Steam deck install windows on a bootable microsd card using only the deck

Have fun! ☺️. Save the file by hitting CTRL+X and ENTER. Image: Valve via Polygon. Steam Deck Windows Install to a microSD with Full Driver Support +Guide. When it's done, select 'Close' and eject the drive. Jan 15, 2024 · Go to Settings>System>Display>Display Orientation . 0, Waterproof It now shows up in storage in SteamOS itself, as well as desktop mode. com Been using a USB SD Card Reader and bootable windows micro SD card for many years prior to the steam deck even being a thing. Switching the OS to an SSD will show the same performance improvements you'd see with an SSD boot drive on any PC. To reinstall SteamOS on your Steam Deck: Download the SteamOS Recovery Image. Either way, if you install Windows to go on your SD card, should just be a matter of using the boot manager (vol down + power button) to select which OS you want to boot into. 43. Hit the Steam button, go to Settings > System and then scroll down to System Settings Jan 16, 2023 · Boot into Windows. I'm planning on installing Windows 11 on an SD card for the Steam Deck, but is there a way to install it in such a way that I can still get Windows updates? AFAIK, Windows to Go isn't supported, meaning I won't get software updates. Also Windows will chew through the life span of your MicroSD card, quite heavily, so always keep a backup, because it is only a matter of time before the SD card is dead, not if. Running Windows on your Deck appears to require the replacement of SteamOS on the internal drive, but I feel like I've seen someone having successfully repartitioned the internal storage to have both OSes on the same drive. Is there a way (and how) to insert a usb stick into the steam deck docking station and install a windows bootable drive that I could use on my new To do this, open up your File Explorer and click on the Ventoy drive. . Change DISK=/dev/nvme0n1 to DISK=/dev/mmcblk0 which is the device file of the microSD card. But I don't know about using the micro SD as an installation media on the Deck itself! Hi. Now plug in the USB drive or microSD card to the Steam Deck, then hold the Volume Down and Power buttons simultaneously until it loads the Boot Manager. The screen will go black for a while. Let go of the volume button and you’ll be thrown into the bootloader. Go through the Clonezilla setup process. 3)it will def be easier to dual boot this way. Yes you will, i have a 512gb ssd in my Deck with windows 11 and a 512gb micro sd, since i don't wanna waste my ssd space i always try to install games on micro sd first and see if they run Dec 26, 2022 · It's SUPER easy to install Windows on Steam Deck and dual boot it!Today, I'll be showing you how to dual boot Windows on Steam Deck using a micro SD card / U Windows is NOT optimized for slower storage medium anymore, not like Linux anyways, so you will notice the difference. Nov 29, 2023 · What you need to know before getting started. Select the Windows to Go option. Download the Steam Deck Windows drivers and copy them into your Windows installation. Apr 2, 2023 · Key Takeaways. you could put the sd card in a windows pc see if it finds it a use disc management to find & format the card to a file system the os can read (windows can read fat, & ntfs file ystems of which the latter is 11's default). One idea is read it on steam deck to copy it to steam deck default filesystem. A disk image writing utility. It’s like carrying around a little piece of gaming heaven in your hands. Method 1: Dual boot Windows 11 and SteamOS on your Steam Deck with a microSD card. I want to create a Windows 11 bootable usb drive to install windows on my newly built PC. #4. It's manual dual boot but it works great. Feb 3, 2024 · 5. I`m trying to set up Steam OS on the micro SD Card. Make a Windows bootable SD card JUST for this purpose. The next driver we will install is the one that helps Windows handle the Steam Deck’s SD Card port. Jul 23, 2022 · In this 3rd episode of Steam Deck SteamOS/Windows dual boot, we will look at how the SD card installation can be significantly simplified thanks to Windows' We need to modify the SteamOS recovery script to install to the microSD card. Any other USB Stick worked. Dec 4, 2022 · If you want to list all drives, either use the menu for that if it exists somewhere else in the boot menu or use a full operating system. I've also heard this. Jun 27, 2024 · Under Device, select the SD Card/USB stick you want to use. You're not making any changes to the internal drive or bootloader, so it's completely separate and self-contained. com/maharmstone/btrfsScripts to format and mount BTRFS on SteamOS - https://github. Exfat is better used for smaller thumbdrives or drives you will be connecting to other devices or OSes, such as a 3D printer or a Linux PC. -the best use for this would be to dual boot windows on an SD card with gamepass games and any games that won't run properly on steamOS. Select your USB Jan 1, 2024 · How to Install Windows on the Steam Deck (Dual Boot Method) Prepare SD Card. Feb 5, 2024 · 2. (Windows on Internal SSD) But Steam Recovery does not let me install Steam OS on the Micro sd and it forced me to install it on an internal SSD. Method 2: Dual boot both Windows 11 and SteamOS. 