Dual Boot Windows and SteamOS - A Comprehensive Guide
SteamOS Installation on Non-Steam Deck Hardware
SteamOS, developed by Valve, represents a gaming-focused operating system designed for a living-room experience. Its foundation lies in the robust capabilities of the Linux desktop environment.
Currently, SteamOS is undergoing beta testing. However, installation on a wide range of computer hardware is achievable through Ye Olde SteamOSe, a modified version of the official SteamOS installer.
Important Considerations Before Installation
It's crucial to acknowledge that this process involves utilizing an unofficial modification of a beta operating system. We have personally verified the procedure, but potential risks remain.
Prior to proceeding, comprehensive data backups are strongly recommended. Installation is undertaken entirely at the user's own discretion, and unforeseen issues may arise.
Understanding the Risks
Employing an unofficial installer on a beta OS carries inherent uncertainties. Potential complications could include system instability or hardware incompatibility.
Therefore, a complete system backup is paramount to ensure data preservation and facilitate recovery should any problems occur during or after the installation process.
Remember, proceeding with this installation implies acceptance of these risks.
Why We Advocate for Ye Olde SteamOSe
Related: 8 Insights from the Alpha Release Regarding SteamOS's Linux Foundation
The question arises: why do we suggest Ye Olde SteamOSe, a community-driven "respin" of the SteamOS installer, over Valve’s official version? Currently, SteamOS is in beta testing – though its functionality resembles an alpha build – and Valve’s primary focus appears to be on their official Steambox hardware.
While the official installer will ultimately be the preferred choice, several present-day constraints are addressed by Ye Olde SteamOSe.
- A UEFI system is a prerequisite for SteamOS. Conversely, the unofficial respin provides compatibility with both UEFI and legacy BIOS systems.
- SteamOS officially stipulates a 500 GB hard drive requirement. The respin operates efficiently with approximately 40 GB of storage space.
- Official SteamOS support is currently limited to NVIDIA graphics cards. The unofficial version aims for broader graphics compatibility, encompassing Intel, AMD, VMware, and VirtualBox. Currently, 3D acceleration functions within VMware, but not VirtualBox.
- Valve’s SteamOS typically assumes complete system control. Ye Olde SteamOSe allows for dual-boot configurations alongside Windows. The installer features tools for resizing Windows NTFS partitions to facilitate this.
- SteamOS networking is restricted to Realtek hardware or devices without firmware requirements. The respin incorporates standard Linux networking drivers, including Wi-Fi functionality.
- Audio output on SteamOS is limited to HDMI. The respin extends support to a wider range of sound cards.
Attempting to install Valve’s SteamOS build is possible, but success is contingent upon possessing a very specific hardware setup. Without such a configuration, adjustments will likely be necessary.
The developer of Ye Olde SteamOSe, directhex, has preemptively handled these adjustments and packaged them for ease of use.
Initiating SteamOS Installation
To begin, navigate to the Ye Olde SteamOSe website and obtain the installer disc image using a BitTorrent client. Distribution of SteamOS is permitted, making this download process fully legitimate.
Subsequently, burn the downloaded ISO image file onto a DVD. Alternatively, boot your computer from the DVD. Should a USB flash drive be preferred over a DVD, utilize Win32 Disk Imager to transfer the ISO image to the USB drive, effectively creating a bootable device.
Upon booting from the disc, a boot menu will appear. This menu represents a tailored version of Valve’s SteamOS boot sequence. The "Power User install" (custom partitions) option, unique to Ye Olde SteamOSe, enables partition resizing and the configuration of a dual-boot environment.
Crucially, the Power User install option is essential for establishing a dual-boot configuration. Choosing the Automated install option will result in a complete erasure of your primary hard drive, eliminating any existing Windows installations or files before installing SteamOS.
This process will overwrite the entire disk with SteamOS.
Preparing Your Hard Drive for SteamOS
Initiating the installation with the Power User option directs you to the SteamOS installer, a customized iteration of the Debian Linux installer. The majority of the installation sequence will proceed autonomously; however, the process will pause upon reaching the 'Partition disks' screen.
Opt for the Manual option and proceed by clicking Continue to begin disk partitioning. Selecting the Guided - use entire disk option will result in a complete wipe of your hard drive, with SteamOS utilizing the full disk capacity.
To resize your existing Windows NTFS partition and allocate space for SteamOS, select it and click Continue.
Should you possess a secondary hard drive, it can be chosen here for SteamOS installation, allowing partition creation without altering the existing Windows partition.
Proceed by selecting the 'Resize the partition' option and clicking Continue.
The system will prompt you to confirm writing any prior changes made to the disk. As no alterations have been made at this stage, selecting 'Yes' and continuing is appropriate.
Specify a reduced size for your Windows partition to free up disk space for the SteamOS installation. Ensure sufficient space remains for Windows while also allocating adequate room for SteamOS.
Select the newly created "FREE SPACE" and continue. We will now proceed to define several partitions specifically for SteamOS.
Initially, a partition for the SteamOS base system will be created. Choose 'Create a new partition' and input the desired partition size. Valve recommends 10 GB, while directhex suggests a minimum of 3 GB.
