Beta SteamOS ISO now available for testing

[jvert]

I just posted a SteamOS ISO that can be used to install SteamOS on non-UEFI systems. Thanks to directhex and ecliptik for their work on Ye Olde SteamOSe[github.com] - this incorporates many of their changes. Dual-boot and custom partitioning are now possible from the "Expert Install" option.

PLEASE note there has been very little testing on this, especially any kind of dual-boot setup. So don't install it on any machine you are not prepared to lose.

If you have any problems, please post on this discussion or open an issue on the SteamOS github.[github.com]

[JamieLinux]

thanks for this.

[Henry J.P]

thanks might test this

[King Dude]

Oh sweet. A lot of people will be stoked for this.

[ViRUS]

Originally posted by TIK Unicum Exterminans:

Thanks, but I need Windows in some cases. Waiting for dual boot partitioning option

Originally posted by jvert:

Dual-boot and custom partitioning are now possible from the "Expert Install" option.

Reading has taken humanity so far :p

[Max]

This was posted right about the time I did the reddit method to install steamos on my non uefi laptop...

[ThomasHome]

can i use deb repo this version of steamos...

[Spex]

I should give this a try this week. I kept trying to get SteamOS on a PC I cobbled together with a few spare parts and some new ones (including a mobo that seems to support UEFI but god knows how to actually use it). Eventually I got fed up and just threw Xubuntu on there with Steam in big picture mode but this sounds promising.

[Jack]

Can you install and use old AMD yet?

Originally posted by orlandothomas1:

can i use deb repo this version of steamos...

You can use that in any version. You need to add the repos to the /etc/apt/sources.list, and then to ensure you use the steam versions you need to make a /etc/apt/preferences file which has the alchemist repo pinned highest, i.e. 1000

[Ягуар - это сила]

Thanks;)

[Cheeseness]

Great work, directhex and ecliptik!

[directhex]

A summary of the differences, for the curious:

• Valve has removed a pointless second copy of the package manifest. Good, we only ever kept it because Valve did
  
• Valve doesn't include the package contents manifests. These aren't useful for 99% of people anyway
  
• Valve doesn't include all the firmware ever. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we added every bit of device firmware possibly used by end users. Valve does not include all of them (they already included a couple, e.g. for Realtek networking)
  
• Valve has rolled in some recent Debian security updates, e.g. to apt-get and curl
  
• Valve includes all the 32-bit stuff there is. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we strip out most 32-bit packages which are not used. Valve includes them all, so has a bigger ISO
  
• Valve includes the 32-bit version of the installer - no 32-bit kernel though, so not usable on 32-bit-only computers.
  
• Valve does not include support for LVM or mdraid
  
• Valve includes an installer which runs from Windows. I don't know what functionality it allows or prevents compared to booting the installer directly
  
• Valve doesn't contain Ye Olde SteamOSe's audio hacks - it still only works properly on Brix or Prototype
  
• Valve has killed the old "expert" mode - Ye Olde SteamOSe's "Power User" mode is included instead, relabelled as Expert. YOS still includes both Power User and the old-style Expert modes
  
• Valve doesn't allow NTFS resizing ( https://github.com/ValveSoftware/SteamOS/issues/88 )
  
• Valve doesn't include VirtualBox guest additions. But no big loss, given VirtualBox is shit.

The headline features pulled in by Valve are:

• Non-EFI support
  
• DVD install support
  
• Partitioner in Power User/Expert mode
  
• Dual boot in Power User/Expert mode
  
• Supports recovery etc if you use a custom layout as long as it's still Valve-ish enough

[Adi]

Originally posted by directhex:

A summary of the differences, for the curious:

• Valve has removed a pointless second copy of the package manifest. Good, we only ever kept it because Valve did
  
• Valve doesn't include the package contents manifests. These aren't useful for 99% of people anyway
  
• Valve doesn't include all the firmware ever. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we added every bit of device firmware possibly used by end users. Valve does not include all of them (they already included a couple, e.g. for Realtek networking)
  
• Valve has rolled in some recent Debian security updates, e.g. to apt-get and curl
  
• Valve includes all the 32-bit stuff there is. In Ye Olde SteamOSe, we strip out most 32-bit packages which are not used. Valve includes them all, so has a bigger ISO
  
• Valve includes the 32-bit version of the installer - no 32-bit kernel though, so not usable on 32-bit-only computers.
  
• Valve does not include support for LVM or mdraid
  
• Valve includes an installer which runs from Windows. I don't know what functionality it allows or prevents compared to booting the installer directly
  
• Valve doesn't contain Ye Olde SteamOSe's audio hacks - it still only works properly on Brix or Prototype
  
• Valve has killed the old "expert" mode - Ye Olde SteamOSe's "Power User" mode is included instead, relabelled as Expert. YOS still includes both Power User and the old-style Expert modes
  
• Valve doesn't allow NTFS resizing ( https://github.com/ValveSoftware/SteamOS/issues/88 )
  
• Valve doesn't include VirtualBox guest additions. But no big loss, given VirtualBox is shit.

The headline features pulled in by Valve are:

• Non-EFI support
  
• DVD install support
  
• Partitioner in Power User/Expert mode
  
• Dual boot in Power User/Expert mode
  
• Supports recovery etc if you use a custom layout as long as it's still Valve-ish enough

Well, at least they appreciate your contribution. I personally do not use SteamOS(at least not now), so this does not concern me very much, but you still desrve thanks for helping others in need.

[KarmaPolice [BRó]]

Originally posted by Jack:

Can you install and use old AMD yet?
...

I would like to know this as well. I have a legacy radeon HD 4850, and would like to test steam os. I may be mistaken, but it seems the open source drivers work well enough. Are there any plans to include them?

[mo0n_sniper]

Nice to see this kind of collaboration.
Congrats to everyone!

[directhex]

Originally posted by 42:

Originally posted by Jack:

Can you install and use old AMD yet?
...

I would like to know this as well. I have a legacy radeon HD 4850, and would like to test steam os. I may be mistaken, but it seems the open source drivers work well enough. Are there any plans to include them?

The installer will fail on any Radeon older than HD5000. Valve guys are aware of this, they (nor I) have a persistent & usable workaround yet