I have spent all day trying to sort CrossFire out as I have had the same problems that countless people have had.
I've finally found a solution which works for me and I hope will work for you.
This isn't the best solution at all, it could be considered one of the worst but it is a solution nonetheless.
It's simple if you follow in the exact order I put.
1) Perform a clean installation of Windows.
2) Install all required updates from Windows Update.
3) Create a System Restore point.
4) Install CrossFire.
5) Play CrossFire.
This may seem self explanatory to most people but this has a simple and obvious twist - the System Restore point.
A lot of people have managed to get CrossFire to work for a bit but then it stops all of a sudden, the System Restore is to revert back to when there was nothing but a fresh Windows OS and updates, eliminating the need to perform a clean install over and over again.
Don't take any offence for this and don't post stupid comments please because some people would never have done this.