How can I run multiple instances of steam?

[jakerman999]

I set up another user account on my PC so that my roommate could game on it while I'm out of the house; but I'd like steam to not close itself when he logs in. Currently as soon as he opens steam: the steam on my user account closes down and kills whatever software I had open through it.

Setting up a separate instance of steam is not desirable. I want steam to share the user libraries. I just don't want steam to quit itself when another user opens it

[Judgmental Amaterasu]

Steam doesn't share user libraries unless family sharing is on anyways.

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by MoonC A T:

So basically you're sharing your login/account?

OP says OP set up a second account for 'eir roommate.



Sharing the libraries (within Steam) is possible via Family Sharing (on a different account) or Family View (on the same account). But if you use a second account you won't be able to keep your stuff running.

If there's some game you need to idle when you're gone and he's using your computer, then see if you can run the game without Steam running.

[MoonC A T]

Originally posted by jakerman999:

I set up another user account on my PC so that my roommate could game on it while I'm out of the house; but I'd like steam to not close itself when he logs in. Currently as soon as he opens steam: the steam on my user account closes down and kills whatever software I had open through it.

Setting up a separate instance of steam is not desirable. I want steam to share the user libraries. I just don't want steam to quit itself when another user opens it

So separate Win logins? By definition this will kill any other process on the PC.

Originally posted by Quint the Alligator Snapper:

Originally posted by MoonC A T:

So basically you're sharing your login/account?

OP says OP set up a second account for 'eir roommate.

Yeah I realized that upon reading it better and attempted to delete it, LOL

[Quint the Alligator Snapper]

Originally posted by MoonC A T:

So separate Win logins? By definition this will kill any other process on the PC.

I think you could still have a second user's processes running if you just set up two Windows user accounts and log in as the second one without logging out of the first one. Should be possible from the lock screen I think?

[my new friend]

You would basically need to use Sandboxie or something.

[MoonC A T]

Originally posted by Quint the Alligator Snapper:

Originally posted by MoonC A T:

So separate Win logins? By definition this will kill any other process on the PC.

I think you could still have a second user's processes running if you just set up two Windows user accounts and log in as the second one without logging out of the first one. Should be possible from the lock screen I think?

You would need a 3rd party like Azure or as my new friend said Sandboxie to have multi session support.

[jakerman999]

There are two users, each of us has a windows account and a steam account. I can leave a game open and lock my account and he can log in, but if he opens steam at all it closes my instance and the game that was attached. I've not found a way to run the game without steam's drm. Our steam libraries are shared through the family sharing feature; mostly to conserve hard drive space for titles we both own.

What would a sandbox do in this scenario? Is this a step short of a virtual machine? Would both steam instances be able to use the same library with that setup still?

[你们都是猪]

yes ithinkitisverygood