Is my yeast dead?

I got a smackpac of Wyeast , pils 2278
Its old july of 08 , so 6 1/5 - 7 months old...
I had it shiped to me , and when i recieved it it was slushy allmost frozen.
i let it defrost on the counter slowly , and then bursted the nutrient pouch inside ... let it sit about 18 hours ... pack felt the same , flat.

what els can go wrong anyway i made a starter...

1/2 cup muntons light dme - 2 cups water - cooled it to 60-65 deg and added yeast liquid , shaken it every hour of few , as much as i can.

its not bubbling or anything , there is a thin tan layer on the bottom sediment
but i think thats from the dme... no sign of "white" yeast cake....

mr malty calc sais: I need 3-1/2 liters of starter .... for the 5.25 gal batch,
is that allmost a gallon? , can that be right?

I didnt use nutrient ... as i do not have any ... is there anything i can do now?
its been 2 days since i bursted the pack ,
and how do i know how much good yeast i have so i can pitch the correct ammount?

if i need a new yeast whats a good dry pilsner lager yeast.

Give it time - the viability of that yeast was probably low to begin with, and the freezing didn't help it. It might take several days for you to see any activity.
I'd definitely step it up to the 3.5 liters at about 1.030-1.040 OG to make sure you get enough healthy yeast to pitch. For a lager, that's not really all that big of a starter. Keep it well-aerated. Nutrients would be helpful, but not essential.

+1 on more time.
See if the amount of sediment increases.
Starters are often cloudy during fermentation and then clear up at the end.
Also, if the gravity is dropping, then something is eating the sugar.

Im not very patient , but i can wait if i have a fishing pole and a beer in my hand.

Its not cloudy at all , accept when i shake it... if i let it sit overnight it will mostly all settle out on the botom , and the top of the wert is clearing

thanks for the fast replys , im going the the LHBS tthis weekend should i pick up a fresh pack and just add both of them , i was hoping to brew on or before monday to keep the flow.

I guess i could make somthing ells in the mean time ... my primary is empty
and my secondary is geting bottled tonight or tomorow.

so my primary's and secondary's will all be empty! .. .its driving me nuts

(hurry up yeast!)

Good news, it was bubbling this morning! Its not dead! ,

How do i know when to step it up?

Should I make the same size started I made before and add to it now or wait for it to finish fermenting the first starter? or every 3 days, or what?

how are u doing this?