I managed to get SteamOS installed on my desktop PC while keeping my Windows install intact. This was not done with the normal “Wipe Device & Install SteamOS” option, because that recovery script is very dangerous on multi-drive/multi-boot systems.
My setup before:
Windows and Fedora were on the same NVMe drive
Windows used the first partitions
Fedora used the last two partitions
I wanted to replace Fedora with SteamOS while keeping Windows
The issue I found:
The SteamOS recovery installer script was hardcoded to target /dev/nvme0n1
On my PC, Linux drive names changed between boots
At one point my Windows/Fedora drive was /dev/nvme0n1
After reboot, that same physical drive showed as /dev/nvme2n1
The official wipe installer does not give a proper disk/partition picker
Letting it run normally could have wiped my Windows drive
What I did instead:
Booted the SteamOS recovery environment
Used lsblk -f to identify the Windows/Fedora disk
Confirmed Fedora was on:
/dev/nvme2n1p6
/dev/nvme2n1p7
Used a modified copy of Valve’s recovery script
The modified script deleted only the Fedora partitions
It then created the SteamOS partition layout inside the freed space
Windows partitions were left untouched
SteamOS booted successfully
SteamOS survived updates/reboots
Windows still boots from the firmware boot menu
The new SteamOS partitions created in the old Fedora space were:
ESP
efi-A
efi-B
rootfs-A
rootfs-B
var-A
var-B
home
Important warning:
This is experimental and destructive to the selected partitions. It is not a normal safe installer. Anyone trying this should have backups and should verify the disk layout with lsblk before running anything. Do not assume your disk will be /dev/nvme0n1.
What I think Valve should add:
A real PC installer mode
Disk picker showing model, size, and serial
Clear warning about which drive will be wiped
No hardcoded /dev/nvme0n1
Option to install into existing unallocated space
Option to replace an existing Linux install while preserving Windows
This proves SteamOS can work in a dual-boot PC setup, but the official recovery installer needs safer PC-focused options before regular users should attempt it.
I managed to get SteamOS installed on my desktop PC while keeping my Windows install intact. This was not done with the normal “Wipe Device & Install SteamOS” option, because that recovery script is very dangerous on multi-drive/multi-boot systems.
My setup before:
Windows and Fedora were on the same NVMe drive
Windows used the first partitions
Fedora used the last two partitions
I wanted to replace Fedora with SteamOS while keeping Windows
The issue I found:
The SteamOS recovery installer script was hardcoded to target /dev/nvme0n1
On my PC, Linux drive names changed between boots
At one point my Windows/Fedora drive was /dev/nvme0n1
After reboot, that same physical drive showed as /dev/nvme2n1
The official wipe installer does not give a proper disk/partition picker
Letting it run normally could have wiped my Windows drive
What I did instead:
Booted the SteamOS recovery environment
Used lsblk -f to identify the Windows/Fedora disk
Confirmed Fedora was on:
/dev/nvme2n1p6
/dev/nvme2n1p7
Used a modified copy of Valve’s recovery script
The modified script deleted only the Fedora partitions
It then created the SteamOS partition layout inside the freed space
Windows partitions were left untouched
SteamOS booted successfully
SteamOS survived updates/reboots
Windows still boots from the firmware boot menu
The new SteamOS partitions created in the old Fedora space were:
ESP
efi-A
efi-B
rootfs-A
rootfs-B
var-A
var-B
home
Important warning:
This is experimental and destructive to the selected partitions. It is not a normal safe installer. Anyone trying this should have backups and should verify the disk layout with lsblk before running anything. Do not assume your disk will be /dev/nvme0n1.
What I think Valve should add:
A real PC installer mode
Disk picker showing model, size, and serial
Clear warning about which drive will be wiped
No hardcoded /dev/nvme0n1
Option to install into existing unallocated space
Option to replace an existing Linux install while preserving Windows
This proves SteamOS can work in a dual-boot PC setup, but the official recovery installer needs safer PC-focused options before regular users should attempt it.