Old School Half-Life CD-Key

[Smooth]

Hi !

I found my old Half-Life generation pack CDs when i was cleaning my attic. I would like to add the original Half-Life to one of my accounts. Is it still possible? The CD-keys are from the 90's and steam doesn't regonize it. The cd-keys form is as follows: 1234-12345-1234

[snavis]

You cant activate the keys on Steam because Steam doesnt recognize them as valid Steam game keys yet here you are still wondering why you cant activate your keys on Steam??? Are you okay?

[Count_Dandyman]

Originally posted by wuddih:

the keys should normally still work.
proper casing?

They changed the accepted key formats a while back and those keys don't match any of the current formats.

[M1ewsen]

I collect Half life games and i can say when i tried my 1998 cd key it worked on steam. I got all Half life games Team fortress classic, Ricochet, Day of defeat, and Deathmatch classic,

[JPMcMillen]

Originally posted by 6thWIPvt.Carl Wheezer:

I collect Half life games and i can say when i tried my 1998 cd key it worked on steam. I got all Half life games Team fortress classic, Ricochet, Day of defeat, and Deathmatch classic,

I had a similar experience. I had bought the original Half-Life Platinum Collection that came with Half-Life, HL:Opposing Force, Team Fortress, and Counter-Strike (but not HL:Blue Shift, that was the 2nd edition). When I look at my Steam license page, the Half-Life Platinum Collection is the very first thing redeemed to my account. Probably because I wanted to play Counter-Strike and used the key to activate the game on my account.

Maybe it was something you had to do back when Steam first started up years ago. You could always see if Steam support could do something as you have the original key. I know Sega got me Steam keys for Dawn of War and it's expansions because I had still my non-Steam retail keys. Just had to send photo/scan of the original codes and got my Steam keys a few days later. Maybe Valve can be nice and do the same.

[zajebali radio]

some of them are still working

[Aigis Toaster]

such a key to the gunman chronicles game worked for me, but they gave me a half life platinum pack since the gunman chronicles game was never in steam

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by МИСТЕР ТЫКВА:

such a key to the gunman chronicles game worked for me, but they gave me a half life platinum pack since the gunman chronicles game was never in steam

The long forgotten gunman chronicles. It's funny if download a copy, and replace with half life, Steam actually detects you have gunman chronicles installed.

[Private]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

You can't activate them on Steam.

You can sell them to collectors though.

Originally posted by ReBoot:

That's actually wrong. The Half-Life I have on this account is from the back of my old Sierra-published jewel case.

That was before 2005.

:qr:

That's a straight out lie. I have my old CD's from the 90s. With the CD key on the front. I was able to activate mine on Steam.

Please don't spread misinformation with an authoritative attitude as if it's correct.

[Haruspex]

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Sierra keys are not Steam redeemable keys.

:qr:

Did this change? My Sierra published HL1 pack with Opposing Force and Blue Shift activated on Steam just fine around 2005-2006 or so.

[Count_Dandyman]

Originally posted by Snow Lord:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

You can't activate them on Steam.

You can sell them to collectors though.



That was before 2005.

:qr:

That's a straight out lie. I have my old CD's from the 90s. With the CD key on the front. I was able to activate mine on Steam.

Please don't spread misinformation with an authoritative attitude as if it's correct.

And when exactly did you do that because I also have my CD from the 90s and it cannot be activated currently because its format does not match any of the formats for keys that Steam accepts now.

That is the thing Valve did allow the keys to be used despite them having not been Steam keys originally as a good will gesture but eventually Steam was updated to only allow very specific key formats to be used and that old 4-5-4 format is not one of them

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Originally posted by Haruspex:

Originally posted by cSg|mc-Hotsauce:

Sierra keys are not Steam redeemable keys.

Did this change? My Sierra published HL1 pack with Opposing Force and Blue Shift activated on Steam just fine around 2005-2006 or so.

Depends on the game in question, for half life games it's a given they should work.

But games that not Valve games, and not marked for Steam there small chance may work to redeem on Steam, as devs had to setup with steam to activate for steam, otherwise it just don't work at all. And they could just simply try redeeming the key it does't hurt doing it.

[Mont]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.