questions about steam (new user)

bigjimmyauk

bigjimmyauk

bigjimmyauk

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i'm relatively new to steam since last friday when AVP dropped through the door and it forces steam to play it.

Well i'll admit steam does it's job as i'm just about to get a couple of games LOL just a few questions

1. What sort of download speeds do you get when getting a game
2.Once the game is purchased is it mine forever and ever and can never be passed on
3.What happens when i re-install my OS do i just re download steam then re-download all my games
4. Can you use paypal?

Sorry for the maybe noob questions but i just want to check before i continue to get anything
 
1. Depends on how many people are trying to download the latest blockbuster game, but usually I max out my 10Mb connection.

2. Yes and Yes.

3. You can, but you can save the steam folder so you don't have to. Search the forum for posts on this.

4. I believe so, but there can be issues if Paypal chargeback accidentally. Again search the forum for the 'Is Steam Evil' thread.
 
1 - if ever you find that download speeds are slow then set your download location to some where other than the United Kingdom from the settings menu.

2 - yep and yep

3 - you can do a back up to a storage drive (again from the settings menus) and just reload them from there as and when

4 - yes you can
 
3. More detail on this:

Steam has an inbuilt backup mode, but you don't need to use it.

Just copy the entire steam folder to an external hard drive, install your new OS, copy the steam folder back to your computer (or leave it on the hard drive), and then double click steam.exe and it will just work.

I've done this 4 or 5 times. Once it didn't work, and i just reinstalled steam (the small download) into my steam folder, and from then it worked fine. The rest of the time, it worked flawlessly.

Some people do it a different way: the steam folder contains a steamapps folder which contains all the games.
They copy out the steamapps folder to a safe place. When ready, they install steam and run it once, then shut it down. Then copy the steamapps folder from its saved location into the new steam folder, startup steam and it detects the games and you're ready to go.

I've used both methods, both work.

Edit: incidentally, the same is true of most modern games. You can just copy the folders from one computer to another, run the appropriate exe file, and they will work. Some games need to be installed properly, but most of the ones I have tried haven't needed to. You will be prompted for serial keys, if the game needs them, the first time you run them.
With this method, you won't have an uninstall option in the add/remove programs area, and if it's a game with a limited number of activations that you cabn reclaim by uninstalling. you are better off manually uninstalling and reinstalling the normal way. But I used this method to copy 110GB of non-steam games from my old computer to my new one, and 80GB of steam games.
 
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after reading some of that is steam evil thread i'm having second thoughts about it seems like they don't have the time of day for ligitamate reasons such as account being hacked and then banned there is litterally hundreds of angry posts on google where people have had the problem they have been hacked steam has banned them totally from their account and steam have refused to look into it so the customer loses out.

well thats just plaing ******* wrong IMO if you paid for it in full you own it FULL STOP

imagine panasonic saying we are now taking away your £1000 tv cause you used a all in one remote <<<<<<BIG LAWSUIT definately so just cause it's steam they seem to be getting away with it.

I'm pretty sure there is a law on this no policy in the world can strip your rights to an item you have paid for in full. Obviously unless it involves infringing on a major law or crime.


IMO if my account got hacked and steam banned it completely i'm pretty confident a law suit would correct it. There is not possible way they can perma ban everything you have bought as they have no major standing especially in UK law. I know ToC plays a part in this but not that much of a part as i don't believe their ToC could be deemed as legally binding in court..


It's all because of the stupid hackers ands ***** in this world that the hardworking genuine people get screwed over. Needless to say i was pretty Miffed that AVP forces the use of steam to play it and if i had have been aware of it before my wife ordered it i wouldn't have bothered!!!!

Just my vent of anger LOL
 
If your steam account and email address have different passwords you should lock them to one another. That means if the steam account gets hacked you can just email valve and say so, or just do a password reset on whatever the hackers change it to.
 
dante6491 said:
If your steam account and email address have different passwords you should lock them to one another. That means if the steam account gets hacked you can just email valve and say so, or just do a password reset on whatever the hackers change it to.
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I use multiple long length passwords for different things luckily i have a good memory and also use obscure words and characters for important stuff!!! forums usually get the 15 digit treatment emails and things like steam get the works. But hacks still happen and not everyone can catch them intime before they do malicious damage.

anyone know where i can fine steams TOC
 
Just FYI Steam won't fully ban your entire account if it gets 'hacked' (which they don't, people give them away through falling for phishing scams or keyloggers), they may however VAC ban some of your online games if the account gets used for cheating while out of your control. Generally, unless you are a massive retard, your Steam account will be safe as houses.

