Some systems may encounter various conflicts with the SecuROM copy protection that is placed on the Half Life 2 program disk(s).
If you encounter a message that is similar to (but not limited to) one of the following:
"No disk inserted"
"Wrong disk inserted"
"Unable to authenticate disk within time limit"
this may be related to a conflict between your system and SecuROM.
1. Use MSCONFIG to close background applications
Before starting the installation go on the desktop to START/RUN and type in "msconfig". When the menu appears, click on the GENERAL tab, if it is not already at the front. Under STARTUP SELECTION, select SELECTIVE STARTUP, and UNCHECK the selection LOAD STARTUP ITEMS. Click APPLY and then OK, and reboot the system and retry the installation.
At any time, you can always go back into the MSCONFIG menu to change back to NORMAL STARTUP, or SELECTIVE STARTUP and replace the checkmark next to LOAD STARTUP ITEMS.
2. DMA setting on the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drives
Windows 98
Right-click on the My Computer icon and select Properties.
Click the Device Manager tab and click the plus sign next to the CD-ROM entry.
Double-click on your CD-ROM drive.
Click the Settings tab on the CD-ROM Properties window.
Change the DMA setting. If it is checked then uncheck it. If it is unchecked then check it.
You may need to restart your computer for the change to take affect.
Windows XP/2000
Right-click on the My Computer icon and select Properties.
Click the Hardware tab and click the Device Manager button.
Go down the list and find IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers.
Double-click on Primary IDE Channel.
Click the Advanced Settings tab.
From the Transfer Mode drop Down menu, select
DMA if available and click OK.
If DMA is already selected Select PIO.
Repeat steps 4-6 for the Secondary IDE Channel.
Note: If changing these settings does not resolve the problem you may want to set them back to their original settings.
3. Update firmware for CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive
Some manufacturers have resolved this issue with firmware upgrades for the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. Contact either the computer or CD-ROM/DVD-ROM manufacturer for the firmware upgrade and instructions on applying this upgrade.
This problem can also result from conflicts with outdated or incompatible driver software for the sound or video card. Always be sure that the computer has the latest drivers for the video card and sound card. Drivers are frequently updated to keep the hardware current and to fine tune performance.
To find the brand and model of the sound and video cards as well as the CD-ROM/DVD-ROM:
- Click the Start button, choose Settings, and then Control Panel.
- Double-click the System icon.
- Click the Device Manager tab.
- Double-click the Display Adapters icon, then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
- Double-click the Sound, video and game controller"s icon then the icon of the listed device.
- Make a note of the name and manufacturer of the device.
4. Do you have emulation software or a virtual drive installed?
If you have emulation software or a related virtual drive, such as Alcohol 120%, Daemon Tools, or CloneCD, installed you may need to either disable or completely uninstall this program or software as these types of applications are know to have conflicts with SecuROM.
5. Update the sound and video drivers
Driver software is generally available for free as a download on the Web site of the card manufacturer. The particular Web site can be located by a Web search, although domain names are often the name of the manufacturer itself (just as VU Games is found at
www.vugames.com). There are also general driver sites such as
http://www.windrivers.com and
http://www.driverzone.com.
When a driver file is found that is the latest for the particular model of card, select it for download. A window will come up asking what to do with the file; select Save it to disk. Find a place on your hard drive to download the driver software; be sure to create a new folder to contain the driver software. After the download, go into the driver software folder in the hard drive and double-click on the executable to extract the other files. There will be at least one README file with instructions on how to install the drivers. These directions are brief, and relatively simple to follow, but are extremely precise, so read and follow the instructions carefully.
For further information on how to update the Video and Sound drivers, please contact the manufacturer of the computer or the specific hardware manufacturer.
6. Disable joystick port settings on sound card (for Windows 98/98SE only)
This issue may also be caused by the joystick port settings on some soundcards conflicting with the copy protection software. Please follow the instructions below to disable the joystick port.
- Right-click on My Computer.
- Left-click on Properties.
- Click the + next to Sound, Video, and Game Controllers
- Click on the sound card.
- Click on Properties.
- Click on Settings.
- Put a check in the disable "Joystick port" box.
- Click on OK.
- Start the game.
This will disable the Game Port on the computer. If there is a controller plugged in it will now be disabled. To enable the Game Port for other games redo the above instructions and recheck disable "Joystick port" box. This will not affect any USB controllers. Updating the drivers for the sound card will most likely solve this issue also but this will tell us if in fact the Game Port is the culprit.
