SteamOS dual boot with windows?

[Sickle]

Is it possible? (question aimed at people who actually know about the busines)

I want to try steamOS but they want me to erase EVERYTHING!
Thats just ridiculos, is there any other way?

[YourHentaiSenpai]

Sure, dual boot is possible, you'll need to install Grub2 into your boot sector after installation and it'll detect all your existing systems(assuming you've not been stupid and haven't erased them) at hard drives automatically. Easiest way I know is to download Ubuntu image and boot it as live-cd. I think your title isn't correct judging from your post.

[Sickle]

"I think your title isn't correct judging from your post."
*tick russian accent* My englrsh, not to good comrade... sorry.

But thanks for the tip, I don't know about this Grub2, but if I search about it maybe I figure things out, I just dont want to delete all my stuff -_-

[Medovyj kot]

Originally posted by SickleHammer Maniac:

"I think your title isn't correct judging from your post."
*tick russian accent* My englrsh, not to good comrade... sorry.

But thanks for the tip, I don't know about this Grub2, but if I search about it maybe I figure things out, I just dont want to delete all my stuff -_-

I thinks the answer is "haven't erased them". But SteamOS erase.

[Shark]

There are currently 3 options for dual booting I can think of, of which none are supported:

1. You can either wipe your entire drive by installing SteamOS, then use gparted on the home partition with any random Linux live cd to shrink it. After that you install Windows in the new empty space, then boot the live cd again to install grub.

2. have an empty drive, unplug everything but that driver during install. When you're done installing replug all your other drives. Now you could either pick which disk you want to boot in your bios or run the command update-grub in the command line of SteamOS, which should recognize your Windows partition and add it to the boot menu.

3. Modify the default.preseed file to not erase your Windows partition and use the available free space, this is the most advanced way of doing this though and a lot of stuff can go wrong.

I hope this info is useful to someone.

[Medovyj kot]

Originally posted by Shark:

3. Modify the default.preseed file to not erase your Windows partition and use the available free space, this is the most advanced way of doing this though and a lot of stuff can go wrong.

I hope this info is useful to someone.

Make your own linux package, call it steamos, have fun.

[Ferk]

Originally posted by luc1k:

Sure, dual boot is possible, you'll need to install Grub2 into your boot sector after installation and it'll detect all your existing systems(assuming you've not been stupid and haven't erased them) at hard drives automatically. Easiest way I know is to download Ubuntu image and boot it as live-cd. I think your title isn't correct judging from your post.

We are talking about SteamOS, an Ubuntu live-cd doesn't get you to test SteamOS, only Steam for Linux (and even for that you would need your nvidia/AMD graphic card drivers, which are not available in the live-cd).

According to the FAQ, the official SteamOS installation will erase your disk, even in the "advanced" installation there's no way to select a different partitioning scheme.

[Sickle]

Originally posted by Shark:

3. Modify the default.preseed file to not erase your Windows partition and use the available free space, this is the most advanced way of doing this though and a lot of stuff can go wrong.

I hope this info is useful to someone.

Thanks, but I think I'll just wait for someone to do a tuturial for now...
But seriusly the only official ways Valve gave us to try out their new OS require to erease all your stuff...
Thats not very friendly and thought-out Valve...

[Shark]

Originally posted by SickleHammer Maniac:

Originally posted by Shark:

3. Modify the default.preseed file to not erase your Windows partition and use the available free space, this is the most advanced way of doing this though and a lot of stuff can go wrong.

I hope this info is useful to someone.

Thanks, but I think I'll just wait for someone to do a tuturial for now...
But seriusly the only official ways Valve gave us to try out their new OS require to erease all your stuff...
Thats not very friendly and thought-out Valve...

Well, they had to release a version which could be installed to the prototypes somehow.

[Ollie]

The Dual Drive is the easiest solution that is not as easy to mess up.

[SudoAptGetPlay]

Dual drive with the windows drive unplugged. Install steamos, reboot and replug your drives. Change uefi to boot of grub first then sudo update-grub in root on steamos. and voila.

[Medovyj kot]

Originally posted by SudoAptGetPlay:

Dual drive with the windows drive unplugged. Install steamos, reboot and replug your drives. Change uefi to boot of grub first then sudo update-grub in root on steamos. and voila.

Would Valve send me second hard drive for making such manipulations?

[sadyc]

Originally posted by Medovyj kot:

Would Valve send me second hard drive for making such manipulations?

Nobody is requring you to make such manipulations. If you do not have a second drive, either wait until somebody will post a guide how to install on existing drive without wiping it or buy a drive.
Valve made it very clear that is a beta release targeting people which are ok to tinker with Linux, it is not targeted for end users.

[pghammer21]

Actually, option #2 (separate drives) is the more sensible option (for now) - it's the option I use to triple OS X/Windows 8.1/Server 2012R2. (Only OS X is on a separate drive - 8.1 and 2012R2 share a common drive in a 66/34 split, controlled by 2012R2's loader.) Why it makes sense - Windows does NOT like co-existing with any Linux DE on the same drive (same applies to OS X) - if you install SteamOS first, the Windows installer will eat GRUB. (If you install Windows first, it tries to eat the entire drive.) Right now, due to lack of UEFI, I'm using a VM (actually two different VMs - one each in Oracle VB and vmWare) for non-game-related testing.

[YourHentaiSenpai]

Originally posted by SickleHammer Maniac:

"I think your title isn't correct judging from your post."
*tick russian accent* My englrsh, not to good comrade... sorry.

Haha, no problems. I'm an ukrainian myself. As @SudoAptGetPlay stated you'll need a second drive until someone will figure out how to install it on a separate partition safely. I can't believe there's no way to do so.

[skinj0b]

I agree, unplugged Windows drive is the only way. Have had this issue under similar circumstances.