@heavenly Each version of SCFA is separate from one another. This means that if you launch from Steam, you're playing the Steam version. If you launch your DVD exe (or a shortcut from it), you're playing the DVD version. When you play the FAF version, you're using a separate game exe that's only used by FAF, you're not launching the exe from your vanilla SCFA install. The only thing the FAF version needs your vanilla install for is to use some the vanilla SCFA assets so that they don't have to be included in the download of the FAF game files.
If you want to play the FAF version without creating a game from the client so you can save & load, then you can either open the client > your username in top right corner > Logout > Play Offline or you can launch directly from the FAF game exe (or a shorcut of it) which by default is located at:
C:\ProgramData\FAForever\bin\ForgedAlliance.exe
If you had issues with the Steam version running, then since that's separate from FAF, you need to figure out why that's not running on its own. Once you get the Steam SCFA running on its own, then you can change the FAF Client > top left menu > Settings > Forged Alliance Forever > Game Location to point to the Steam SCFA install so FAF uses the assets of the Steam version instead of the from the DVD version. This guide should help in troubleshooting your Steam SCFA, but you can ask for help here should you need it.