AOE 2 Lan Party

Hello AOE2 peoples, I need some wisdom.

I want to hold an 8 person Lan party.

I own 2 copies of HD AOE2 on Steam.

I used to own AOE2 disk, and used it to play with 3 people by just putting the disk in and starting up the game.

I also own a copy of AOE3 if this is easier somehow, but I do not believe that is the case.

1) Can I somehow play AOE2 with all 8 people using the 2 copies I own on Steam? I'm expecting a no here.

2) Can I buy 1 disk of AOE2 from Amazon, the orginal, and use that to install then boot up the 8 games? I had heard a long time ago it stopped working after booting up 3 computers. I only ever did this with 3 people so I cant say the 4th didnt work.

3) I'm willing to buy more copies of AOE2, 6 need be. disk or steam.

4) I'm ok with picking it up on the bay too, as I've purchased AOE2 more than 8 times throughout my life. Espeically combining the fellows I'm playing with.

5) Any pitfalls? Patches to stay away from, I've heard boot up steam version, just dont connect to internet.

Looking for all knowledge in regards to large LAN parties and the best approach. Thank you for your time.