CD Key already in use - but I bought the game brand new in a store.

[Cloud8923]

Hello,

I bought the CD brand new in a store last year, but had to quit playing for a while.

It seems however that i can no longer play: Steam wants me to reinstall the game (it took me 35hrs the first time, thanks to their slow platform). They now ask for my CD Key: I am reinstalling the game on the same computer, through the same cd, and yet "the Key is invalid or already in use".

I tried to contact their support "service" (more like do-it-yourself-we-ain't-here service), but i don't know where to turn.

Could anybody help me please?

[_Pax_]

Why didn't you just click the "install" button for the game, in your Steam Library?

[Cloud8923]

I wish it were that simple...

My library on steam is empty. When I launch the game from the CD, steam asks me for my CD Key. It does the same if I use the icon on my desktop (the same one that I used in order to play last year).

Also, i can no longer find the folders containing Civ V (I only have a total of 18mb of random files and 1-2 replays, while the rest is gone??).

Is there a way I could get a new CD Key? Maybe if I sent proof that I own the game?

[_Pax_]

.... what you describe makes me think you've opened, or at least logged into, a different account than the one you installed Civ5 with originally. Which would explain nicely why it won'tlet you install Civ5 with the same CD-key: it IS in use, by the other YOU.

So: are you sure you're logged into the correct Steam account?

Alternate thought: if you are using the right account ... in your Library, right under the word "LIBRARY" at the top, is a little drop-down thingie. Check and make sure it's on "All Games", and then see if it's still empty.




Oh, and: Civ5 should be in C:/ProgramFiles (x86)/Steam/Steamapps/Common/Sid Meier's Civilization V - in Vista, anyway. If you're using XP or Win7, the very first folder may be different; it's wherever most of your programs are installed. That folder should be in the neighborhood of 5GB in size.

[Cloud8923]

what you say makes sense. however, the account that I'm currently using is the one associated with the main e-mail address that I use! I tried to retrieve the account name and password for the other e-mail addresses that I might have used, but the operation fails: I guess it's because there isn't any account using those addresses...

I did a second search through my hard-drive, and I don't have any folder bigger than a few mb under the names "aspyr" "steam" "civ" and every other keyword that could possibly be related to the game (I'm a mac user btw :P )

I don't know where to bang my head!!

[QuantumTarantino]

It is NOT however, the one associated with the Email you USED to create the account, that you linked Civ5 to.

Until you locate THAT account, NOONE can assist you.

[_Pax_]

Yeah, I don't know what's going on, but it really really seems to be a Steam Account problem.

Steam's Account support, in my experience, is better than Game-specific support. If I were you, I'd go back and pound on their door for a while.

Good luck.




RANDOM THOUGHTS:
Could you have mistakenly used a room-mate's account, or a family member's account, when you first installed steam?

Has your email address changed since you last had Civ5 installed?

[Cloud8923]

no, it's been the same for the past 5 years at least. i'll give it another try or two, hopefully tomorrow steam will validate my account and i'll be able to ask on their forum.

[_Pax_]

Really from teh sounds of it, it's an account thing.

Does anyone else have access to that computer? Might they have created a new account, and left the machine set to sign in to that one?