SteamOS is an open-source, Linux-based operating system built on Debian and the GNOME environment, released by Valve Corporation. It is designed to serve as a platform for gamers playing Steam's video game consoles.
Can you dual boot Windows 10 and Steam OS? The answer is yes.
To boot both Windows 10 and SteamOS on the same computer, you need to download SteamOS, create a boot drive, and run the SteamOS installer. That is the basic process you will need to follow.
1. Verify that your device meets the SteamOS hardware requirements
Before you download anything, make sure your computer meets the hardware requirements for Steam OS. Steam OS 2.0 is an ideal choice for installing on a PC.
If you want to run an unmodified version of SteamOS, Alchemist (SteamOS 1.0) and Brewmaster (SteamOS 3.x) may be the right options. You can download the ISO or ZIP file for the SteamOS version you want. However, SteamOS may not be compatible with every computer. In that case, you can use an alternative such as ChimeraOS.
2. Use the installer to create a bootable USB drive
Creating a bootable USB drive from an ISO file is fairly simple. Make sure your USB drive has at least 4GB of capacity and that you have backed up any important data. Next, use a bootable USB creation tool such as Rufus.
Open Rufus and select your USB drive from the device list. Then click the SELECT button to choose the SteamOS ISO file on your computer. Finally, click Start and wait for Rufus to finish writing the ISO file to the bootable USB drive.
3. Restart your computer and run the SteamOS installer
Once the bootable USB drive is ready, you are set to install Steam OS. To begin the installation, make sure your USB drive is plugged in.
Next, restart your computer and press the BIOS key repeatedly until the BIOS loads. The BIOS key may be F2 or F12, depending on your computer's model.
Once you are in the BIOS, navigate to the Boot Order menu. Its location and name will depend on your machine's BIOS. Adjust the boot order so the USB drive takes priority over the operating system.
Finally, save your changes and exit the BIOS. Your computer will restart automatically and begin the SteamOS installation.
4. Choose Expert Install and configure the partitions
After the computer boots, the SteamOS installer interface will appear. Select Expert Install from the list of options.
Note: Never choose Automated install! It will wipe the entire operating system and all data on the drive to install SteamOS.
Choose your language, country, and keyboard before continuing with the installation. The installer will then load and display a menu of the partitions available on your machine.
Double-click Undo changes to partitions to revert any partition changes previously set up by SteamOS. Select the partition you want to use and click Continue.
To create a new partition for SteamOS, choose Yes (to create a new partition table), then select FREE SPACE and click Continue. Create a new partition with a minimum size of 10GB, and set Mount point: / and Use as: Ext4 journaling file system.
Next, create a new swap file partition from the FREE SPACE partition with a size of about 10GB, and set Use as: swap area.
Create a recovery partition from the FREE SPACE partition with a size between 3GB and 10GB, and set Use as: Ext4 and Mount point: /boot/recovery. Finally, create a games partition from the remainder of FREE SPACE with Use as: Ext4 and Mount point: /home.
Note: You can also create all 4 SteamOS partitions by making at least 40GB of FREE SPACE and choosing Partition disks > Guided partitioning > Guided - use the largest continuous free space. If anything unexpected happens, you can double-click Undo changes to partitions to revert.
5. Finish installing SteamOS
Choose the additional software collections to install with Steam OS. After you have created the necessary partitions and are nearly done installing Steam OS, confirm the changes by selecting Finish partitioning and write changes to disk. When the installer prompts you, confirm that you want to install the GRUB bootloader. This bootloader will let you choose between Windows and Steam OS when you start your computer.
Allow Steam to update at login in SteamOS. The first time you boot into SteamOS, you will need to log in with the default account. Use the password steam for the user account steamos. Open Terminal by pressing Ctrl + T, enter steam, and let Steam set itself up on the system. Then log out of steamos and log in to the desktop with the password desktop. This will be your own account, which you can configure however you like.
Open Terminal again and enter ~/post_logon.sh to run the Steam OS setup script. During this process, the computer will restart, but there is no need to worry. Let SteamOS create the recovery partition, restart into Steam OS, and enjoy playing your favorite games on this spectacular operating system.
