r/WindowsOnDeck • • Mar 11 '23

Community Updates WindowsOnDeck Megathread

251 Upvotes

11/25/2023 - Sorry guys somehow the megathread post was compromised-- I am working to restore it and previous links. ~ baldsealion

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Welcome everyone!

On behalf of everyone here I'd like to welcome you to the wide world of Windows on the Steam Deck and give you some tips, tricks and troubleshooting steps.

You can Join our Official Discord here as well if you like.

​

If you're having boot issues to SteamOS after the major SteamOS upgrade, please follow this guide:

Fix Steam Deck Dual Boot Issues After Upgrade! | All Methods

​

Let's briefly go some frequently asked questions:

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---FAQ---

  • I have a problem with Windows on my Steam Deck! You are not alone. Please go to the Troubleshooting Section at the bottom of this megathread
  • Can installing Windows Brick my Steam Deck? No.
  • Can I dual boot with the SSD? Yes.
  • Can I use micro SD, SSD, or External Drive for Windows? Yes to all. Performance will vary. Best performance option is installing on the SSD
  • Is installing Windows on micro SD bad? Depending on how demanding the games are that you play, performance can be poor and using Windows will shorten the life of the sd card if used frequently
  • I still want to use a micro SD card, which should I use? In order to get the best performance it is recommended that you use either the SanDisk Extreme or Extreme Pro. These have performed the best in testing (links to Amazon below):

SanDisk Extreme 512GB

SanDisk Extreme Pro 512GB

  • What about SSDs, Docks, what screwdriver Do I need for opening the Deck? Please scroll down to the Recommended Accessories section of this megathread.
  • Windows 10 or Windows 11? Either works. More about this in Baldsealion's Guide FAQ section

​

---Recommended Installation Software Guides & Setups---

NOTE: For external drives, or wiping SteamOS entirely, the guide can also be followed, just skip using G-Parted to partition the drive and go straight to installing Windows

How to Dual Boot with micro SD - YouTube

  • (( Not Windows )) SteamOS on a micro SD:

SteamOS on a Micro SD Card 2.0 | New Improved Guide

---Recommended Installation Hardware Guides & Setups---
Replace/Upgrade Steam Deck Solid State Hard Drive

Fix an Unresponsive or Broken Power Button

---Windows Drivers Resources---
Valve's Official Windows Drivers for Steam Deck

[ Necessary ] - Modified Killer WiFi Drivers for RealTek 8822CE - Video Guide

[ Optional ] - Amenime Custom APU/GPU Drivers - Video Guide
Visual C++ All-In-One - Latest Release
DirectX - Microsoft - Latest Release

---Custom Dual Boot Loaders & Guides---

Below are custom Bootloader options available for the Steam Deck:
Clover Custom Dual-Boot Menu - Video Guide
rEFInd - Custom Dual Boot Menu - Video Guide

---Controller Software Guides & Info---

This is both the biggest topic and differing factor between your WinDeck or my WinDeck. There really is no "best", it is what works for you and suits your needs. Old/unsupported options will be removed as they are phased out (which is why SWICD is not listed here). This section will try to keep up to date with the different options available and provide suitable guides for each option:

Glossi:

GlosSI - Global systemwide SteamInput - Downloads

Guide - Glossi Official Usage Instructions

HandHeld Companion:

Software - Handheld Companion - Github - Latest Release

Guide - HandHeld Companion Official Setup - YouTube

Steam Deck Tools - SteamController:
Software - Steam Deck Tools + SteamController - Github Latest Release
Bald Sealion's Controller Setup

---Performance Tweaks & Software---

There is some bleed into this category from controller software like Handheld Companion and Steam Deck Tools, so they will be included here as well:

General Windows Tweaks:

Bald Sealion's Windows OS Tweaks

AMD Adrenalin Setup & Config:
AMD Adrenalin 23.9.1
Bald Sealion's AMD Adrenalin Guide

Refresh Rate:
Software - Custom Resolution Utility
Bald Sealion's Guide to Unlocking Refresh Rate

