinstall. In r/modernwarfare, u/BrinkofEternity wrote on November 1 that the log route was "useless" for them, and that uninstalling with Revo Uninstaller and clearing every leftover file and registry entry finally got the game running "after days of headaches." If you try that, only remove leftovers that clearly belong to Call of Duty.

Other things to check:

• Your log doesn't mention randgrid? This guide isn't your problem. Start with our MW4 error codes guide.
• The game launches, but you get a Secure Boot or TPM message? See the MW4 failed attestation fix.
• It crashes after a few minutes with 0x00001337? That's the GameInput issue, not this one.
• Nothing works? Send Activision Support your bootstrapper.log. One MW4 player said they had "NO answers from activision", so check Steam's refund window while you wait. Two players in the 86-comment thread said refunding on Steam and rebuying on the Xbox app or Battle.net got them in.

Lost days of the launch window to this bug? Catch back up without the sweat:

• MW4 Bot Lobbies: private lobbies to grind levels and camos on easy mode.
• MW4 Account Leveling: skip the grind with pro players.
• MW4 Weapon Leveling: max any gun and unlock every attachment.
• All MW4 services

FAQ

What is atvi-randgrid_sr? It's the Windows service that loads randgrid.sys, the kernel driver for Call of Duty's RICOCHET Anti-Cheat, on the Steam version. The Xbox app version uses atvi-randgrid_msstore.

Is randgrid.sys a virus? No, not when it's in your Call of Duty folder. It's the RICOCHET driver and it installs with the game. You can't play protected titles without it, so don't delete the file itself.

Is sc.exe delete atvi-randgrid_sr safe? It removes a Windows service entry, not your game files or progress. The fix relies on the game setting the service back up after a restart and a file verify. One MW4 player reported that working and another didn't, so if yours doesn't come back, use the clean reinstall or the manual rebuild.

Why doesn't Call of Duty show an error? The launch stops before a game window opens, so Steam just flips Play back after a few seconds. The reason is only in bootstrapper.log.

Can this get me banned? We found no reports of bans from repairing this service, but Activision hasn't endorsed these steps. Of the repairs here, delete and verify carries the least risk, since you aren't building a kernel service by hand.