help please (characters gone?!?!?)

[Mere_Mortal]

"upgrade (where i keep all files for everything and lose nothing)" and "custom (where most files are kept and some can and have a chance to be lost)".

If you're installing the operating system afresh, including an upgrade or restore, you will lose the registry information you previously had even though the user files, and sometimes the system files, may remain exactly as they were. This often means reinstalling complicated applications, although most typical program files will still run even thought they're not "installed". Evidently, you did indeed lose your registry to a new one so with that went the Freelancer online data for your computer's accounts. Use FLAM or the registry itself to backup this data in future.