This tool lets you install or repair SteamOS using Valve’s official recovery image — but with added support for external SSDs, USB drives, and non-NVMe devices.
- A patched version of
repair_device.sh
- A prompt to choose your install disk (e.g.
/dev/sda
) - Fixes the partition naming issue (
p
vs no-p
) on non-NVMe drives
- A Steam Deck or compatible PC 👉 Valve's Requirments
- Valve’s official SteamOS recovery image
👉 Download here - A USB stick flashed with the image using Balena Etcher or Rufus
- A keyboard and mouse
- The target drive you want to install SteamOS on (internal or external)
- Plug in the USB stick
- On a Steam Deck, hold Volume Down + Power to open the boot menu
- Select the USB and boot into the recovery environment
Launch Konsole from the desktop, or press Ctrl + Alt + T
.
git clone https://github.com/louij2/steamos_custom_install.git
cd steamos_custom_install
chmod +x repair_device.sh
sudo ./repair_device.sh all
You’ll be prompted to:
- Enter the target disk (e.g.
/dev/sda
) - Confirm that you really want to wipe and reinstall SteamOS
This script will:
- Wipe and repartition the selected drive
- Format system, boot, and home partitions
- Copy SteamOS rootfs
- Configure GRUB and EFI
- Reboot (or let you stay in the live session)
- If you're installing to an external SSD, it’s highly recommended to unplug your internal NVMe drive — or lock it down like this:
sudo chmod 000 /dev/nvme0n1
- The script automatically detects whether your disk needs `p` in partition names (e.g. `nvme0n1p1` vs `sda1`)
- You can tweak the script to skip formatting `/home`, disable BIOS updates, or jump into a chroot after install
Valve's Script | This Script |
---|---|
Hardcoded to /dev/nvme0n1pX |
Prompts for any disk (e.g. /dev/sda ) |
Crashes on external drives | Fully stable on all device types |
GUI-based (zenity) | Clean CLI interface |
Wipes disks with no confirmation | Prompts before doing anything destructive |
File | Description |
---|---|
repair_device.sh |
Main patched installer script with disk prompt |
repair_reimage.sh |
Simple wrapper for running repair_device.sh all |
- This will completely erase the selected disk.
- Triple-check that you’ve chosen the correct device before continuing.
- Use at your own risk — know that this hasn't been prorprly tested to avoid surprises.
- It seems that if you enable
SSHD
from the installer then it will fail to install SteamOS.