Add or format another storage drive.
Add or format another storage drive.
I created a new HTPC running SteamOS on Bazzite. So far, it's been quite challenging to format and add storage drives for detection. Formatting a new drive and setting up partitions has only a 1 in 10 chance of being recognized by SteamOS, which is quite unpredictable. I've managed to consistently detect a SATA SSD, but my HDD and other NVME M.2 devices have failed. Anyone has had success adding storage drives to their Bazzite installation? I've also noticed the SATA SSD configuration in SteamOS shows an incorrect path. The documentation online claims it's wrong, but I'm not sure if that's accurate. My main issue right now is ensuring the storage devices are set up correctly, even though I'm not ready to switch back to Windows just yet.
Begin by setting up your target mount directory using the terminal command sudo mkdir /var/mnt/new-mount-point-name-here. After creating the partition in KDE Partition Manager, right-click it, edit the mount point, choose UUID, and assign the path from earlier. Confirm by clicking OK and agreeing to edit fstab so the drive mounts automatically at startup. Restart the system and your new partition should appear in Dolphin when adding a drive.
I determined this by testing the setup and observing the behavior. After making adjustments for all three additional drives, the issue persisted only with the one already active. SteamOS still lists the second NVME M.2 and HDD as unformatted, prompting format attempts that fail with an error. The HDD remains unaffected but doesn’t update. There’s also a discrepancy in SteamOS and Bazzite showing the Boot M.2 as unused, though it should be active. This suggests SteamOS may have limitations on the number of extra drives it recognizes.
I understand you'd like more details about how the systems are configured. It seems there might be some confusion regarding the operating systems involved. Bazzite and SteamOS are distinct platforms, so combining them under a single storage setup isn't straightforward. Are you looking to connect two separate installations—perhaps one for Bazzite and another for SteamOS—that you wish to link for storage purposes? Or are you referring to running Steam on Bazzite in a different configuration? Clarifying this will help me provide the right explanation.
Bazzite launches with Steam Big Picture but exits to the desktop instead of the usual options. The installer resembles the setup for a Steam Deck, not the standard Steam executable. It seems to support multiple drives, though only one appears in Steam. I can keep games on a dedicated SSD for Steam, while storing other titles like Epic, GOG, Amazon, Ubisoft and EA on a separate drive that doesn’t show up.
After OP's thorough clarification, I see the issue clearly. Steam Big Picture reacts differently when it identifies a Gamescope session. Standard Big Picture Mode ignores detection, mounting, removal, or ejection of removable drives under Storage, and these features aren't accessible. Only pre-set libraries are visible. Based on my understanding, Gamescope likely manages device handling internally. Since regular Big Picture lacks robust game library management, it probably isn't as thorough in Gamescope either. It seems the system expects a particular partition structure or filesystem layout. @venomtail, if you can launch Steam in regular desktop mode, try adding the library manually at a fixed path—like /var/mnt/some_dir. This might enable detection in BPM as well. If that doesn't work, please share the contents of your "/etc/fstab" file.
It started Steam in a limited window, same as booting fullscreen on startup. It requests my admin credentials and then reports "Command not found." @NoLeafClover, I’m considering keeping the drives separate since I’ve already added games and don’t want to risk everything if the Steam executable fails.
I recently began using Bazzite and encountered this issue when adding a new NVME. On an AMD desktop, the formatting in big picture mode kept failing. After switching to desktop mode and formatting via the "Drives" utility, the drive still wouldn't mount. The quick fix was launching the Steam app from Bazzite, adjusting Steam Settings/Storage, and adding the drive there. Restarting Bazzite's big picture view resolved the problem.