Archived from groups: alt.games.half-life.counterstrike (
More info?)
"Jacob Skaaning" <jskaaning@tiscali.invalid> wrote in message
news:ck8sga$dvj$1@news.cybercity.dk...
> I purchased HL2 yesterday, in order to play CS:S. But when I click
> on the Server tab (both in Steam and inside the game), it says
> "Could not contact master game server to retrieve server list".
> This is not a firewall issue, I have tried deactivating it. Also the
> anti-virus.
> This is not a router issue, I have tried getting the server list
> from my backup dialup connection.
Standard answer from the steam support tool
There are a few causes for this, here is how to figure out what is
causing it.
The first question is has this just started after a Steam update or
has it been happening for a while?
Steam Just Updated - it's your Firewall
If it just started after a Steam update, then chances are very good
that your Firewall is blocking Steam.
To fix this, remove Steam.exe and all instances of HL.exe from the
firewall permissions and re-add them or let the firewall re-discover
them when you run the game. Be sure to give permission for all ports
and for TCP and UPD for Steam.exe and for every hl.exe that pops up
(it will ask permission for each different game you run).
You might see the symptom where you can see servers from the Steam
ServerBrowser but not from the in-game ServerBrowser (at the splash
screen). This means that your firewall is blocking hl.exe but not
Steam.exe.
If it's the other way around, IE: you can't see Servers in Steam but
you can while in-game, then your firewall is blocking Steam.exe.
There may be other symptoms if Steam.exe is blocked (friends won't
work, etc).
No Steam Update
If this just started out of the blue, you should go check over at the
Steampowered forums and see if other players are having this problem.
If this is happening to a number of players then the Steam Network
might be having problems. Certainly if you are unable to get to the
Steam Forum that would also indicate that this is a Steam Network
problem.
If no one else is having this problem and you have your firewall
properly configured, then you might have a routing problem with your
ISP, or some network connection between you and the Master Servers.
If the problem persists more then a day then you might need to call
your ISP.
Additional Firewall Information
Certainly, if you just installed a new firewall or updated your
firewall software then you need to make sure you configure it before
you start looking for outside problems. Some anti-Virus programs have
a built-in firewall too, so be sure to check there.
The latest XP SP2 update has a more aggressive firewall, so if this
just started happening after you did a Windows update then you will
need to look at the SP2 firewall for this problem.