TDP Control + Frame Limiting:

Software - Handheld Companion - Github - Latest Release

Guide - Longer battery life with TDP control - Handheld Companion - YouTube

TDP Control + Frame Limiting + CPU/GPU Clock (in debug build):

Software - Steam Deck Tools + SteamController - Github Latest Release

Guide - Bald Sealion's Steam Deck Tools Setup

Upscaling:

Software - Lossless Scaling - Steam Store PageE

Guide - Bald Sealion's Lossless Scaling Guide

---Recommended Accessories---

Cases:

JSAUX Modcase for Steam Deck

Tools (for opening the Steam Deck):

Need a Philips PH#0 or PH#1 bit and a pick tool - iFixit Electronics Essentials Kit

Docks:

Single External Display - iVoler 4K @ 60hz HDMI, 1GBPS LAN, USB 3.0

Single Display with External SSD - JSAUX M.2 Dock @ 10GBPS, 4K @ 60hz HDMI, 1GBPS LAN, USB 3.2

Dual External Display - Pending

Internal SSDs:

512GB - Kingston m.2 2230

1TB - SABRENT Rocket m.2 2230

1TB - WD SN740 m.2 2230

2TB - WD SN740 m.2 2230

microSDs:

SanDisk Extreme 512GB

SanDisk Extreme Pro 512GB

---Hardware Modifications---

These are not specific to Windows-- and of course ANY hardware modifications will mean RISK to DAMAGING your hardware. So please proceed with caution.

Increase Cooling:

Replace stock paste with thermal pad - Thermal Pad - PTM7950

Guide - Upgrade Steam Deck to PTM 7950

Benchmark - Upgrade Steam Deck to PTM 7950Replace SSD:

Replace/Upgrade Steam Deck Solid State Hard Drive

Fix Power Button:

Fix an Unresponsive or Broken Power Button

---Troubleshooting---

My screen is messed up looking when I dual boot! Help!

You are either using rEFInd or Clover. Both encounter this issue when the APU driver is upgraded. Please refer to the Github README for either software depending on what you have installed:

Clover - Fix Graphic Issue on Boot

rEFInd - Fix Graphic Issue on Boot

I have a different boot issue with Clover or rEFInd

Please refer to their respective Github README and find if there is a solution listed to your problem. If not, please raise an "Issue" report on their Github Issue tab:

Clover Custom Dual-Boot Menu - Github

rEFInd - Custom Dual Boot Menu - Github

I Followed Bald Sealion's Guide but I don't know how to boot into SteamOS anymore

Shut down your Steam Deck. Hold Vol - & Power and you will see the option for SteamOS(or it might say "EFIxxx", just choose it from the menu with the direction pad & press A)

I can't get my dual monitors to work

While this could be for a variety of reasons, such as the type of dock, cables, etc-- it could be that the APU driver is the issue. To test, you can install the older APU driver released on June 16th 2022 here - users have reported the old driver works, but this comes at a cost of performance for OpenGL(about 100-150% loss) and DirectX 12 games(about 10% loss).

Make sure to click the Additional Settings button in the install window and choose "Factory Reset"

My Wireless is really slow or spotty or multiplayer games are laggy, what can I do to fix it

There are two drivers you can use:

Official RealTek 8822CE - 2024.10.138.3 - This is recommended first because it is an official driver and it does not have battery drain issues that the other driver below has.

Modified Killer WiFi Drivers for RealTek 8822CE - As stated, this will drain your battery in sleep mode, but is proven to have the best performance possible. Here is a guide to show how to install this update: Ryan Rudolf's Steam Deck WiFi Fix for Windows

My USB-C is not detecting any connections in Windows but works in SteamOS

You may need to turn off DRD in the BIOS. To do this, power off your Steam Deck, then hold Vol + & Power and let go of both buttons when you hear the beep. Go into Setup Utility > Advanced > USB Configuration and turn off DRD as it is not supported. More about this here: Steam Deck lacks USB DRD drivers for Windows. :: Steam Deck Feature Requests (steamcommunity.com)

My Audio in Windows is not working anymore!

