Please Please Help - Can't start Steam or HL2

[uncy_chris]

FAO anyone who can help!

I bought HL2 several weeks back, and have still not been able to play it. Why? Because I can't activate it. The installation goes fine until it comes to Steam. At first it asks me to create an account, but when I try to it says I can’t because Steam is in online mode.

Here’s a screenshot of the error message I receive.



I'm running on a uni halls LAN which has a hardware firewall (I’ve disabled all software firewalls on my computer), meaning that I can’t turn it off or change the settings, but I can still access the internet fine enough. All I really care about is getting Steam to work in offline mode with the registration complete. I mean Half Life 2 – I’ve waited so long and I can’t play it!!

I’ve read the threads regarding firewalls, but is there a way around the ports to allows Steam to connect? I don’t really understand ports 100% so if there is a way to do this then a step by step guide would be useful. Another of my flatmates also has the same problem. He’s tried a program called Your Freedom’ which basically re-routes the connection so things like Kazaa connect to an http and has been able to connect to Kazaa (whereas before it was impossible). He says there might be a way to use a program called SocksCap, but he’s yet to get Steam to connect.

Now whenever I start my computer I’m asked to register, but it doesn’t work so I cancel. If I run Steam again it takes a few minutes and then comes up with an updating screen but doesn’t move:



There must be someway around this? Could the kind people at Steam / Valve send an authentification file if I send them my CD Key? I’ve done a bit of a search on google for ‘clientregistry.blob’ as this seems to be the file that contains the relevant information. Can I edit this to make it work? I’ve brought a legit copy of the game, I have all the system requirements (including a net connection), yet I am unable to play it.

Any help would be hugely appreciated.

Chris

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Hey Chris, well there are quite alot of people who have had problems being behind such firewalls and things in universities and such like, i believe theres no easy way to solve it. You can't edit the client registry.blob as if you could anyone could just get HL2 for nothing. The idea is you have to registry your cd key with so they decrypt the .gcfs that you installed. So you HAVE to be online in order to create an account, or register the cd key, theres no budging on that im afraid.

However, you can still register the cd key and create an account IF you were to take a long winded approach and take your computer out of your campus and moved it and did everything from another location, then put steam in offline mode, then took it back to its home you could play. Its annoying, but necessary. I dont know much about those programmes you are using, maybe there is an alternative way, but i havent seen anyone succeed. I think ive seen cases similar to yours on here or on the steam forums, try searching both forums for any other remedies.

Good luck, and enjoy the game when you get it working, you won't be disappointed :thumbs: