SteamOS installation halted on BIOS splash screen – troubleshooting guide
SteamOS installation halted on BIOS splash screen – troubleshooting guide
System details: https://pcpartpicker.com/list/9Qwm9C I considered trying SteamOS 3.8 Beta once driver support arrived for 9xxx series AMD graphics (with kernel 6.15). Used Rufus to make a thumb drive from the file "steamdeck-repair-main-20250826.1000-3.8.0". Removed all drives except the Intel 660P, which was intended for OS installation. The BIOS was recently updated, though I don’t remember the exact version. I turned on CSM and turned off Secure Boot. Chose Partition #1 from the boot USB and tried installing. I was instantly stuck at a frozen BIOS screen. It said to press Delete for BIOS and F12 for Boot Menu. Only devices connected were my keyboard, mouse, and monitor. I’m currently at this point. It seems similar to the issue discussed in a Reddit thread. To my knowledge, everyone using 6xx series Gigabyte AM5 boards is experiencing the same problem. A few other Reddit posts about older SteamOS versions on PC mentioned issues with Gigabyte boards, but nothing concrete was found. Unfortunately, I don’t have another board to test this theory. Would anyone know if there’s a fix or any troubleshooting tips? Yes please! This is just a heads-up—once SteamOS gets official it’ll be the real answer, but it won’t be as exciting. In the meantime, I’m experimenting with BIOS settings to hopefully resolve it.
Based on how you explained the issue, it seems like you're trying to access a drive that isn't present or hasn't been made bootable. You might not need to open your BIOS directly—most systems have a key that takes you to a menu where you can select boot options, including USB drives if they're flashable. If the disk isn't listed, it could mean the flash drive isn't working or you haven't enabled booting in BIOS. For better results, consider using Ventoy, which will prepare your USB for booting and lets you upload any ISO file easily. When it starts, it provides a menu to pick the desired installation file.
Steamos remains selective about the installer. Offline use is simpler with alternatives like Bassite instead of Steam Deck.
Apologies for the unclear details. The drive was set as bootable and prioritized correctly. Disabled other devices to prevent it from booting to the empty SSD. Reimaged on a different USB, which resolved the issue. The name of the bootable USB changed. This worked consistently across multiple USB ports. I manually adjusted the boot priority to confirm the correct drives were used afterward. No variation in results.