5. Double-click the directory that begins with the name “BayHub” to continue. Tech Support. Make sure the MicroSD card is being read in desktop mode and go to steam on desktop mode> Steam (top left of window)> settings> downloads> STEAM LIBRARY FOLDERS> hit the plus and a popup should appear with your microSD card. Start by visiting this page (click here) to create a bootable Windows USB. This works great: SAMSUNG Type-C™ USB Flash Drive, 256GB, Transfers 4GB Files in 11 Secs w/ Up to 400MB/s 3. Mar 12, 2024 · Press and hold the volume down button, and then tap power until you hear the chime. I know people were able to RUN windows on the micro SD card (slowly). Installing Windows 11 on your Steam Deck transforms it into a powerful portable gaming PC. #2. I'm sharing my rEFInd installation script meant to simplify a proper rEFInd Boot Manager setup for the Steam Deck. Install the Steam Deck Windows Drivers you downloaded Be sure your Steam Deck is completely powered off. Luckily one of my Macs was setup with Windows 10 dual boot. Windows. I may try it once I get a USB or SD large enough. bat” to install. Oct 26, 2022 · Connect your SSD to your Steam Deck or insert the Micro SD card, and boot into Windows by holding Volume down during boot, and selecting "EFI SD/USB" from the bootloader menu. The power draw will probably shorten the use of the deck by somewhat. You will need to set it to Landscape Mode manually. If you don‘t need to charge while playing, check that new Samsung USB C mini Stick in blue 30-40€ 256GB and small size. Put the card back into the Steam Deck and boot into Windows. You might be able to get away with using a microSD card in a Only if you format the sd card as ntfs. Steam Deck & Windows use different file system structures (SD - ex-fat, Windows -NTFS). However, I only have a steam deck as my second computer. Seriously, stop installing Windows on SD card : r/WindowsOnDeck. When turning on the Steam Deck, hold the Volume down and then press the Power button. Putting Windows on a microSD is more about convenience than anything else. 1. microsoft. 64GB should be sufficient for a Windows install with all the updates and everything. Press and HOLD the volume down button and single-press the power button while still holding the volume down button. If I want to use steam os, I shutdown, put in my other sdcard abs boot the internal SSD. First, make sure you have a USB Type C flash drive or microSD card with plenty of storage. 7. Your donation inspires me to continue research on the Steam Deck! Clover script, 70Hz mod, SteamOS microSD, Secure Boot, etc. Oct 31, 2022 · Boot up the Deck and head into Windows Explorer to locate the files and install each of them as explained below: APU driver: Click “setup. They are not compatible file systems. To do this, open up your File Explorer and click on the Ventoy drive. 4)right-click the card again & select new simple volume, follow the prompts & when it says format file system type select fat. Loaded the steamos image onto an sd-card using balena etcher (macOS) pop it in get into recovery mode, boot manager shows the card/file select it to boot from and then nothing. With the D-pad, navigate to EFU USB Device, press A to select. 2)it will constantly be doing things in the background and shorten the SD cards life span. sh all. After a few days of usage - eventually the card just stops being detected - and also cannot be detected in windows using any software. How to setup and run windows on your Steam Deck with a micro sd card. Mar 15, 2023 · To install Windows on a Steam Deck, follow these steps: Create a Windows ISO file. Select the empty partition that no longer has steam OS and install windows. Apr 12, 2024 · Boot your Steam Deck from the USB drive. I replaced it with a faster stick and it worked perfectly. 