Lorene Melone
How To Fix Rust Launch Error: Please Close Interception and Resolve EAC Issues
Ever get that annoying “Please close Interception before starting the game” message when trying to boot up Rust? Yeah, it’s a pain, especially if you’re not super comfy with digging through driver stuff. Basically, Interception is a driver that emulates keyboard/mouse inputs—useful for some mods or accessibility, but it can also mess with Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) in Rust, causing that error to pop up. So, here’s a sorta straightforward way to uninstall it and hopefully get you back into the game.
Heads up, you’ll need admin rights for this — no way around it unless you wanna run into permissions issues. Also, make sure your internet’s stable to download any files if needed, but mostly, it’s about shutting that driver down.
Step 1: Grab the Interception driver
Go to the official GitHub repo: Interception GitHub Page. On the page, find the latest release — usually a interception.zip file under the release assets. Download that bad boy.
Step 2: Extract it
Once downloaded, find the interception.zip file in your Downloads folder. Right-click and select “Extract All”. Pick a folder—maybe your Desktop or a quick-access spot—and unzip it. That folder should now have the executable you need.
Step 3: Open an Admin Command Prompt
This is where it gets a little weird. Hit Windows + R, then type cmd and hit Enter. But you also gotta run it as admin. So, right-click the Command Prompt icon — or the taskbar icon if pinned — and choose “Run as administrator”. Not sure why, but Windows loves throwing permissions in the way sometimes.
Step 4: Go to the folder where you extracted Interception
In that admin Command Prompt, jump to the folder. Assuming you unzipped to Downloads, just type:
cd %USERPROFILE%\Downloads\interception
and hit Enter. Make sure that folder actually has the install-interception.exe file; otherwise, you’re in the wrong place. Double-check by typing dir and see if you spot the executable in the list.
Step 5: Uninstall the driver
Now, the magic command. Type this:
install-interception.exe /uninstall
Press Enter. A bunch of console output will appear, hopefully showing it was successful. If it says anything about driver removal, that’s a good sign. Sometimes, a message will pop up saying “Driver uninstalled” or similar—if not, don’t panic; just restart anyway.
Step 6: Reboot your PC
This part is crucial. Restart your computer to make sure everything clears out. Because of course, Windows has to make it harder than necessary. After reboot, try launching Rust again—should be smooth sailing now. If not, revisit other potential conflicts like overlays or other emulators.
Extra tips & common issues
If it didn’t work right away, here’s what might help:
- Double-check you ran the command prompt as admin. You really gotta do that, or nothing will happen.
- If the command doesn’t recognize
install-interception.exe, make sure you’re in the right folder—usedirto verify. - Sometimes, the driver doesn’t uninstall cleanly on the first try. Repeating the process or doing a full Windows update might help.
Uninstalling Interception stops it from messing with EAC and should let Rust launch without that stupid error. Of course, if other overlays or drivers are fighting with anti-cheat, those might need fixing. Still, this method usually solves the main culprit.
Frequently Asked Questions
What exactly is Interception?
It’s a driver that emulates keyboard/mouse input—great for scripting or accessibility but can be a pain when anti-cheat gets snarky about it.
Can I install it again later?
Yeah, no problem. Just download it again from GitHub and follow their install steps. But yeah, it can fire up the same conflict with EAC.
Still stuck even after uninstalling?
Sometimes, other stuff like gaming overlays, other input emulators, or hardware tools can cause issues. Check if anything’s running in the background that might look suspicious or interfere with input.
Summary
- Downloaded and extracted the Interception driver
- Opened Command Prompt as admin
- Navigated to the driver folder
- Ran the uninstall command
- Rebooted the PC
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Good luck getting back into rust without errors.