Will the CD versions of the Half Life games work on Win 8.1?

[Fighter4575]

Due to being old (in the case of HL1 and its expansions, that is) and being locked to Steam now, is it possible for all of the Half Life games till Episode 2 to work on Win 8.1 without compatibility issues or Steam DRM with the CD versions? If not, then please tell me on which download link i am supposed to click on the games' entries for the Steam version (without DRM).

[Shattered]

The CD version I have (Generation 3) works fine under Windows 8.1 64 bit. With the help of some mods you can add higher resolutions. They run separate from Steam.

[hfric]

all CD versions work fine ... they one steam locked it to have multiplayer ... and added a DRM on it ... you know business as usual , sell something old as new

[Fighter4575]

Ok, thanks but Half Life 2 and its episodes will work right given they came out on the same day and after Steam was released.

[Shattered]

Half-Life 2 requires Steam, unless you use a cracked version.

[hfric]

Ok, thanks but Half Life 2 and its episodes will work right given they came out on the same day and after Steam was released.

HLF2 was the platform that gave Steam , so no ... its only steam , to play off line you need a Node crack to fix the Ai that resets every time you start a mission ... and yes you can find many version of HL2 and its DLcs ... you are looking for the "Orange Box"...

There are three versions of this "Orange box" :
the cracked PC one ,and Console version are Off-line (xbox360/ps3) ... and the Steam Updated One that now Uses Dx11 features that added Pixel Shader 4.0 new light sources , reflections , textures and skin mapping www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPl1MRKstG0

[annoyment]

Also, before I forget: while GameCopyWorld was/is known for selectively removing some of their files for a while now, MegaGames has removed their ENTIRE Fixes section (and possibly other stuff) some couple months ago (very last days of 2023 according to snapshots) - 25+ years of impressive history of DOX/CRKs (trainers are still up for reasons unknown) wiped on a whim (hadda use Wayback Machine snapshots of their DL servers to scramble around for some rare/extinct files)

Said extinct files being NoCD patches (NOT loaders) for HL1 - and while I did dug up some, seems none ever went beyond 1.1.0.4 (both individual and ALL VERSIONS; with the latter, F2F included, actually failing to locate/apply anything after 1.1.0.1 IIRC)
So, uh, did anyone ever locate any (either scene or fanmade or whatever) NoCD patch that does TRULY cover all WON versions before 1.1.1.0 For posterity sake - and also 'cause the bloody CD-check (as simple as it may be) is well-known for being spotty even for legit owners (also further exacerbated by said later WON versions in combination with post-Win9X)
OR; did a mini-image for HL1 ever exist, and/or was it ever possible to create one (methinks today some might find that option easier to work with than patches, but what do I know) - 'cause even going way beyond cursory yielded zero results on my end
in advance

[TigerTheGreat]

I thought 1.1.0.4 for instance was already unprotected. This is news to me that a CD was demanded for anything else beyond audio tracks?

[annoyment]

Seems now ( to above fellow church mouse's reply/insight) only the question of mini-image viability remains

I thought 1.1.0.4 for instance was already unprotected. This is news to me

The lower version is news to me instead - while most users online state the same; a VOGONS user noted differently of said requirement stripped out starting with 1.1.0.6

that a CD was demanded for anything else beyond audio tracks?

Regardless of whether or not CD audio is playable on one's system (or turned off in HL1's Audio Options), a CD/"protection" check did exist (until the versions noted above, that is); and the reason I said 'twas spotty is (TED talk/rant incoming):
Almost 20 years ago I had a junk XP rig, and (church-mousing as always) burned bootleg RAZOR rls (v1.0.0.5 build 742 if anyone asks), and after install (normally) entering LAN MP works, but not SP and tutorial due to said check (even with said burned disc inserted) That is, only for a day or two because, after lotsa reinserting the disc and reopening to menu, the game just GIVES UP, and lets me play both SP and tutorial with said disc (with working CDDA too IIRC) regardless of its legitimacy
Thus, to this day I'm yet to know how, or why, were there such delays (multiple, as I've been occasionally revisiting HL1 from the very same disc, on multiple XP and SP2 rigs, for several years) in disc "validation"; when RAZOR NFO noted there shouldn't be any, and that HL1 would be fully playable right after a single full initial install