Hey Everyone, I just recieved this response from M$:
Hello Daniel,
Thank you for contacting Microsoft Online Support.
I am Steve from Microsoft Consumer Product Support, and I will be helping you today.
I understand from the mail that you are attempting to play Freelancer Multiplayer game and each time you try connecting to a server the game crashes and then you are asked to send a error report.
Daniel, the issue that you are facing can occur for multiple reasons, However in most cases this issue can occur if there is a conflicting back ground application or if there are some antivirus software, firewall programs conflicting with the game. This can also occur if there is an imbalanced hardware setting on the system.
You stated you sent in one or more automated error reports, However, I would like to inform you that these error messages are not accessible by us to verify the issue.
Those error messages are all gathered into a data center, where repeated trends are looked for using automated database analysis
At this time, we will try a couple of verifications and then if the same issue occurs, please gather and send us the error details as this will help us to determine the cause of the issue.
Let us perform a clean installation of the game to a new folder.
Step 1 Uninstall the game
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1. Click Start, Settings and then Control Panel.
Note: Windows XP users, click Start and then Control Panel.
2. Double click the Add/Remove programs icon.
3. Select Freelancer from the list of currently installed programs.
4. Click on Change Remove button.
5. From the setup screen, click Add/Remove button.
6. Choose Uninstalled and then click on OK button.
Step 2 Remove the program folder and rename or removing the My Docs\My Games\Freelancer folder.
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By default the game is installed to the folder:
"C:\Program Files\Microsoft Games\Freelancer\"
Please open the folder where the "Microsoft Games" and delete the "Freelancer" folder.
Open the My Documents folder and then the My Games folder.
Right click on the Freelancer folder and choose rename. Then type Freelancer.OLD
Step 3 Remove the Freelancer Registry key
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WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.
1. Click Start and then Run.
2. In the Open box type "Regedit" without quotes and press ENTER key.
3. In the left windows, expand the tree as follows.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\FreeLancer
Click on Freelancer Key and press Delete key on the keyboard. When prompted, click on Yes.
Now Expand the following tree.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft Games\Freelancer
Select the Freelancer key and press the Delete key on the keyboard. Click Yes when prompted to delete.
Step 4:
Now have the system clean booted
Clean-boot troubleshooting refers to methods of reducing behaviors that may occur because of your computer's environment. Many behaviors that occur when you run Windows or programs occur because there are conflicting drivers, terminate-and-stay-resident programs (TSRs), and other settings that are loaded when your computer starts.
How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP
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NOTE: You must be logged on as an administrator or a member of the Administrators group in to complete this procedure. If your computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may also prevent you from completing this procedure.
1. Click Start, click Run, type "msconfig" (without the quotation marks) in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. On the General tab, click Selective Startup and then clear all of the subsequent check boxes except Services.
Note: You will not be able to clear the Use Original BOOT.INI check box.
3. Click Services tab, click Hide All Microsoft Services and then click Disable All.
4. Click OK, and then click Restart to restart your computer.
For information about how to clean boot a Windows XP, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q310353 How to Perform a Clean Boot in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb ... 0/3/53.asp
Please ensure to have all Antivirus and Firewall software disabled on the system temporarily.
Step 5 Reinstall the game and create a multiplayer game.
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Insert the Freelancer disc 1 in the CD/DVD ROM Drive and then follow the onscreen instructions to install the game. When the installation is complete, start the game and click on Multiplayer.
Now try playing the game and let us know how it goes.
If the same issue continues to occur, please get the Error Signature
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To do this, follow these steps:
1. Run the game and when the error appears, click "click here".
2. Highlight the text under the Error signature section.
3. Press Ctrl+C on the keyboard to copy this information.
4. Click Close.
5. Click "Send Error Report" or "Dont Send" depending on your preference.
6. Add a reply to this case and paste this information into it.
Please let me know how it goes.
Please feel free to contact us for further assistance and I will be glad to help you.
Regards,
Steve
Microsoft Technical Support
http://www.microsoft.com/support
Fri Apr 04, 2003 10:21 pm 