In Windows, go into the Control Panel > Hardware and Sounds > Power Options and click on the left Choose what the power buttons do then click at the top Change settings that are currently unavailable then you can uncheck Turn on fast startup and click Save Changes

I have a different issue than listed here

It could be covered under Bald Sealion's Troubleshooting Steps- if your issue is not listed, please make a post on this subreddit or Join our Official Discord here

Comments, suggestions, etc? Please send a DM to u/baldsealion

Welcome to WindowsonDeck & Happy Gaming!

Locked post. New comments cannot be posted.


r/WindowsOnDeck • • Mar 25 '23

Community Updates PSA: Official Discord Server

55 Upvotes

In the past it was announced that there was an unofficial / community discord server, but now we have an Official WindowsOnDeck server!

https://discord.gg/uF7kd33u7u


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 2d ago

Battlefield 1 Problems

1 Upvotes

On Windows 10 Bf1 behaves weirdly for me, it runs steady at +60 fps on medium and then freezes to 0 every some seconds,

this doesn't happen to me in other demanding games like F1, I've reinstalled the APU drivers,upped the UMA VRAM to 4GB,DX 11 and that stuff, but it freezes at 100% GPU utilization, even on the pause menu sometimes, can I do anything about it or am I screwed?


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 3d ago

FrickBears on Steam Deck Problems

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1 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 5d ago

(Experimental) Bluetooth headset microphone support on the Steam Deck OLED in Windows

6 Upvotes

https://github.com/ethanm0202/DeckBtService

Before anything else: I used AI to generate this code. I'm no expert and can't read low-level C driver code at any level appropriate enough to vouch for it by looking, but I've done lots of testing on my own Deck. A lot of people are skeptical of AI-written code, so I'd rather say that upfront.

Here's the background:

On a Deck OLED running Windows, Bluetooth headsets play audio, but the mic never shows up. Valve's driver has included this disclaimer since August 2024:

“Note: Bluetooth audio is currently output only, microphone functionality still being worked on”

The problem comes down to UART and how Windows implements Bluetooth for it:

  • The Deck OLED's Bluetooth chip sits on an internal serial (UART) port instead of USB.
  • Music travels as ordinary data packets, so playback works fine over serial.
  • Call audio and mic input (SCO) are different: Windows' UART stack (qcbtuart.sys and BthMini.sys) expects voice to bypass the OS via hardware offload, and hard-fails if routed in-band over serial.
  • On the Deck OLED under Windows, that missing hardware route leaves you with no working mic.
  • Meanwhile, Windows' USB Bluetooth driver (BTHUSB.SYS) handles call audio in-band in software, routing it over USB directly into Windows audio.

So this project presents the serial chip to Windows as a virtual USB adapter. Windows' built-in USB Bluetooth drivers can then bind to it and handle the mic in software, without needing a hardware offload path.

My first attempt was an unsigned kernel driver. It worked, but required test signing mode, which blocks many anti-cheat games (like Fortnite,) the main reason I run Windows on the Deck. So that was a dead end.

The current version needs no custom driver. A background service talks to the chip, loads firmware from Valve's driver, and exposes it as a USB adapter via usbip-win2 (a signed open-source virtual USB driver). Windows' built-in Bluetooth drivers handle the rest, and the mic just works.

To install, download the zip from releases and run install.cmd. The first install needs a restart, then run it again to confirm it's up. If you change your mind or experience bugs, uninstall.cmd restores the stock driver and keeps your existing pairings.

The downsides feel small for what it adds, and I haven't found another way to get an OLED headset mic to show on Windows. I'm one person with a Deck and can't test every edge case – nor can I reliably say this is 1:1 equivalent to stock Bluetooth functionality. But in my testing, it does work, and with no major trade offs. This is my first public GitHub project, I appreciate any feedback. I wanted to share this because I found it really cool that we can essentially add functionality back into the Deck that should be there, but isn’t right now.

