[solved] allow query string (?p=) to one directory only

Hello CI'ers,
I'm trying to embed a forum app into a codeigniter page. The problem I am running into is that the app is producing tradition query string calls which CI is not allowing.. ie. I get a 404.

When I (globally) allow traditional query strings in config.php:

$config['enable_query_strings'] = TRUE;

The site doesn't work.

I then tried overriding the config in just the forum controller itself:

$this->config->set_item('enable_query_strings', TRUE);

That did not work.

Any ideas?