Dota 2 on Windows 10 – Problems and Solutions
Microsoft has released their most awaited product Windows 10 on 29 June 2015. However Windows 10 did not satisfy most of the gamer because of its inbuilt problems. Here I will give you an analysis of Dota 2 on Windows 10 – Problems and Solutions.
Problem 1 (Peer to Peer Download System)
Microsoft has changed the way window will update now. Although this method is old but it was never expected to be implemented in Windows. Now Windows 10 update system works exactly like Torrents work. That is a funny thing that Microsoft is against torrent system, but they them self implemented same in their product. Well that is another debate and lets leave it there. So coming over to the issue.
How Windows Update Worked earlier ?
All the downloadable files were present on 1 central server and when downloading you connect to that server and simply down load it to your PC. It was 1 to 1 connection. But now the system is different.
How Update Works in Windows 10 ?
It uses peer to peer network system. So if we talk in easy language, there is no central server where file is hosted. All users with Windows 10 are connected via internet in form of a network and they download bits and pieces of each update from other user’s computer. Image below will help you understand it.
So in other words, Windows has forced you to update other user’s computers too eve if you don’t want.
How does this cause problems for Online Gamers ?
Obviously when you are connected to internet and someone is downloading his Windows update, there are many chances that you computer is helping him download his update by uploading update from your PC to his. So that means your bandwidth and data is being stolen.
However gamers need full and free bandwidth for online gaming whereas your bandwidth is stolen about which you even don’t know. That is why you face sudden lags and delays during your game. Which some time may be very crucial according to game point of view. Imagine you start lagging suddenly while defending your base and you are killed with no buy back gold. So that means your game is over…
Problem 2 (Disabling Windows Update)
So, now you might be thinking, WTF, I am just going to disable my Windows update so at least I don’t get lags and delays. Well there comes another interesting problem. You can not turn off your Windows 10 update system completely. It is almost forced update. Funny ..!! Isn’t it ?
Problem 3 (Scheduling Windows Update)
So another issue about window update is that you can not schedule a window update. As soon as some update is available and you are connected to internet, your update will start automatically. Yes !! Without even asking you. They dont care if you are in middle of a gank or you are trying to evade a gank in game, they will shove this update up your a**.
Problem 4 (New Operating System)
As it is a totally brand new operating system, therefore many software and drivers don’t work properly as it used to work on Windows 7 or 8 variants. However most of the hardware companies immediately released updates to their drivers on emergency basis that are compatible with window 10 but still, there are many old pieces of hardware which do not support Windows 10 and its drivers are still not updated. If you are using some latest equipment, then this might not be an issue for you, but in case you are using old system, then you might be having lots of troubles.
Problem 5 (New Dota 2 Game Client)
Dota 2 has shifted completely to Dota 2 Reborn on 10th September 2015. Old Dota 2 which was running on Source 1 engine is gone now. Although valve stated that Dota 2 Reborn will work properly on all the hardware even if those are old. But personally speaking, I cant play with Dota 2 Reborn without my AMD graphic card. I removed my graphic card and tested with Intel Integrated HD 4000 Graphic Card to check if I can play, but I failed miserably because I was getting 20-30 FPS in Dota 2 with lowest settings. Obviously that does not work. So I had to install my graphic card again to play.
Dota 2 reborn has many bugs to date and valve is releasing continuous and frequent updates to fix the bugs, but in my opinion it will take almost 2 months or so for Dota 2 reborn to get completely stable and almost bug free.
Solution 1
How to disable Automatic Windows 10 Update Permanently
To avoid sudden lags and delays because of internet issues, the best thing you can do is to simply disable the Windows Update service. To do so, type “services” in the Windows 10 search box and click “View Local Services”. Navigate to “Windows Update”. After double-clicking the service, you can stop it and disable it so it won’t be bothersome again.
Check out images below for more details.
Now if you want to check if this really worked for you, then simply click on “Check for Updates“. It will give you an error message. So now you have got rid of Windows update permanently. No need to worry about your Windows 10 updates anymore.
Remember, keeping Windows up to date is very necessary for many reasons. Security is just one of them. If you want to disable Windows Update permanently, you must take other actions like installing an antivirus with full features to keep your system secure
If you want to enable Windows 10 updates back for any reason, simply follow above-mentioned steps and this time instead of Disable, select Enable option. It will start your regular Windows 10 update system.
Solution 2
Well, if you say “Nope, Thank you very much, tell me another way to fix it”. Here is another way. Type “Windows Update” in your search bar and select “Advanced Windows Update“.
Another window will open where you can change Windows 10 Update settings. Lets go step by Step. Please image below for complete details. Each point highlighted on image is explained below.
Step 1
There are 2 options. “Automatic” and “Notify to Schedule Restart“. Select 2nd option, “Notify to Schedule Restart“. Obviously, updates will start automatically. It will just give you a notification when your computer is ready to install updates and needs to be restarted. (Oh thanks a lot Microsoft for being so kind…)
Step 2
You can tell windows now to install updates for you. However, Microsoft is a stubborn kid and won’t listen to you carefully. So even if you defer updates it will still install security-related updates. However, it will just defer those updates which are related to functions and features of Windows 10. This is what Windows 10 Official says about Defer Updates.