3) locate the sd card, right-click & select delete volume. Then its just a matter of doing a boot select every time you want Windows (until the official dual boot tool is released). It only let‘s you install the games, because it never expects C to be a Micro SD. Once inside windows, go to display settings and change it from portrait to landscape. If you don’t want to duel boot then your best bet is using an external ssd. Next, press and hold the Volume down button, then press the power button and release Download Rufus and a copy of Windows. The only thing you can do differently is instead of putting the Steam Deck Windows drivers on a separate MicroSD — after you install Windows with Rufus, while still in your Windows virtual machine, you can copy the Steam Deck drivers to a folder on your new Windows drive like c:\users\shared\downloads or something. Power down your Steam Deck completely. The Steam Deck uses a Linux operating system, so you need to format the Oh, would help if I could read. Shut down the Steam Deck, pull the card and plug it into the MacBook. I have two questions. You can then use rEFInd and have a nice splash screen on boot to pick your OS. Open-Source BTRFS Windows Driver - https://github. 0 drive with at least 32 GB of Storage. Mar 1, 2023 · With the Steam Deck off, hold the volume down button, then press the power button. When it reboots, you'll note that the Steam Deck will be in Portrait Mode. Boot into SteamOS Recovery. com/Trevo525/btrfdeckSte I did get it working. Well, it's not altogether surprising. So Oct 27, 2022 · Showing 1 - 4 of 4 comments. Been trying to install windows on my steam deck for a couple hours now and it seems the boot manager can't for the life of itself detect the . Wi-Fi drive: Click “install. Will Steam Deck work with PC VR headsets? While technically a PC VR headset can be connected, the Steam Deck is Steam Deck Recovery Instructions. Aug 7, 2022 · (Just a straight windows install no dual boot scenario). I have Steam Deck with Windows 10. exe” to install. Full complete guide from windows install, drivers, controller and more, here is how to May 23, 2022 · Regarding the EXT4 formatting of the SD Card, from one of my other posts elsewhere -- I formatted my SD Card this way before placing it into my Steam Deck: And remember, when the Steam Deck formats an SD card, it's using "mkfs -t ext4 -O casefold /dev/sdcard" -- the case fold option is super important because it must accommodate mix-case Mar 4, 2024 · Step 1: Create a USB Drive. Use the ISO to install Windows To Go on a microSD card. I made it with Rufus and I can't see this card when I start the console (On boot manager, pressing left sound button), but the console it recognice perfectly once I'm in Steam OS and I can even see open the unit and see the files on desktop mode. I see videos for installing Windows on a different SD Card for booting or dual booting. Make Batocera the default boot device for the Steam Deck It is possible to make Batocera the default OS to boot on the Steam Deck instead of Steam OS . Dual booting from an SD card keeps everything contained to that SD card. Step 2 – Boot from MicroSD Card and Install Windows. Begin installing the SD Card driver by double-clicking the “setup” file and following the prompts. we see that exfat-utils is installed! So yes, steam deck supports exfat without even doing anything! for simple things it is ok, but for gaming it may not be good. Feel free to share gaming benchmarks and troubleshoot issues here. My process of getting Windows 11 Running is as follows - 1th step - install windows (as with lcd version, flash stick and so on, dual boot and main installation both worked with May 9, 2023 · If you are just using WIndows then use NTFS. You can easily choose which OS to boot by holding down the Volume Down button when you press the power button. You can, it’s not recommended, the optimal solution would be to partition your main storage (the SteamDeck SSD) and load your files and games from an SD card. sh. Shut down the Steam Deck. Neo_Techni. Running off a microSD is very similar to running Windows off a HDD. Grab an 8GB or larger USB drive. Method 3: Install SD cards are rated for about a 10-year lifespan in most cases, and even if you get six months to a year out of a 10 or $20 SD card, that's likely worth for going having to have a strapped on portable SSD. we recommend using the Rufus utility. Feb 10, 2023 · Hi, I'm looking for help with a microsd issue that i've experienced with more than one microsd card. Hard and maybe impossible: running a filesystem on the SD card that is optimal for running games both from Steam Deck and Windows Perhaps a better option would be to install the games both on Windows and on your Steam Deck's SD card, and then setup a cloud sync service in the background to synchronize game saves. Windows will boot in vertical mode once installed, and taps are registered. Select the bootable installation device (USB or SD card) from the list of options. All attempts at creating