So close to being able to play... but strange problem

Hello otteranglais,

I will have few questions. What crossfire mod version you have installed? Are you launching it via launcher and have you let download all updates? Is also possible that during mod activation some of mod files not overwrite old FL files because they were write protected. Is recommended after FL install clean all "read only" attributes and run mod installation and activation! like system administrator.

Welcome to the SWAT Portal, the keeper of the Lancers.

The advise to remove "read only" from every Freelancer file is recommended, but that on the new fresh Freelancer install, after uninstalling CF, then FL then Return Backups (Ctrl + R) on the FLMM to clean up it's mod history.

Counting that you are using FLMM 1.3.1 (even though it says 1.3 on the FLMM window) and that you got Crossfire 1.9 and activated it on a Fresh and clean FL install, there are 2 possible causes, some files from the CF additions not being installed (due to not being able to replace a "Read only" file, or for not having "Administrator" rights, for which you have to start as Admin on Win Vista/7/8) or that there's something up with your graphic card, due to an old driver or for being very modern where you would have to edit a freelancer File to detect your card properly. More info on this here: Information: How to avoid grafic Problems while playing Freelancer

Even though that was never a needed edit to make Crossfire work, I suggested it as a possible option, I don't know your PC machine

You don't need the V1.1 version for CF to work, it has everything needed already included.

Unofficial version 1.4 is not a version... more like a mod, and the Crossfire Mod is not compatible with anything else (since it changes everything and even scratches the FL engine itself).

And I don't really see how you can start Freelancer without the Launcher (not while CF is installed)... well, when you uninstall everything again, remember to also clean the My Games folder inside My Documents (cus of the config files you got there as I see you have no save file there, else the game would crash since the start screen), and use something like CCleaner to clean the possible registries related.

Once you have Freelancer installed, fresh (just what's on the disk), enter the game once, and test if it works. Then activate Crossfire, choose lower options at the graphic settings like turnng off the Advanced Shaders, then, don't launch the game from desktop, go to where you installed the game ( by default, the Program Data\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\EXE folder ) and start the game from the "Freelancer" that is there.
If it STILL goes directly to the game instead of showing up a smaller window that says it updates files, means the activatioin failed. You didn't unpack the mod properly, or didn't took off the "Read Only" from FL files like the exe, as Freelancer.exe itself gets replaced.

To unpack the mod you have to start the file you downloaded, not unrar or other stuff, and if FLMM is installed at it's default address, don't touch the destination address of the CF Unpacker. It should have no \ at the end. Once the mod unpacks, FLMM (which was shut down while unpacking) has to come up by itself, if it doesn't, means that it went wrong.

Looks like you never activated the Crossfire 1.9 mod in FLMM

It really looks as if the files were Read Only , the Freelancer.exe itself, and FLMM couldn't replace it with the new one.

It can also look as when somebody manually copies the files from a place on another, (pack-> FLMM or FLMM -> Mod) but that's a bit different, as it shouldn't load the planet, and neither the menu.

Note: You can take off the "Read Only" sign on the whole folder and what's inside, but first do APPLY, then Accept.