Step 3
Now click on “Chose How Updates are Delivered“. It will open a new window in front of you and you can choose how you want to get updates.
The best option is to switch is off. This way, problem 1 will be solved. Now you will get updates straight from Microsoft and also you won’t be helping other people.
Solution 3
For Problem 4 and 5, you need to wait for stable Window 10 and Dota 2 Reborn Client release.
Magic Solution to All Windows 10 Problems
Revert back to your previous version of Windows till we get a stable version of Windows 10. Here is how you can revert to Windows 7 or Windows 8 
In case you have other issues/suggestion, comment below so we can talk about those. In case you have any question or you are stuck on any issue, feel free to comment below so we can help you.
hey urgent need of help to improve my dota 2 performance, it is really lagging very badly on my laptop! ive tried alot of stuff to solve the lagging problem but it seems to not be working. can contact me personally so that u can help me further
If you can be precise about your problem, then definitely I can help. Lagging is a general issue. You can add me on steam if you want to talk to me privately / urgently.
http://www.steamcommunity.com/id/AnaaR_Ka_JuiCe
man I cant play dota 2 on my hp laptop windows 10 it lags when the game is about to start
I suggest that you upgrade your graphic card driver and then check. Hopefully it will be fine.
hi, i got a new laptop, toshiba p55t-c5114, geforce 930m 8 gb ram core i5 (6200U) windows 10. im having a serious problem, when i play dota 2, during game, my ping is not stable like it used to be on windows 7. i will explain, on windows 7 ultimate (old laptop, i5 3rd generation gpu 7610m ati radeon, 8gb ram) my ping used to stay 103 all game long, no lag no fps drops, even during big fights. on my windows 10 home (new laptop cited above p55t-c5114) my ping on start is 115, and during the fights the ping goes high all of a sudden to 250ms, and fps drops from 60 to 45-40, and when fight is over ping is 115 again. every fight during 50min gameplay same thing, ping goes high. gpu driver up to date, windows update off. everything is set to off. please help me, is it a laptop problem or a windows or a gpu?
Have you tried acting on solutions which were provided in solution section ? As your ping only increases during team fights and same is the case with FPS drop, so there is no issue with internet connection. It is a GPU and Windows problem for sure. There are few steps which I can guide you to.
1. Reduce the graphic settings of Dota 2 to minimum. Then check in a bot game. Obviously u can not check ping in bot game, but you can surely check the FPS drop. So if that does not happen in a bot game, that means your issue is solved. Hopefuly your ping will also be stable this time.
2. Most of the laptops have duel graphic cards. Normally its the built in one which works in normal conditions (in normal laning phase we can say). But when all 10 heroes come together, the built in GPU can not support that anymore and it needs to take help from the dedicated GPU. I am sure you’ll notice that during ganks your Laptop’s fan must be running like crazy. That is because of dedicated GPU activating. When the gank is over, that dedicated GPU is shut down again and your pings and FPS becomes normal again. So this is how it may be going with your laptop. Try turning off the built in GPU and force to run all the things on dedicated GPU and you will not have the issue of this ping and FPS. Howevee, I must warn you in advance that your laptop will heat up fast.
These 2 procedures are explaind in detail in our guide Optimize Dota 2 for best gaming experience
1. fps in bot game, “with specs that suits my pc” is stable 65-55 all game long (5vs5). no drop at all. if i run the game with “minimum spec”, i will get 110 fps which is likely useless, your eye can see only 60 fps. but if i play with minimum specs, i will notice a huge drop, from 110 to 60-70fps. thats a bot game, so no lag no ping.
2. my laptop has a dual graphic cards, intel hd 520 integrated, and the nvidia 930m geforce. i go to nvidia control panel, and i choose high performance nvidia processor, instead of auto select.( 2 options: integrated graphics or nvidia high performance processor). how can i disable or is it possible to uninstall the integrated graphics? my laptop still new so fan is spinning true but there isn’t any noise, laptop is a bit warm not a lot.
1 option is to uninstall integrated graphic card completely. Other option is to go into your BIOS and from there disable it. As I do not know the BIOS of your laptop, you might wana google it. I hope that will solve your issue.
So, two days ago my Dota 2 started to crash the entire computer when it finished getting to the main screen. If I kept it minimized, there would be no problem, but as soon as it went fullscreen on the main menu it would completely freeze, music, mouse, everything. Really not sure what the problem is. Looking for some help.
This seems to be your graphic card issue.
1. Check for updates for graphic card driver.
2. Validate cache for Dota 2. It will install files that are missing (if any)
3. Check for background process, if there are many background processes open / running then they may create problems for Dota 2.
4. Check if Dota 2 works in other modes, Windowed mode and borderless mode. If it does , for now you can continue on borderless mode.
