Recovering a very old account

[76561199000841498]

About 14 years ago, I created a steam account. When trying to recover this account, I get forwarded to Steam Support, where I have to create a Ticket. I still have access to the e-mail I signed up with. Due to the age of this account, Steam Support wants me to verify my ownership of the original CD Key that was used to create it. This account doesn't have any games on it. It's not even setup yet. All I did was creating it, and then forgetting all about it. If I'm not mistaken, a CD-key is something you recieve, when you buy a game, right? Well, since this account doesn't have any games, how am I supposed to proof ownership? My memory is a bit blurry, since it's a long time ago, so I could be wrong, and maybe I did register a retail license key on it. I'm really confused about this situation and would therefore like some help.

I look forward to hearing from you.

[wuddih]

it has something on it, otherwise it would be deleted.
and most of the things on Steam accounts back then were added with cd keys and the amount of games that this could be is very limited. it was a Valve game.

[ReBoot]

You surely have registered a retail license key on it. Use that retail key to recover the account. A key you got when you bought Half-Life in a retail store.

[The Giving One]

Originally posted by Joker:

My memory is a bit blurry, since it's a long time ago - did you recieve a CD-key when you created a account 14 years ago?

My account is 11 years old but I purchased the Orange Box back then at Best Buy, and that was my first time using a game on Steam.

Back then, pretty sure TF2 was not F2P as it is now, so I had to use the key I got from that box set to activate it on Steam.

[76561199000841498]

Thanks for your answers. I was told by Steam Support that I have to hand-write my Support Ticket Number on the quick reference card or sticker above the CD Key (the number should not be written on a separate piece of paper or inserted with an image editor) and reply with a digital photo or scan of the CD Key in .jpg format.
What if I no longer have this "reference card or sticker"? Is the account lost forever? or is there other ways to proof ownership?

[Cathulhu]

Depends. If that retail key activation is the only thing that was ever done, then yes.

[76561199000841498]

That sucks. I wonder why users no longer can recover the password of a old account through e-mail...

[Theblaze]

Originally posted by Joker:

That sucks. I wonder why users no longer can recover the password of a old account through e-mail...

You can, if you still have access to the e-mail address used on the old account.
https://help.steampowered.com/wizard/HelpWithLoginInfo?issueid=406

[76561199000841498]

Originally posted by Theblaze:

You can, if you still have access to the e-mail address used on the old account.
https://help.steampowered.com/wizard/HelpWithLoginInfo?issueid=406

I do still have access to the e-mail address used on the old account. But whenever I try to recover it, I get forwarded to this page: {LINK REMOVED}https://i.imgur.com/TnolLDd.png
I read somewhere that since 2017, you have to proof ownership to access old accounts...

[The Giving One]

Pretty sure you have always had to prove ownership, but the proof that Support requests can vary depending on a case-by-case basis, and what condition the account is in.

Sometimes, we have seen them ask the user for the first email that was used on that account. Just the address, that is.