Is there any way to active Steam offline using registry keys?

[Waifu4Life]

Hi there,

I know that I can make an image of Windows with Steam activated, restore that image with no Internet access and every game with no extra DRM (Denuvo, UPlay, Origin) will play.

Just for giggles, using a virtual machine, I've been trying to compare a "before & after" Steam activation in my registry to see if I could back it it up, go back to a restore point before the Steam activation and then just run that registry key (The Valve Key in current user), but with no results.

As someone ever made this work?

Cheers

EDIT:
Not that I need to justify my reasons, but since people are here seem to be overly protective of a corporation that wouldn't blink an eye if the situation was reversed, I'll be more specific.

I prefer buying DRM-Free games from GOG, Itch, etc. when ever it is possible. While Steam is not on the same level of DRM as Denuvo or Uplay, it is still a DRM regardless in the sense that an initial activation of the client after a fresh Windows installation is necessary in order to play the games you've purchased.

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

[cinedine]

You don't activate Steam. You register a game to your account. Once it's registered, it's registered. Server-side. No matter what you do on your local machine.

[Zekiran]

I think they mean "pretend that the steam client is running". Which no, I don't believe in any way has ANYTHING to do with the registry, and for that reason I say: don't touch the registry because ... you don't know what you're doing with it.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Last 2 pages of the post history is a fun ride from asking for DRM free versions to this thread about trying to break any sort of DRM.

[Waifu4Life]

Not that I need to justify my reasons, but since people are here seem to be overly protective of a corporation that wouldn't blink an eye if the situation was reversed, I'll be more specific.

I prefer buying DRM-Free games from GOG, Itch, etc. when ever it is possible. While Steam is not on the same level of DRM as Denuvo or Uplay, it is still a DRM regardless in the sense that an initial activation of the client after a fresh Windows installation is necessary in order to play the games you've purchased.

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

[76561198407601200]

Originally posted by the_importer:

Not that I need to justify my reasons, but since people are here seem to be overly protective of a corporation that wouldn't blink an eye if the situation was reversed, I'll be more specific.

I prefer buying DRM-Free games from GOG, Itch, etc. when ever it is possible. While Steam is not on the same level of DRM as Denuvo or Uplay, it is still a DRM regardless in the sense that an initial activation of the client after a fresh Windows installation is necessary in order to play the games you've purchased.

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

Seems like a You problem.

Regarding the topic at hand, no there isn't a way to do what you are wanting through registry.

[Waifu4Life]

Originally posted by The Living Tribunal:

Originally posted by the_importer:

Not that I need to justify my reasons, but since people are here seem to be overly protective of a corporation that wouldn't blink an eye if the situation was reversed, I'll be more specific.

I prefer buying DRM-Free games from GOG, Itch, etc. when ever it is possible. While Steam is not on the same level of DRM as Denuvo or Uplay, it is still a DRM regardless in the sense that an initial activation of the client after a fresh Windows installation is necessary in order to play the games you've purchased.

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

Seems like a You problem.

Regarding the topic at hand, no there isn't a way to do what you are wanting through registry.

Guess I'll keep looking. Also, I never claimed that Steam had some sort of problem, it's working the way it was intended. I think it's obvious from my posts that this is something personal that I'm trying to achieve.

[rawWwRrr]

Originally posted by the_importer:

Originally posted by The Living Tribunal:

Seems like a You problem.

Regarding the topic at hand, no there isn't a way to do what you are wanting through registry.

Guess I'll keep looking. Also, I never claimed that Steam had some sort of problem, it's working the way it was intended. I think it's obvious from my posts that this is something personal that I'm trying to achieve.

Well you have to agree that it is a sensitive topic. You're basically asking if there is a way to circumvent the Steam DRM on Steam's forum. It's not necessarily something you're going to get a lot of information about here.

[Waifu4Life]

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Originally posted by the_importer:

Guess I'll keep looking. Also, I never claimed that Steam had some sort of problem, it's working the way it was intended. I think it's obvious from my posts that this is something personal that I'm trying to achieve.

Well you have to agree that it is a sensitive topic. You're basically asking if there is a way to circumvent the Steam DRM on Steam's forum. It's not necessarily something you're going to get a lot of information about here.

I disagrees. If you activated Steam once on your computer and just want to back-up that activation, then it's not circumventing anything. It's no different than making an image of my SSD and restoring it, Steam remains activated.