the flash drive on Linux with Unetbootin didn't work. Conclusion. But only from the method of creating an ISO via Windows Media Creation tool, then using Rufus (on windows) to pre-install Windows onto the SD Card. As far as I've seen online, you can use Rufus to create a Win 10/11 On the Go drive from the ISO onto a USB or SD. In Konsole, run sudo nano ~/tools/repair_device. Open the Media Creation Tool to format the card and setup a bootable Windows 10/11 image tailored specifically for Steam Deck hardware. So I did an ssd swap all good shows up in the bios. See full list on xda-developers. Yeah you should buy a better SD card, I highly recommend the Samsung Evo although I only used that to expand my library on Steam Os. Then, boot to SteamOS, copy the files over. Jan 25, 2023 · Create Windows ISO File Here: https://support. 4. Jan 4, 2023 · A Windows SD card means a SD Card were you have Windows on it (Windows to go). I did sd card windows (a2). Run the install script sudo ~/tools/repair_device. Not sure how it works from a SD card but with both on a single SSD, Windows seems to always take priority over SteamOS. 0 / 2. Plug the USB-C card reader into the Steam Deck and connect the USB with the Dec 28, 2023 · As there seems to be no current topic, I start this one to gather recommendations and common issues about setting up windows 11 on the OLED Steam Deck (as all guides I found are missing some drivers or are incomplete). 13 Read Speeds, Compatible w/ USB 3. 4 Installing Windows on Steam. Complete the Windows setup options. Can Steam Deck be used as a PC controller? Yes, you can connect your Steam Deck to a PC via Remote Play and use it as a controller. Choose MBR in the Partition scheme section, then click Start. Step 4: Select the USB drive from the list of boot options. Reply. Your best bet if you want to dual boot them is to keep Steam Deck games stored on the deck's internal drive, with Windows & its games on the sd-card. Feb 10, 2023 · About Press Copyright Contact us Creators Advertise Developers Terms Privacy Policy & Safety How YouTube works Test new features NFL Sunday Ticket Press Copyright Mar 29, 2023 · To back up your Steam Deck's data, follow this process: Download Clonezilla and copy it to a USB flash drive. I was thinking about installing Windows on this SD and install all the EA, Epic, Ubisoft, Xbox games…. You could use an intermediate USB drive or something too, I suppose. try that instead. Sep 23, 2021 · The Steam Deck also supports booting from a microSD card, which means that you could install an operating system to removable storage. It wont be optimized for steamOS as its preferable to using ext4, but it can definitely see an nfts partition. Insert the SD Card/USB Stick in your Steam Deck. Complete the Windows 11 setup process. Sep 27, 2023 · Insert bootable Windows USB drive/micro SD card > hold volume down and power button > select removable drive. It should be readable by deck & Windows now. Jan 30, 2024 · You can use a micro SD card with the UHS-1 label or a USB 3. Install all the necessary drivers from the USB drive, then restart the Steam Deck . You won't mess up anything on your Deck. Aug 4, 2023 · This video will show you how to install and format a microSD card on your Steam Deck. Dec 19, 2023 · Installing the SD Card Slot Driver. In the Partition scheme section, select MBR, then press Start. " If your Steam Deck suffers from SteamOS-related issues---failing to boot, being unresponsive or any other similar problem Just partition the SSD for Windows and install the games on an SD card. An external SSD or Micro SD card with at least 64gb capacity (256gb+ is recommended for gaming) Mar 3, 2022 · Plug in the USB flash drive. Feel free to PM me if you need any clarification or help with anything. the only thing different i did is i used Ventoy to prepare the microsd instead of etcher. Download Media Creation Tool and Rufus Games themselves seem to run fine, excepting non-Deck-specific typical Windows jank on a gaming PC. I’m not sure that I understand you, I intend to install windows 11 to my deck so the iso file is on the sd card but it’s not detected in the boot manager. HighSparrow Dec 4, 2022 @ 5:12am. Press and hold the [Volume -] and [Power] buttons to access the boot menu, from which the micro SD card can be selected. Windows to play dead by daylight and gamepass games. im also using a microsd to install Windows 10 / Windows 11. Are you trying to boot WINDOWS or a windows installation media (to install windows on an internal drive?). 