Half Life 2 reinstallation etc

Hey guys, I have a question about HL2. I want to reinstall windows, but I'm not sure what will happen if I want to reinstall HL2 and have to submit my CD Key to valve/steam...will they think I'm a pirate? Also, as I will be on 56k, I don't want to spend ages downloading (although I can just set it to go o/night, it's a tad annoying) updates. Are there files I can just copy onto a CD-R and then into my fresh-install folder to stop this?

I just read that back over, I sound like I am a pirate! well i'm not.

oh yeah i'm also fisico2k3, but can't remember password of the email addy i registered under. oops!

The question from this link is still unanswered, and still bugs me.
[www.grandprixgames.org]

As per the downloading of files again, if you right click on the steam icon in the taskbar, there should be an option to 'backup game files' in their somewhere, use that so you can put the files onto a CD, and reload them.

Once the game is reinstalled you shouldnt have to reenter your CD-key because you should be able to use the steam login that you made - this login should be directly related to the CD key of your game. There is probably an option in steam at the CD key enter screen or just before to login to your existing steam account.

Hope that helps.
Perhaps someone that has physically done a reinstall could confirm or deny aspects of what i just said.

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[timblair.net]
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Homer Simpson: "Well i would like to live long enough to see the effects of global warming, cos i've got an inside line that its all a load of crap"

thanks mate, i'll check on here tomorrow (i have no internet at home at the mo, I'm at work )

I had Steam installed on 3 PCs simultaneously, and Valve never sent the goons around to mine - I was downloading at work (2 PCs), then took it home (56k) on HDD if you're wondering.

i re installed it the other week, didnt have to enter the cd key again, just login to my steam acoount and BAM i was good to go.

yeah thats right you just login and it should start downloading the Hl2 files automatically, but you'll want to use the backup file option as mentioned or it would take a VERY long time

matthewp Wrote:
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> yeah thats right you just login and it should
> start downloading the Hl2 files automatically, but
> you'll want to use the backup file option as
> mentioned or it would take a VERY long time


took half n hour on my connection, wich is around a 2 megabit line i think. :|

its about 4gb of data compressed I think