5. In task manager check the CPU and RAM usage by Dota 2.
6. If you are using laptop, try cooling it down for a bit and then try. I am sure you are facing this issue on laptop and that might be because of heating issues.
I just bought new HP OMEN 17 gaming laptop and wtf my Dota 2 fps is 28 and dropping to 10 fps about 4-5 times in 1 match and then back to 28 fps. Any ideas how to fix that drop and how to make fps higher?
NVIDIAn GeForce GTX 960M 4 Gt
Intel Core i7-6700HQ
12 Gt DDR4 2133 MHz
256 Gt M.2 SSD + 1 Tt HDD
17,3″ UHD (3840 x 2160)
3 Steps to try bro.
1. Try reducing the video settings of Dota 2 to minimum and then try again. What FPS do you get ? Does it drop too ?
2. Install the latest Driver of your GFX card.
3. Try disabling the builtin graphic card and play on Dedicated card. For more details please visit Optimize Dota 2 for Best Gaming Experience.
Dear Ali Ahmad
My laptop is Acer core i5. CPU@1.70GHz, Ram 6 GB. 64 bit operator and processor. When i was back at window 8.. my ping was stable at 60-80 and there were no fps drop nor lags but after i upgraded it to window 10. it lags like fck sake even after i disable the window updates and window firewall.. After that my ping got back to 80-100 but it goes up to 1000ping almost 40% of the gameplay time.Although it was stable at 90 ping when i was watching live games. i always play with minimum graphic setting and have try setting my PC at high performance/normal. Can u plz help me solved the problem?
Bro ping issue can be caused by many factors. It can be because of your Internet Service Provider(ISP), it may be because of steam’s servers too. But most of the time it is because of your ISP. To check the root cause of the issue, try pinging google. Go to run and type “ping http://www.google.com -t” See whats the ping performance. If you get stable ping here, that means your Ping is fine by your ISP, but if you do not get stable ping here, that means its time to change your ISP.
Also try to disable auto updates for your antivirus as well.
Hi, I recently got a new PC with Windows 10. 5 mins into the game, dota 2 will always crash but still runs in the background(music and sound can be heard). Whenever I try to alt-tab, only the mouse cursor appears.
I’m using
I3-2120 (second hand)
Asus mobo(second hand)
Powercolor rx Radeon 460(new)
Any idea how can I solve it?
Thanks in advance 🙂
same thing happening to me any idea how to fix?????????
Hey!
I have a new laptop and have issues loading the game, going in and out of the menu while in a game and getting out of a game (It takes AGES). To top it all off it got even worse after the latest windows 10 update. After the last update if I am lucky I am able to pick heroes 1 min into pick phase. Ingame is fps is fine and when/if Im able to get passed pick phase I have no issues playing the game.
heard of or know what might me troubling my computer and dota 2?
I do not think there is anything wrong with your computer / Laptop. Your game files must be messed up. I suggest you to verify game files integrity by going in Steam client>Right Click on Dota 2 > Properties>New Window will open>Local Files > Verify Integrity of Game Cache Files.
Then, go to Steam> View> Settings>Downloads. From there click on last option “Clear Download Cache”.
Try these and see if the issue is solved or not.
hi, please help. i can play dota 2 reborn with 40fs. but after the windows 10 anniversary update, every time I open dota 2 it just freezes and all I can do is to force restart my laptop. im using lenovo g50. 🙁 please help me.
please post your issue with details here
http://www.dotainternational.com/forums/forum/help/
Hi all,
when steam performed an update of Dota 2 client, it takes looooooooong time. yesterday for 91MB it took around 20min. I got this since i’m using Windows 10.
If i perform a download test, my connection is good enough. 1.2MB/s ….
Anyone have idea of this?
What could be the issue? The writing on disk?
Steam and Windows10 incompatibility.
Thanks!
Dear if you read the article above, you can easily guess that windows 10 auto-update system is the culprit here. Whenever there is an update, it starts updating even without asking you. That must be the reason for long download time. In above article, there is a way written to get rid of this annoying thing.
hi!! can i play dota 2 using laptop brand ASUS K556UR CORE-i7 8GB RAM 1TBHD 2GB Nvidia.
and im using wifi connection it well not lag in game.
hey.. i had problem with my dota2. the problem is the graphic just like when you broke the mirror with solid object. operation smooth with my window 10 , ping ok, but the problem is the screen when i played dota2. only dota2. i had try to update my nvidia, but its didnt work.. how to solve it?
i have a problem opening dota .. when i open dota its just showing the logo red of dota than he closed .. can u help me .. this happend in my friends laptop too
Steps to Fix Dota 2 Black Screen And Stuttering Issues On Windows 10
1. Open-File Explorer and go to the Dota 2 installation directory. …
2. Find dota2.exe and right click it.
3. Choose Properties.
4. Go to Compatibility tab and make sure that you check Disable Display 5. Scaling on high DPI settings and Run as administrator.
they will help out because I was facing the same problem then they helped me a lot.