0 Flash Drive, I used Rufus to then put the Steam Deck Recovery image (removed from the 2. Jan 16, 2023 · 1) insert into pc. I know this because when proton first came out i booted into my ubuntu partition on my desktop, installed steam and connected my steam libraries across my various storage drives. This article explains how to install Windows on your Steam Deck, including Jan 23, 2024 · Step 3: Power down the Steam Deck completely and connect the USB drive using a USB-C hub. Check the Use Rufus MBR with BIOS ID box. It sees the deck as a touchscreen device. Once you've successfully booted into Windows, reboot your Steam Deck into SteamOS desktop mode. The process is the same regardless of which The windows of opportunities is even larger on the Steam Deck, as we can easily install Windows from (and in) a micro SD card and simply dual-boot the Steam Deck as Windows or Steam OS as you wish while not overwriting the original systems OS, having all the perks of the SteamOS controllable refresh rate, FPS locking and all performance Jan 20, 2023 · In Settings > System, scroll down to System Format to format your microSD card. r/WindowsOnDeck. I did it without a dock this way, it works fine. Anyway I can install Steam os on Micro SD? Steam Deck microSD cards use ext4 with casefolding - Steam Deck formats SD cards to the proper format. 44. The Steam Deck I'm just passionate about Linux, Windows, how stuff works, and playing retro and modern video games on my Steam Deck! Monetary donations are also encouraged if you find this project helpful. Here, navigate to the USB stick and the Don’t use a micro sd for windows unless you are ok with it dying within a few weeks to a few months. After trying lots of things to detect and reformat the card, eventually I gave Yes, if you have anything other the a 64gb deck you can have windows and steamOS on your internal ssd by creating two partitions on it. Unzip all of the Windows Driver zips and follow the installation instructions from the download page. yes will be fine, it may be slow depending on the type of sd card though use rufus, windows 10 ISO and make sure you image it windows on the go or similar in the options. Restart Windows to finalize the installation of all the drivers and set up WiFi. Install the Windows Drivers for the Steam Deck. thats strange i never encountered that. Use ext4 that is the default for steam deck for best results. I have windows running from a micro sd and it runs pretty good. Once you’ve installed Windows, you can now install the drivers for your Steam Deck. Prepare a USB key (8GB minimum) with the recovery image: On. I only have the 64gb version so I’m waiting to find a good ssd to install and dual boot. Hit start and you're good to go. Enter the boot menu by holding the Volume Down button and powering on the Steam Deck. I've seen a common misconception way too often about needing to disable Windows updates to have a clean (and annoyance free) rEFInd setup. So you can do it but maybe you shooldn't. I installed all the drivers and I play some windows only games there. 8. 6. Dec 16, 2022 · Hello - I have a newly built PC without any OS. Of course I also tried the Micro SD only solution, no chance. once ventoy is installed on the microsd just copy / paste the Windows ISO (i keep both 10 and 11) and when you boot from microsd you can select which ISO to install. Select Landscape and flip the screen to the correct position. #1. Alternatively, create a Windows installation USB drive. I`m setting up both windows 10 and Steam OS on my 256GB Steam deck. I don't want to overwrite the internal SD, as SteamOS is serving me well, but I would like to try out Windows I’ve seen some videos or articles about it not working as well as with Steam OS installed but I’ve also been comparing it to other devices like the Aya Neo which are Windows based and the Steam Deck still seems to perform better. Select the Windows 10 installation file from the Boot selection menu. Continue to hold the volume down button until the Steam Deck boot screen appears. This is a place for Steam Deck owners to chat about using Windows on Deck. 2) right-click on start (win 10 /Win 11) & select disc management. Use Windows to download/update the files; making sure your installation is on the exFAT partition drive. **TLDR: Use an sd card reader usb stick along with a usb C to A converter and read the card through there**. Then, on Steam Deck: hold volume down and power, select EFI USB drive, and follow the on-screen prompts. If you’re prompted to The external drive is pretty small and with a short cord so I could probably tape it to the back of the deck. Oct 23, 2022 · Cannot boot from sd card to re-image. Bluetooth driver: Click “installdriver. You’ll then see the Boot Manager menu. Sits on the SD logo endlessly until I force shut down. Oct 26, 2022 · For Windows 10, follow the instructions