Things to know:

  • OLED only. The LCD has a different Bluetooth chip where this isn't an issue.
  • Only tested on my Deck (Windows 11 25H2) with a Shokz headset and Bluetooth mouse.
  • Haven't tested long gaming sessions yet, or Secure Boot and Memory Integrity on.
  • Not code signed, so Windows warns of an unknown publisher. Release builds come from GitHub Actions and can be verified with gh attestation verify.
  • Installs usbip-win2 and runs a background service.
  • Windows sees a new adapter, so some apps may need your headset selected again.
  • Earlier builds did cause blue screens during testing; the current version includes mitigations detailed in the repo. During development, I occasionally hit glitches that required a reboot to restore Bluetooth

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 4d ago

Discussion FC26 temps problem

1 Upvotes

Recently, I bought FC26 on my steamdeck who runs windows 11 on it with steamdeck tools installed. However, the steamdeck tools cannot override the TDP, fan, etc. so it always runs high on temps, it can hit 92C sometimes. Any advice on how to sett the lower TDP or anithyng just to make my SD cooler while playing this games????


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 5d ago

Bad text in FC 26 (win steamdeck)

1 Upvotes

Some text are really bad, practicaly unreadable (positions in startup line). Generaly, text looks like downsample resolution. I tried all settibgs possible (.exe uncheck full screen optimization, change dpi settings, win scale to 100% - though 125% is recommended, steam text scale). In game tried all graphic settings (resolution greyed out), full screen, borderless, dynamic resolution on/off, rendering @100..text keep looking horible. Graphics look good. Only text is really bad.

Anyone has a solution?


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 5d ago

Discussion FC26 temps problem

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1 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 6d ago

How do I prevent the windows installer from killing my steam OS again

4 Upvotes

So I recently tried setting up a dual boot of Steam OS and Windows, I shrinked my home partition using a steamOS installer USB to make space for windows as a OS but when Installed windows and tried getting back into steam OS and it was gone based on the fact I was only taken to grub64


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 9d ago

Discussion Running GeForce Now as non steam game suddenly doesn't detect controller input unless Steam Deck is charging

3 Upvotes

So recently, I started using GeForce Now to play specific games & it's been going very well

But today, it's suddenly stopped working when unplugged

It used to run perfectly well, but now, if the power cable isn't plugged in, GeForce Now won't register any inputs, & the controls seem glitched

Has anybody else had this issue or have any possible fixes?

I can't just play with it plugged in 24/7 either


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 10d ago

Tutorial Clean Console - V1.0

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8 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 10d ago

Best PC console launcher I found yet for my GPD win5: Exodus-Hub

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0 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 12d ago

Updated CSS Profile and Plugin setup

7 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 13d ago

Trying to duel boot Steam Deck

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14 Upvotes

Been trying to duel boot my steam deck but for some reason the menus show up like this. How do I fix this?


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 13d ago

Just released a new update for my handheld-first launcher, LiftOff

25 Upvotes

I posted here a few months ago with my app that I made for handheld PCs. I’ve been working on it since and just released a big update that makes it really start to feel I think like a good launcher :)

Auth with Steam and Xbox, Spotify login and controls, adding XCloud games to your library, multiple new home designs to choose from, art browser for game art from SGDB, and a bunch more updates! As before, it’s free and open-source, just a little hobby project of mine I work on sometimes after work :) feel free to check it out if this vid interests you! https://liftofflauncher.app


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 13d ago

Discussion BEST SETTINGS FOR AC BF resynced

0 Upvotes

any advice or special recipe for AC bF resynced graphic settings? mine just got 17-21 fps on handheld low,plz help


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 17d ago

Wardogs

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1 Upvotes

Anyone tried wardogs on windows steamdeck yet? Assuming it's a no no


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 18d ago

Exodus Hub v0.1.4 beta is available now. 🧡

9 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 20d ago

Discussion Exodus Hub beta is now available!