AFAIK they only 'ban' accounts in very select circumstances, such as if you buy a game and then issue a chargeback on it or if you try and sell the account and get caught doing so.

The trouble is, you'll have a thousand people whine VAC banned them and they were innocent and you can bet your bottom dollar 995 of those people were actually cheating.

There is a reason there hasn't really been a major lawsuit against steam for bannings - most of those complaining are actually guilty anyway.

I suggest you give that other thread a full read, not just some of it, as there are generally good and sensible explanations for most of the OMG STEAM BANNZED ME WAAAAH complaints.
 
bigjimmyauk said:
1. What sort of download speeds do you get when getting a game -personally i get 600-900kbs but this will be lower on release day of big titles.



2.Once the game is purchased is it mine forever and ever and can never be passed on - yes


3.What happens when i re-install my OS do i just re download steam then re-download all my games - if you just go to program files/program files (x86) and just copy the steam folder to a back up drive then back to the new drive it will be fine no need to install anything.


Or you can back them up to dvd's



4. Can you use paypal? yes.
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Stupot_ said:
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz z z z z zz


Just buy some games already! The millions of people that use it and are satisfied cant be wrong:)
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hey i like to know what i'm doing so i'm fully reading the agreement before buying anything.

can you use debit cards or do they have to be credit cards
 
Debit cards work fine

Seriously though - don't worry about Valve banning your entire Steam account, it's not gonna happen unless you try and screw them over really.
 
bigjimmyauk said:
after reading some of that is steam evil thread i'm having second thoughts about it seems like they don't have the time of day for ligitamate reasons such as account being hacked and then banned there is litterally hundreds of angry posts on google where people have had the problem they have been hacked steam has banned them totally from their account and steam have refused to look into it so the customer loses out.L
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No.

You're accoutn will never ever get "hacked" the only way you will lose acces to your account is if you give your user name and password to someone/fall for phising

but you get this pop up when you click a link

steamfailn.png


So if you get phished you're a cretin tbh.



But if you report it you will get your account back.

But if they use a hack in one of your games and it;s detected it may get vac banned (only that game/engine hacking in CSS will not get you banned from MW".

You will only be banned from vac protected severs so you can stil lplay your game on line if you do hack and get caught.

Valve will not reverse a vac ban because hackers would just change thier paswords hack get banned then say they where hijacked.



people who's accounts get completely disabled only get them disabled because they either bought the account or they/paypal/thier CC issued a charge back on a game.

Which tbh is fair if you nick a TV from a shop would you honestly expect them to let you continue shopping there?

But if it;s a genuine mistake you will usually get it back.

Steam do not refuse to look into it and they do give you a reason.

These people generraly never try to get their accounts back because they know they broke the T&c's and why it was banned. which is why they say steam never gave a reason.



So basically give your account details away and you face the risks.



It's all because of the stupid hackers ands ***** in this world that the hardworking genuine people get screwed over.
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No it's due to retarded greedy ****ers who are blinded to the obviusly fake site at the prospect of a free game or too.

Just like all the spam emails everyone gets are because people are dumb enough to buy penis enlargement pill or invest in illegal Nigerian money laundering schemes they received in their email accounts.





Don;t be confused as with the steam games "i got banend for hacking" doesn't mean they where hacked it means they used a cheat program in a MP game.

And of course every single person ho has ever been vac banned has not hacked/cheated.

No it;s always thier brothers/cousins/firend/mate/misterius "hacker" who personally logged on to thier pc and stole their steam account rather than using their frankly epic skills to rob a bank account.
 
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bigjimmyauk said:
But hacks still happen
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no they don't

The odds of someone brute forcing your pw when they only get 3 logins before they have to start filling in captchas/delays are zero unless they are phenomenally lucky (or spend the next 30 years trying without steam noticing you trying to log in every 5 minutes for moths on end)



EVERYONE who gets their account "hacked" gets it from either phishing or key loggers on their pc.
 
bigjimmyauk said:
can you reccomend and good software to protect me i use avira and that windows 7 defender thing(any good i have no idea)
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Yes, it's called common sense.

Never enter your details into a link you get sent through friends.

If someone adds you called "steam admin" or some such **** and asks for your pw ignore them (like the top of the chat window says too, steam will never ever ever ask you for your password, just like your bank will never ask you for your pin number.)



Don't download and install any hacks for any online games you have in steam.

A) because it would make you a git

B) because you'll probably get permanently vac banned.

C) it could contain a keylogger that will try and take your details/other malware.



Basically don't download and install dodgy **** just like you do with porn.

Don't fill out scam sites like you do with your emails.


You really don't need any special software.

If you do online banking and don't get robbed every other week you'll be fine :)
 
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