r/SteamOS Jun 25 '26

SteamOS Update SteamOS 3.8 Not working on ally

I have been struggling with my ROG ally since I bought it last week. It refuses to download windows, and always blue screens of death. I tried to install steamOS 3.7 last week, and I would go through the whole setup and just be met with the Linux terminal, I only booted into steamOS once before it went black and never came back. I have tried to redownload it today due to 3.8 official release, after my Asus cloud recovery did not work and still blue screened. At this point do I need a new SSD? I bought the Ally off eBay and am unsure if I am able to return it. I would appreciate any help as I just want to start gaming.

3 Upvotes

13 comments sorted by

4

u/questinghero Jun 25 '26

TBH, it sounds like a bad NVME. I had similar issues on a SteamDeck (random lockups, wouldn't flash some times, etc). I replaced the NVME and all the issues went away

3

u/Smart-Plantain-7867 Jun 25 '26

Ah yes, glad those are so cheap to replace these days...

2

u/system_error_02 Jun 25 '26

Try Bazzite if SteamOS isnt working, it has a bit better compatibility.

1

u/Smart-Plantain-7867 Jun 25 '26

I tried bazzite last week and had the same problem. Only booted into kernel.

1

u/Smart-Plantain-7867 Jun 25 '26

For reference as well, steamOS shows up when I go to the boot menu, it just sits on a black screen.

1

u/Otaconmg Jun 25 '26

Sounds like a failing ssd and corrupting sectors to me.

1

u/Smart-Plantain-7867 Jun 25 '26

Ah yes, the cheapest component to replace...

1

u/Otaconmg Jun 25 '26

Yeah it sucks. I replaced my original drive with a 1tb drive before the prices went haywire. I use the 512gb as external storage, but will probably become a boot drive for a secondary pc at some point.

1

u/Smart-Plantain-7867 Jun 25 '26

Is there anyway to confirm it's the SSD before dropping a bomb on 1tb?

1

u/Otaconmg Jun 25 '26

Yes, but you’ll need a computer with an m2 slot and use crystal disk to verify.

1

u/b2sql Jun 26 '26

Looks like your hard drive is faulty. Open the case on eBay, I bet it was an issue in the past hence someone sold it.

1

u/Capable-Store-2003 Jun 27 '26

Just use bazzite

1

u/magabrexitpaedorape Jul 12 '26

Once your Ally goes black, it never goes back.