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Steam is annoying. Please help!

K

Kabir8

macrumors regular
Original poster
Feb 3, 2010
156
17
LA
Ok, so after 5 years I install Windows XP on my new iMac i7 (XP SP3)
and I install Counterstrike Source.

Now previously, I returned a mac that I got to run CS:S with VMWARE fusion, but now I running boot camp.

My question is, how the hell do I play a game?
Steam keeps redirecting me to the game page to BUY the game.
I was playing Counterstrike just fine on my iMac that I returned (although it was glitchy since I wasn't on Bootcamp)

but I don't know how to even play single player Half Life 2.

Edit: Sorted it out with Steam. Thanks for the replies.
 
CJS7070 said:
Does it appear under the "My Games" tab of Steam?
Click to expand...

Yes.
I installed using the same 5 disc set that I bought when HL2 was released on my old iMac using VMware Fusion and it worked just fine (albeit some graphics issues, I was able to join games).

I can't seem to join a game?
 
I thought Steam is the client you always had to use to access the games?

I installed using the 5 discs, and Steam installed and I have a Half Life and Counterstrike icon on my desktop as well.

When I open CS or HL, up pops Steam.
I can see the Servers and users in the servers, but everytime I click to connect, or right click>connect it sends me to the Steam page to Purchase the games.

Am I doing something completely wrong?
 
JackAxe said:
Under STEAM, go to Games -- Activate a Product on Steam...

It's been a while, but this is how I recall to activate STEAM games purchased from retail.
Click to expand...

I've been activated and everything. That is why I am so frustrated.
It should not be this difficult to just play a game. :confused:
 
Under My games, is Counter-Strike or Half Life under the NOT INSTALLED section?

I own both HL -- purchased from STEAM, and CS:Source -- purchased retail. Neither is installed on my current PC, but if you have no luck, I'll setup CS:Sourse to see what steps it needs to activate.
 
I'm gonna ask the obvious question just in case:

Are you logged into steam now with the same email address as you used on the old computer and VM Ware?

.
 
Both CS:S and HL2 are under INSTALLED.
Status = Pre-Load complete for both.


Not Installed: R.U.S.E. Beta
 
Pre-load means you have installed the games but Steam doesn't think you actually own them.

Are you logged into the same Steam account that you used on the old computer when playing under VM Ware?

.
 
Flash SWT said:
Pre-load means you have installed the games but Steam doesn't think you actually own them.

Are you logged into the same Steam account that you used on the old computer when playing under VM Ware?

.
Click to expand...

Yes I am.
I only have 1 steam account, if I try to reregister with the key won't it say that it is linked to another steam account?

The old computer with VMWare is long gone by now too. I ended up deleting VMware before sending it back I am sure.

Can't say if I left myself logged in or not, but I only played for one day.

(Can I even play single player HL2 - is there such thing? I can't even remember its been so long)
 
I myself HATE Steam for just these kinds of problems. I only know one person who hasn't had problems with them.

I can no longer play my copy of Orange Box because Steam thinks its fake even though it worked fine for 6 months, and I sent in proof of purchase, receipts from Best Buy, etc.

Not to mention Steams "offline mode" is completely broke. You have to connect initially, defeating the purpose of offline mode instantly and you have to reconnect every so often, yet again defeating the purpose of offline mode.

I honestly can't figure out why people like it so much. I no longer buy any game requiring steam. Its broken in my experience.
 
Kabir, Well it wouldn't matter if you remained logged in, the solution to your problem is using the same username (email address) now as you did back then. Do you still have access to the same email address? If so, just sign into Steam using it instead of whatever new account you created when you installed Steam recently.

.
 
Flash SWT said:
Kabir, Well it wouldn't matter if you remained logged in, the solution to your problem is using the same username (email address) now as you did back then. Do you still have access to the same email address? If so, just sign into Steam using it instead of whatever new account you created when you installed Steam recently.

.
Click to expand...

To clarify:

I have NEVER created more than ONE account for Steam.
I always logged in with the same Username I registered 5 years ago, and that seemed to do me just fine.

I am just stuck at the point right before gameplay, its the worst tease, I wasted hours of my day on this bull*****.
 
Got it, sorry for repeating the question but until we got that answer we couldn't know how to proceed.

Since this is the same email address as before I'd say go ahead and re-Activate the Product. No clue if it will work but hopefully it will since when you activated them 5 years ago it was on the same email account.

