Final Fantasy XI

Greetings,

    I've just finished installing final fantasy XI and the four expansion packs that came with the vana'diel collection.

    When I click on the Final Fantasy XI icon, the "Play online" box comes on..then I get a window that solid black, and I hear jazzy piano music, something I'd hear in an elevator.   I know there are active buttons/menus in this black abyss because I can hear my cursor (which is invisible to me) pass over them.   Obviously because I can't see them I don't know what they are for.

    Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in Advance.

It's probably a problem with your PlayOnline Viewer - you may have to reinstall the program.

Uninstalled the play online  program, reinstalled it, rebooted.   Same problem.   I blame Bill Gates. 

UPDATE:  I'm goning to try installing internet explorer (currently using firefox)  and see if that helps.

I'm extremely irritated right now.   I bought this game knowing if I hated it, I was screwed because you can't return these games.   Now I can't even play it to find out if I hate it or not.   The cost of the game, $29.99 pales in comparison to the cost in time that I've spent trying to get this piece of shit to work.  

My next computer is going to be an apple... I used to not want an apple because there are fewer games for OS X then there are for windows.   Well, at this point I don't care.   I'm willing to play the console card now... and it won't be a @#&!-ing X-box 360 I can tell you that.

Die Microsoft... DIE.

Update:    I managed to get "playonline" viewer to work.   I was planning on uninstalling the game and toss it in the "CRAPPY GAMES I WASTED MONEY ON" box when I noticed a setting icon in the programs folder.   Apparently having the player in windows mode rendered it... BLACK.    

I have no idea how much I will like this game.  I will say that it is now 2:40 pm Alaska time.   I've been messing with this installation since 10:00 am.   The "registration" process for this game has to be one of the most unintuitive, dragged out click fests I have ever had the misfortune of experiencing.     After the frustration ended... I was greeted with the expected patching marathon (which now stands at 6 hours with a 3 megabyte cable connection).