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8 Upvotes

Hey guys!

I’m happy to share the first beta release of Exodus Hub, a free game launcher for Windows.

I love Playnite and it has been a big inspiration. Exodus Hub is not trying to replace it. My goal is to offer a simpler alternative for people who want a clean, ready-to-use library without spending as much time on setup and customization.

Exodus Hub can organize and launch titles from Steam, Xbox/Game Pass, Epic, GOG, EA, Ubisoft, Battlenet, emulators, and standalone installs.

It includes a standard Desktop mode for mouse and keyboard, plus a Big Picture mode made for controllers, TVs, and Windows handhelds like ROG Ally and Legion Go.

You can find the project here:

github.com/henriquearsenio/exodus-hub

This is the first beta release, so there is still plenty to improve. If you try it, feedback, bug reports, and feature ideas are always appreciated.

For transparency, I built Exodus Hub through a vibecoding workflow with Google Antigravity, guided by my own ideas, direction, and testing throughout the project.

And if you like the project, giving it a star on GitHub would mean a lot. It helps more people find it. 🧡


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 20d ago

Tutorial RetroBat inside FlowDeck - 10 retro systems zero desktop on Windows handhelds 0:18

3 Upvotes

Deck running Windows? Then you know the launcher mess: Game Pass here, Steam there, retro emulators somewhere else.

This is RetroBat running as 10 systems inside my FlowDeck grid — CPS-II, Neo Geo, N64, arcade covers in one controller-first carousel. No desktop, no side apps. Same build as my 7:44 tour, pointed at retro.

Flow Deck Community is free forever: https://slatis.itch.io/flowdeck

Full tour: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CWwBCFFmj4

Does this cover your Deck-in-Windows setup? Tell me what breaks and I fix it.


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 21d ago

Can i increase my windows partition size without losing any data on it or on the steamos?

3 Upvotes

r/WindowsOnDeck • • 21d ago

Software Suppport cannot set 15W tdp

0 Upvotes

recently,I love to play AC mirage, i'm using windows 11 bussiness ed. with steamdeck tool, however, I cannot set the TDP only on this game to 15w,when I set it to 15w, the "counter" (or whaterver it is ,the overlay on top of the screen) only shows 9w and the FPS is poorly low, only 16 - 21 fps, any idea how to fix this??


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 22d ago

Steam deck bootet ca 20-30 Sekunden

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0 Upvotes

Hallo,

Ich hatte vor bei meinem Steam Deck oled 1TB einen dual boot mit windows einzurichten. Nach mehreren Versuchen und genauer Anleitung klappte dies kurz aber Windows hat nach kürzester Zeit (2 Neustarts) steamos komplett lahm gelegt. Windows startete direkt aber Steam os landete immer wieder im Grub Mode.

Ich habe dann das Dual Boot Thema für mich erstmal abgehackt (meine Idee: eine leistungsstarke externe Festplatte und dann darauf Windows zu installieren)

Ich wollte nur das steamos wieder normal funktioniert also mittels speicherkarte recovery image durchgeführt alles platt gemacht und steam os neu installiert (wipe durchgeführt)

Und anschließend nochmal alles auf Werkseinstellungen zurück gesetzt. Soweit so gut, ich habe aber das Gefühl das mein steam deck nun einige Zeit länger benötigt um vom steam Logo in den game Mode zu laden ca. 20-30 Sekunden. Dies ging vorher gefühlt alles wesentlich schneller. Ich vermute der Übeltäter ist laut Befehl systemd-analyze blame (wie auf dem Foto zu sehen) das atomupd.service ganze 18.146s benötigt. Kann mir jemand helfen wie ich diese Zeit verringern kann oder vertue ich mich und die Zeit ist vollkommen normal?


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 22d ago

Wifi on Steam Machine malfunctioning

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1 Upvotes

Not sure how much crossover there is with the Deck and Machine


r/WindowsOnDeck • • 24d ago

My Playhub setup and showcase 😁

4 Upvotes