Sorry I can't offer any first hand experience on this particular problem. Keep us updated on how it goes.

.
 
No doubt it's annoying. I had a gripe where I bank in the US, but work overseas as an expat. So my credit card number is US account but my country ISP never matches CC issuing country... Steam doesn't allow this, which is retarded. Like no one travels with laptops and wants to buy on the road during sales?

Anyways, I had to wait for issue to be resolved via a ticket, but then it was solved and they fixed it for my account. Annoying, but they do actually respond and help ya.

Paul
 
chrono1081 said:
I honestly can't figure out why people like it so much. I no longer buy any game requiring steam. Its broken in my experience.
Click to expand...

I've read a few posts like yours, but they seem to be the exception to the rule. If anybody I know has had problems with STEAM, they haven't said anything.

I'm a later adopter of STEAM. It's worked like a champ on my current PC and my prior config and now it's on my MBPro.
 
JackAxe said:
I've read a few posts like yours, but they seem to be the exception to the rule. If anybody I know has had problems with STEAM, they haven't said anything.

I'm a later adopter of STEAM. It's worked like a champ on my current PC and my prior config and now it's on my MBPro.
Click to expand...

I have a feeling Steam is probably fine if you have an always on broadband connection but me and the other people I know who have problems with it work in a not so nice part of the world and cannot plug our personal machines into our work network and our work network is the only internet available.

Because of this we can only activate steam riddled games while on R and R. Once we come back, if steam decides it wants to update even in offline mode we are screwed : /
 
That makes sense.

The connection where I live currently has beens excellent. Even at my last location my connection was still up most of the time. It was never down long enough where as I needed to rely on offline mode.
 
chrono1081 said:
I myself HATE Steam for just these kinds of problems. I only know one person who hasn't had problems with them.
Click to expand...
You mean me ... or other than me? ;)

chrono1081 said:
Not to mention Steams "offline mode" is completely broke. You have to connect initially, defeating the purpose of offline mode instantly and you have to reconnect every so often, yet again defeating the purpose of offline mode.
Click to expand...
Broken means 'doesn't work as designed', not 'doesn't do what *I* want'. Offline Mode allows you to play games while offline. Therefore it is NOT broken. Steam is an ONLINE service, so expecting that there will not be some requirement for online authentication is just plain silly. In this case it is not Steam that is broken ...

And the reason that it doesn't allow for a 'permanently disconnected mode' should be obvious - rampant piracy. If you never had to authenticate you could just load up steam with pirated crap and play away ...
 
Agree with all that 100%. You download Steam and buy games online, so you're expected to use that online connection to log in and play games. When I had dial up Steam's offline mode worked just fine. Every few months I had to log back in to reactivate and I was on my way.
chrono1081 said:
I myself HATE Steam for just these kinds of problems. I only know one person who hasn't had problems with them.
Click to expand...
You can now make that 2 ;).

But OP. It sounds like Steam has just invalidated your games, if you originally installed from a CD or used a serial number and someone else then tries to use the same number both accounts will have that game disabled. A friend tried to install HL to his Steam account recently using an old CD. He had to scan in the box and code to prove his was the owner using the Steam support tickets.
 
txa1265 said:
And the reason that it doesn't allow for a 'permanently disconnected mode' should be obvious - rampant piracy. If you never had to authenticate you could just load up steam with pirated crap and play away ...
Click to expand...

I can understand activating online the first time, or do what adobe does and offer a telephone activation, but to call something offline mode that is not offline mode is misleading. Not to mention (and I've already checked) Steams FAQ's only say the game needs activated initially, they never mention that they will disable the game and you have to reconnect periodically. I checked all of that out before I bought Orange Box because I knew there may be difficulties playing it with my work situation.

Anyway unfortunately for Steam they increased piracy. I now have a hacked version of Orange Box that I use. I in no way support piracy (especially being a hobbyist game developer) but I also don't support paying $40 for a game and not being able to use it because some DRM software all of the sudden thinks its not a legal copy and even with proof of receipts from Best Buy and photos of the box.

The Orange Box is the only time I used a cracked version of the game and it was simply because I could not use the original. That does not make what I did right, but its "fair use" in my opinion. I bought something for $40, and found a way to use it.

The sad thing is most people just skip over the drm crap and go straight to the hacked copy. I can't say I blame them after my experiences. I generally avoid games I know are DRM riddled (such as Spore).
 
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