von Zelda

1. Uninstall SH3
2. Uninstall SH3 Commander
3. Do a search and locate UBI/SH3 and SH3 Commander directories and delete them.
4. Delete the SH3 directory that is under "My Documents"
5. Recommend the program Crap Cleaner, it is a free dowload. Run a Google search for it. Install and run the "clean" and the "issues" parts of it. You'll be surprised how much junk is on your computer and how many SH3 files are still there.
6. Run CheckDisk
7. Run Defrag
8. Run Crap Cleaner's clean and issues again.
9. Install SH3
10. Install 1.4b patch
11. Install Grey Wolves
12. Open SH3 one time the conventional way to install necessary files. At menu page, close SH3.
13. Install SH3 Commander 2.6
14. Open SH3 Commander and select your options. Then open SH3 with SH3 Commander. You might wish to start by creating a new career in Commander first.

Also, recommend FSautoStart download to free up some memory. This will select specific programs and services to close before you open SH3 Commander and the SH3 game.

I've done exactly the above and it works. In fact I did it just a couple of nights ago due to multiple crashes like you described.

Also, if you do any mods, remember there is a Role-Back feature in SH3 Commander to be done first. Every time you open SH3 with Commander it changes files in SH3 but it saves the original files for role-back later. So, unless you do a role-back, files in the mod may be overwriten by original files on the next SH3 Commander role-back which it does every time you open the SH3 game with it. I hope this makes sense.