Orange Box scrapped my previous HL2 account

[tyster]

Soon after HL2 came out, I bought it and set up an account. I added Episode 1 to that account when that came out. So, I figured that if I bought the Orange Box and installed it, I would be able to give my old copy of HL2 and account info to a friend and keep the Orange box with a new acount for myself. After all I did pay for 2 copies of HL2.

However, when I installed the Orange Box, my old account (used when I fist installed HL2 a year ago) was automatically linked to the new game. The Orange Box setup program did not even wait for user verification. So, it seems to me that I now have one account for the old HL2 installation as well as the new one that came in the orange box. Did valve pull a fast one on me and screw me over? Given that I had previously bought HL2, then bought the Orange Box, do I really have 2 separate copies of HL2? If I had uninstalled my older copy of HL2 and all the steam programs on my computer before installing the Orange Box, could I have made a new login name so that I could run both copies of HL2 at the same time on 2 separate machines?

Thank you for any help you can provide. I am not trying to cheat the system, I just thought that buying 2 copies of a game would mean I could run 2 copies of it on 2 separate machines at the same time, but it seems that is not so.

*edited for spelling errors

 

[Rapstah]

You should be able to gift away the copies of the games you have two of.

 

[giant384]

umm old account? your trying to install orange box on a new account and expecting to give away hl2?

 

[tyster]

Unless I am misunderstanding the gifting process, it seems that this "gift" is a timed demo. The main thing I'm trying to say is that since I bought 2 copies of HL2, I should be run them independently with 2 separate accounts. If both copies of HL2 are under the same user account name (as was done in Orange Box installation without my consent), then I cannot use both copies of it at the same time on separate machines, even though I paid for two copies. The gifting process would allow this for a short time, but the gift copy of HL2 expires after a while, right?

 

[Sliver]

No, the gift is for life. Once you have two copies of a game, you can "gift" one, giving it away to another person, and account.

 

[tyster]

Oh. I must have misunderstood the description of the gifting process and, as a result, became a little frustrated and indignant. Thank you for clearing that up. Thank you for clearing that up.