to "Create installation media for another PC" and for Windows 11, download the ISO directly from the page. (UPDATED) How to Dual Boot Windows 11 & SteamOS on the Steam Deck: SD Card Method#steamdeck #Windows11_SteamOS #DualBoot_SDCard Overkill Gaming Discord Ser Apr 21, 2023 · 5. So far load times are not bad from the SD card either for Windows. I have a 1TB card that I formatted with the steam deck and used for several days. In Rufus point it to your Micro SD card (you may have to check List USB Hard Drives for it to show up) and the copy of Windows you downloaded. I downloaded the steam recovery image and formatted a 64GB USB 3. Clone your Steam Deck's internal SSD to the external drive. (Actually used the SD card in the end using a usb C card reader) You need to boot to the recovery menu ( power and volume down) then select the drive with the image and it will boot to the recovery desktop ( took a couple of mins to get to this for me) But it was 100 percent thumb drive 1)it will be much slower on an SD card. I have an extra 400GB SD Card for my Steam Deck. Press the Volume and Power buttons at the same time to start. From the Boot Manager, use the d-pad/keyboard arrow keys to highlight the microSD and A/Enter to select it. Hold the Volume down button while powering on the Steam Deck to enter the boot manager. Open the folder we told you to place the Steam Deck drivers inside and start with any one of them. This will launch Steam’s Boot Manager. Still going fine, quite the good IT tool, essentially a external standalone safeboot. Creating backups of your data is smart on any device, and the I installed windows 10 using windows to go, directly to the sdcard. Write the SteamOS Recovery ISO to a USB drive with Rufus or Balena Etcher. A free tool, such as RUFUS is recommended. Place a USB stick or SD card in your SteamDeck once the Jan 27, 2023 · Insert the USB drive with the Windows drivers from Valve into the USB-C hub, and connect the hub to the Steam Deck. Jâbbérwôkkï Oct 28, 2022 @ 6:00am. Just got 3x 512gb Samsung micosd since they are $35 right now on Amazon. It’s as feasible as loading Windows from an USB but with better performance and less hassle. Format it so there is nothing else on there. Create a second partition on the drive as exFAT. 5gb zip file) onto the USB Drive, then I plug it and the Steam Deck into my Steam Deck DOCK, which shows the USB Flash Drive on the boot menu.     Go to WindowsOnDeck. 3. Plug your USB device into your computer. cmd” to install. Boot into Clonezilla Live Environment with an external drive connected. Select the recovery file and write it to your USB drive (this will format the contents of your USB drive). Insert the MicroSD installer, hold Nov 9, 2022 · Boot to Windows 10 or Windows 11 from a microSD Card. Step 5: Windows installation will launch. Once powered off, insert the microSD card Windows is installed on. When I launch into the Steam Deck Desktop mode and look at the SD card using KDE Partition Manager, I see the NTFFS ESD-ISO (445GB Windows Partition) and an EXT4 partition mounted as locked (see screenshot - I added the 'sd' label using the KDE Partition Manger). Navigate to Boot selection and choose the Windows 10 installation file. Start your Steam Deck, selecting the microSD card as your boot device. Install Windows 11 by following the on-screen instructions. In this video, I go over the full process for both installing Windows 11 on an SD card (as the least invasive option for your Steam Deck) as well as installi Windows on a microSD isn't technically dual booting. SD Card reader driver: Click “setup. Select "Reinstall SteamOS. com/en-us/windows/create-installation-media-for-windows-99a58364-8c02-206f-aa6f-40c3b507420dRufus Dow We would like to show you a description here but the site won’t allow us. And if the Windows SD card isn't even inserted at power on, the Deck will just boot SteamOS happily as usual. Download the recovery image here (click). Installing the Welcome, Deckers! 🎮 In today's video, we're diving into the exciting world of the Steam Deck, showcasing a step-by-step tutorial on how to effortlessly boot Fix for those whose Steamdeck cant read an sd card with windows to go installed. Speaking of microSD cards, if you use them with the Steam May 13, 2024 · Insert your MicroSD card into a Windows PC using a card reader or USB adapter. So, whilst the Deck will primarily be a gaming device for Card killing with Windows is pretty well documented. Insert the microSD card containing Batocera into the microSD slot on the bottom of the Steam Deck. I have a docking station for the steam deck with usb. Steam Deck supports both Windows 10 and Windows 11. xc jr qi rk oc hc gp dm qi ur