It is advised to designate this as a Primary partition, positioned at the Beginning of the available free space.
Confirm that the partition is configured to "Use as: Ext4" and "Mount point: /", as these settings are typically pre-selected.
Upon completion, select 'Done setting up the partition' and click Continue.
Next, a swap partition will be established, functioning similarly to the pagefile in Windows. Select the free space again, click Continue, and define the partition size. Valve suggests 10 GB, but directhex indicates 1-2 GB may suffice. The optimal size depends on your computer’s RAM and the games you intend to play; systems with limited RAM may benefit from a larger swap partition.
We recommend configuring this as a Logical partition, positioned at the Beginning of the free space.
Set the 'Use as:' option to 'Swap area'. Once finished, select 'Done setting up the partition' and click Continue.
A recovery partition for SteamOS’s recovery functionality will then be created. Select the free space once more and create another partition in the same manner as before. Valve allocates 10 GB for this, though directhex proposes a minimum of 3 GB.
Ensure the partition is set to "Use as: Ext4." Select the Mount point option and click Continue to set up a mount point. Click Enter manually and click Continue to enter a custom mount point.
Input '/boot/recovery' as the partition's mount point. Select 'Done setting up the partition' and click Continue.
Finally, the partition for SteamOS game installations will be created. Maximize the size of this partition, as it will require the most storage space.
Select the free space again and click 'Create a new partition'. You can choose the default size to utilize all remaining free space for games.
Configure the partition to "Use as: Ext4" and "Mount point: /home". The installer should automatically select these options. Continue when ready.
Your SteamOS partitions should now align with the example shown in the screenshot. Select 'Finish partitioning and write changes to disk' when satisfied.
Following confirmation of the changes, the remainder of the installation will proceed automatically.
The installer will inquire about establishing a dual-boot configuration with the GRUB boot loader. Confirm by clicking 'Yes' and allowing the process to continue.
After SteamOS installation, a boot menu will appear each time your computer starts. This menu allows you to select either SteamOS or Windows. Utilize the arrow keys and Enter to choose your desired operating system.
The boot menu’s appearance will be thematically consistent with the rest of SteamOS after the subsequent configuration steps are completed.
Completing the SteamOS Installation
The installation isn't quite finished after the initial boot. Upon first entering SteamOS, a login screen will appear. Access the system using the username "steamos" and the password "steam". Ensure the GNOME session is selected.
From the SteamOS desktop, navigate to Activities, then Applications, and launch a Terminal window.
Within the terminal, input the command "steam" and press Enter to initiate Steam. Acknowledge the End User License Agreement (EULA) and permit Steam to configure the system.
It isn't necessary to log in to your Steam account at this stage. The window can be closed when prompted for your Steam credentials.
Once the setup is complete, log out of the current desktop session by clicking on the steam account option located in the screen's upper-right corner and selecting "Log Out".
Subsequently, log in using the username "desktop", the password "desktop", and again selecting the GNOME session.
Access a Terminal window as before. Execute the following command by typing it into the terminal and pressing Enter:
~/post_logon.sh
Provide the password "desktop" when requested. This script will finalize the SteamOS setup and automatically reboot the computer into the recovery partition utility; allow the process to run uninterrupted.
Note: During our testing, some graphical anomalies were observed, but the process completed successfully. This experience is still in a beta phase.
Confirm the creation of the recovery partition by typing "y" and proceeding.
You are now able to boot into SteamOS.
Utilizing SteamOS
SteamOS should be functioning as expected. The boot process will now be more refined, displaying a progress indicator. Upon startup, the traditional Linux login prompt will be bypassed, presenting the identical SteamOS interface found on a new SteamBox.
Access to SteamOS is granted through your Steam account credentials. All games compatible with the Linux operating system will then be available for download and gameplay.
Should you require access to the desktop environment, navigate to Settings, then System, and select "Enable access to the Linux desktop." From there, choose the Exit option and subsequently "Return to Desktop."
Currently, SteamOS lacks comprehensive official support for a diverse range of sound cards. To manage audio output, launch the PulseAudio Volume Control (pavucontrol) application from the Activities menu on the desktop. This allows for the selection of your sound card and adjustment of system volume levels. The integrated volume control within the GNOME desktop environment is not functional with this version of SteamOS.
Ye Olde SteamOS primarily serves as a modified version of the SteamOS installer. It incorporates supplementary installation features and packages absent from the official SteamOS distribution. Your SteamOS installation will now receive automatic updates from the official SteamOS repositories, mirroring the behavior of an official SteamBox.
This update process leverages standard Linux package management tools, demonstrating the fundamental similarity between SteamOS and conventional desktop Linux systems.
With the passage of time, this installation procedure is anticipated to become significantly streamlined. Eventually, Valve intends to release a user-friendly installer capable of supporting a broader spectrum of hardware configurations and facilitating effortless dual-boot setups.
For the present, these steps are necessary, but they represent an improvement over the inability to run SteamOS altogether.
Gratitude is extended to directhex for the creation of the Ye Olde SteamOSe respin and for their dedicated efforts.