Is there actually a way to bypass activation through steam for those of us that bought the retail version of the game. Seems some files are missing from the cd install. This is very frustrating, maybe I should just give up till I can get internet connection about a month from now.

@ManiyaOtaru
I didnt accuse you of not being able to afford Windows! I merely asked a question on why you dont use it! It now seems it is because you choose not to! Like I said "its all about choices" and you made your choice! Thats all I was asking you! Note the '?' at the end of the sentence! ;)
Seems a lot of people are very frustrated with the activation and as Ive mentioned in another post previously, a good discussion will usually become heated or hostile! Many people have differences of opinions thats what makes discussions heated. We all think we are right until thru discussion we get another insight into what others think. Only then can we maybe learn that there is another point to every argument and maybe then we may actually learn from them and become a little more tolerent to others ideas or way of thinking. Sometimes things seem very obvious until someone gives another insight into it. Alot of things I read here I think to myself "thats a good point" then someone else says something to make me again think "Hmm thats also a good point". A lot of people tend to write things in the heat of the moment, me included, but that is what happens when we all think we are the ones who are right!
P.S: My appolagies to any 'poorer' people who got offended at my comments directed to them. It was a cheap shot! I do appreciate its not their fault they were born in their countries and I do feel very lucky to have been born and bred in Australia. I also appreciate that even if people are born in a richer country that circumstances, sometimes beyond their control, can make them poor!

Hmm. Apparently there is a way to get around the CD check by ripping an image via BlindWrite, with a SecuROM 5 ini file. Unfortuntely, for some reason BlindWrite does not like my DVD-ROM drive, and as such it bails before it even begins extracting my DVD image.

Perhaps someone else could have better luck pulling a DVD image via BlindWrite?

Instructions (in German), were found here http://forum.copybase.ch/de/index.php?showtopic=3526

Apparently it also involves tweaking the registry to hide Daemon Tools from the SecuROM check.

Well, I'm glad that's over. I thought i was gonna pop a vessel in my head. :D

Online activiation isn't necessary for me
 

I won't accept this condition by Vivendi/Valve, also I won't buy this fantastic game.
We don't need this game, but the companies depend on selling their products!!! :p
We have the power, they have to serve ! :)
Don't forget, unconditional love in eternal living is reality! ;)
Lets show the companies, who is master who is slave! :)

so, i have buyed hl2 via steam

after 3hours of decryten,registering and installing i backup my hl2 folder.

are the backup.exe encryted oder decrypted ?

Cool, now we need someone from Germany to translate this for us english folk :P

Any1 here no how to copy half-life 2 ??
 

im trying 2 copy half-life 2 but securom 5.03.06.0002 is giving me :mad: probs :mad: when i try 2 play it.it comes up with a emulator software error msg if somone can help me here it would be more appericated then you think..ok anways thanks in advance guys

yeh no probs m8 its securom 5.03.06.0002..do u no how 2 copy it by anychance?? as i burnt a workin copy from my mates orginal but im getting a emulator error msg..ok & thnks in advance

MODERATOR-EDIT:
Read the board rules !!!
You're banned !

seriously not on topic, but...
 

My head has a problem with everything related to the HalfeLife engine. The first engine. All games that are made on that engine (like HalfLife 1, Counter Strike, Gunman Chronicles, Opposing Force) give me an instant headache. And I mean it in the biological way. Doesn't matter if I'm tired or not, if I play in the morning, at noon or at night. After 5 minutes MAX of playing I get a serious headache, complete with nausea and everything and it lasts, half a day.

That is the only engine that I have experienced something like it. It is very strange, because I play games, many games, different games - but only HalfLife engine has a headache incorporated.

Does anyone recognise this, has it happened to you?

For uk/usa People where don't understand german :)

You Need Blindwrite5

First download this
http://forum.copybase.ch/de/uploads/...fil_SrNew5.rar

then extract it to your B5 Profile


Then go to the "READ" Menue
Push the Read Button, wait until blindwrite5 is finish with reading the dvd.


push your start button go to "implement" push it

For Winxp give regedit in the implement on.
for win2k give regedt32.exe in the implement on.


The DVD are protected with Securom 5 and has Blacklisting of Daemon Tools and Alcohol here the trick to make securom5 happy

then goes to

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\Scsi\

you must find d347prt for Daemon Tools
and you musst find a347scsi for Alkohol120%

in the scisi under folder you must find the ports thats belong to the two tools

by me are it scisi port 2 and 3

then under winxp right click the port
and under win2k marks with the left button

under winxp select characteristics
under win2k goes to Security

Under winxp and win2k are the "read" whery important under characteristics of scisi port.

Makes a chop by "read" refuse an goes to "take over" then goes to ok and make the same by the other scisi port.

You must make this each time you start window new.


then you can mount hl2 the image and play





before the first troll or flamer cames :)
this manual was maken with school english and google

Excellent procedure, never thought of doing that,
here's what I did with the registry (on winxp)

Start -> Run -> Regedit

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\HARDWARE\DEVICEMAP\Scsi\
look in the port keys (scsi port x) for one that has SCSI Bus X\target id x\logical unit x with a value of the device name used for demon tools "generic DVD" for example or whatever you called it in the daemon tools config
right click on that port entry and select permissions
check "deny" on "read" and "full control" for the list of users/groups that are there.
apply.

do the same for the port that has blindwrite

now my question is this: do i need to deny all users or just "administrators" or "system"

just administrator everytime you reboot your pc

question
 

How large is the launcher.exe file, i have 196 608 bytes.
launcher.exe and hl2.exe has a DOS application icon. should it be so or there is another icon?

is there any encryption used?

i copied hl2 from DVD iso.

thank you!

I already deciphered the BlindWrite instructions.

My problem is that, for some inexplicable reason, BlindWrite refuses to extract the DVD image. It gives me the error "Can't find a method to read a CD DATA track".

Does anyone else have this problem? Has anyone been able to extract the image via BlindWrite? Does anyone know of a possible workaround?

I've used BW in the past (previous installation of XP), and I don't remember having this problem.