[Kesac]

Originally posted by the_importer:

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

Well, if you can get a minimal connection (such as via phone tethering or taking your PC to a wifi hotspot/friend's house), you can use these instructions...

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

It's very uncommon that the steam services will be offline for an extended period (more than a couple of hours). And once you get that initial "OK" from Steam, you can play the games offline for a while (I think a couple of months? Didn't really test the length) -- you don't need a constantly online connection.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

Originally posted by Kesac:

...you can play the games offline for a while (I think a couple of months? Didn't really test the length) -- you don't need a constantly online connection.

Should be indefinitely.

[Waifu4Life]

Originally posted by Kesac:

Originally posted by the_importer:

My Steam game directory is on my E: drive, so when I format Windows, install and activate Steam, I just point to my E:\Steam directory and and that's the end of it. I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

Well, if you can get a minimal connection (such as via phone tethering or taking your PC to a wifi hotspot/friend's house), you can use these instructions...

https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7418-YUBN-8129

It's very uncommon that the steam services will be offline for an extended period (more than a couple of hours). And once you get that initial "OK" from Steam, you can play the games offline for a while (I think a couple of months? Didn't really test the length) -- you don't need a constantly online connection.

cSg|mc-Hotsauce is right, I don't think there's any limit since I did some tests with my computer clock and Steam didn't really care, I just couldn't play games with extra DRM.

[cSg|mc-Hotsauce]

We had a discussion about it here...

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/3006676913246462740/

Where I linked a Valve employee response where it is supposed to be indefinite.

[cinedine]

Originally posted by the_importer:

I'm just trying to figure out a solution of a scenario where I would have no Internet access for a while or Steam services would be offline for a while and I would need to do a fresh install of Windows for whatever reason.

And you still don't "activate" Steam. You sign into your account.
Any game you buy that requires Steam comes with a disclaimer "internet connection needed on installation" for a reason. It's an online service.

And no, you are not looking for a "solution" to a unlikely scenario. You are asking how to break Steam's DRM. On Steam's own forums.

Originally posted by the_importer:

cSg|mc-Hotsauce is right, I don't think there's any limit since I did some tests with my computer clock and Steam didn't really care, I just couldn't play games with extra DRM.

Which is largely because your computer clock - or rather your OS clock - has no bearing on it. Because it would be stupid to base DRM around something the user has control over.

[Waifu4Life]

Originally posted by cinedine:

And you still don't "activate" Steam. You sign into your account.
Any game you buy that requires Steam comes with a disclaimer "internet connection needed on installation" for a reason. It's an online service.

And you still don't understand my initial topic, go back and read until you do.

Originally posted by cinedine:

And no, you are not looking for a "solution" to a unlikely scenario. You are asking how to break Steam's DRM. On Steam's own forums.

Well you're certainly entitled to your opinion.

Originally posted by cinedine:

Which is largely because your computer clock - or rather your OS clock - has no bearing on it. Because it would be stupid to base DRM around something the user has control over.

Please do enlighten me. How would any program would know what to based itself on other than my computer's clock if it doesn't have access to the Internet or it's own clock and calendar?

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

We had a discussion about it here...

https://steamcommunity.com/discussions/forum/0/3006676913246462740/

Where I linked a Valve employee response where it is supposed to be indefinite.

:qr:

Nice, thanks

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by the_importer:

Originally posted by The Living Tribunal:

Seems like a You problem.

Regarding the topic at hand, no there isn't a way to do what you are wanting through registry.

Guess I'll keep looking. Also, I never claimed that Steam had some sort of problem, it's working the way it was intended. I think it's obvious from my posts that this is something personal that I'm trying to achieve.

There are a bunch of people on the forum who regularly rag on DRM-free, and you've just met some of them. :P

Originally posted by the_importer:

Originally posted by rawWwRrr:

Well you have to agree that it is a sensitive topic. You're basically asking if there is a way to circumvent the Steam DRM on Steam's forum. It's not necessarily something you're going to get a lot of information about here.

I disagrees. If you activated Steam once on your computer and just want to back-up that activation, then it's not circumventing anything. It's no different than making an image of my SSD and restoring it, Steam remains activated.

Indeed. You'd be using your own account, just at a former state in time.

I haven't ever tried what you've proposed, but you may also want to check the user data folders for stuff there, in case your idea doesn't work.