Problem!!

[THE MANAGER]

i tried to make flex my new skin and it took ages to load up. . . . so i exited the game and loaded it back up and the skin had now changed to a strange orange and white and grey colour scheme. . . .so i changed the skin back to FM 2009 and once again it took ages to load. so i exited again and now when i try to load up the game it doesn't even get to the main menu before turning all black and freezing. please help

[homerjnick]

Quit FM09 and remove your FLEX folders from the directory you put it in.

Go into FM09, and choose default skin with the Skin Cache option OFF and the Reload Skin option ON.

[homerjnick]

BTW you need both folders of FLEX09 and FLEX09_r in My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\skins folder.

Make sure you have not a double folder like: My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\skins folder\Flex09\Flex09

[Livvy]

I have exactly the same problem, I've tried all sorts to solve this as I really want to use the champions league skin hope someone out there can help please!!!

[Fart]

i tried to make flex my new skin and it took ages to load up. . . . so i exited the game and loaded it back up and the skin had now changed to a strange orange and white and grey colour scheme. . . .so i changed the skin back to FM 2009 and once again it took ages to load. so i exited again and now when i try to load up the game it doesn't even get to the main menu before turning all black and freezing. please help

How long are you waiting for exactly? Because it will re-load eventually you just have to be patient.

BTW you need both folders of FLEX09 and FLEX09_r in My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\skins folder.

Make sure you have not a double folder like: My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\skins folder\Flex09\Flex09

I deleted FLEX09_r and now only have FLEX09 and it works fine.

[THE MANAGER]

FM still won't load up. It starts up exactly how it should until it gets jsut before the main menu and just after all the advertisments at the start. It just doesn't ever get to the main menu before the screen goes all black. however the mouse is still free to move about, and i can also hit the windows key or alt-tab to return to the desktop. It like the FM is fine but the skin or graphics is mucked up. Please help.

[Fart]

Try switching to window mode.

Or re-install it as it might be currupt from where you didn't exit properly before.

Oh and one other thing, BE PATIENT!

[kelpo]

I too am pulling my hair out after trying to change the skin. Just as THE MANAGER attempted to. When I tried the switch, as the loading was taking so long, I assumed that it had crashed and quit Fm09, only to find the dreaded black screen once I tried to reload.

I had googled and googled looking for an answer before finally removing and then tediously downloading again using STEAM. After it finished and I started up the problem has remained.

I have deleted everything in my skins folder and even tried the patience thing that Fart recommended!

While I was googling I have found that this is not a new problem and has been around for at least the last 2 versions and the soloutions viable in those are not possible in this...

Oh and I also deleted as directed in

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=72340&highlight=black+screen

eg.....

"Windows XP:

1. Open “My Computer”

2. Navigate to : “Documents and Settings\<Username>\Application Data\

3. Go into the “Sports Interactive” Folder.

4. Delete the “Football Manager XX” Folder."

I have also tried the using in windowed mode

I hope that this doesnt go on too long as in Michael Osmans case

http://community.sigames.com/showthread.php?t=68220

Somebody has the answer!!!

[danmob]

I have done exactly the same as KELPO and im also very frustrated.

Deleting the files, downloading again through steam, deleting the cache and patience have got me no further forward.

Has anyone got any ideas on how to go forward?

[kelpo]

I have finally found a soloution....Installed the game on a 2nd hard drive and played from there.

I had an old hard drive knocking about complete with xp installed.

I think the answer for people who dont want to delve in to the depths of their operating system,(its obvious that the problem cannot be fixed in the registry,or deleting cache files, etc), is either format and reinstall windows or do as i did and install again on a 2nd drive with windows already on.

Im a little disgruntled that with such an obvious flaw in the game,(and previous versions too!!), the team have failed to change the code, or even come up with a working soloution.

Football Manager is a wonderful concept and game. I have played it since the Amiga days and played each version since. But I do feel miffed that to work around the black screen problem, such major changes need to be made. It really has tested my resolve and the lack of any concrete soloutions coming from the SI team here on the forums has made me wonder if they are taking it seriously enough.

I do remember a couple of years ago having exactly the same problem with an earlier FM (fm2005 or 06). Searching endlessly for a workaround and getting nowhere, but finding plenty of people with the same problem. In the end I formatted the hard drive and reinstalled.

My point being that great though the series is, surely the code that controls the skins should be looked at now as the problem has been around for 3 or 4 years and only hit and hope soloutions are available.

[radestock]

Before anyone goes about formatting their system and re-installing windows (which I highly doubt you should really need to do), do the following:

1. Delete anything in your user data folder:

Win Vista: C:\Users\<username>\Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\

Win 2000/XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<username>\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\

Win 98/ME: C:\My Documents\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\

Mac OS X: /Users/<username>/Documents/Sports Interactive/Football Manager 2009/

So get rid of any folders or files in there (such as skins, db, sounds, tectics etc - all of them). If you have saves then keep the contents of your 'games' directory somewhere such as your desktop for safe keeping.

2. Clear your cache as shown here: http://community.sigames.com/showpost.php?p=2164473&postcount=4

3. IMPORTANT - Uninstall FM but then check your installation directories. For example:

C:\Program Files\Steam\steamapps\common\football manager 2009\

or

C:\Program Files\Sports Interactive\Football Manager 2009

If you installed with steam then get rid of the 'Football Manager 2009' directory if it still exists. With steam I'd also get rid of 'fm2009 depot.ncf' and also 'fm2009 910 depot.ncf' if they are still there.

Same with if you installed with uniloc. Get rid of the football manager 2009 directory from your '\Program Files\Sports Interactive' folder. My guess is a few of you guys having problems created your skins folder in the install location rather than the user data folder in your documents area.

Once you have nothing in any of those folders, have removed any cache as per number 2 and have nothing in your my documents area - Reinstall FM. I'd always use the DVD rather than installing over steam if possible. Hopefully that should create a fresh bed to install on. BEFORE putting your saved games back in the 'games' folder see if FM starts normally. If it does then add your saved games back into the 'games' folder.