Major problems with Zorin OS and multiple SSDs, as well as Steam

General Help
1

I recently switched from Windows to Zorin OS 18, and I think the system is great and accessible. Everything works well in terms of productivity, although I'm still having some trouble getting some productive Windows applications to run with bottles, but I'm still learning.

However, I keep running into problems with my multiple hard drives and Steam.

  1. Programs on SSD 2 & 3 are no longer recognized after restarting:
  • I have a 1 TB nvme boot SSD with Zorin OS and the most important programs
  • A second 1 TB nvme SSD for software with high requirements for fast storage
  • A third 2 TB SATA SSD for files and less demanding software
  • All 3 SSDs are Linux formatted in the setup

This was not a problem under Windows, of course, but when I restart Zorin OS, software installed on hard drives 2 & 3 is no longer displayed. The hard drives are there and I can see the files, but the start menu entries are missing and I have to reinstall the software to have it back in the start menu. This lasts until the next restart. In Steam, games installed on hard drives 2 & 3 are missing after a restart, or the hard drives are completely missing from the configuration. When I add the hard drives back to Steam, the games are there, but they have to be checked, which takes time.

  1. Steam can only be launched via the Software Store using “Steam (Installer)”:

I installed Steam according to the instructions on the website and theoretically also have a shortcut. But when I start Steam via the Start menu or the shortcut, the small Steam icon appears in the taskbar and I can see the Steam selection for the various menu items by right-clicking, but no window opens. Only when I open the Software Store, search for “Steam (Installer)” and open it does the normal window open. This is of course very inconvenient. Is there a workaround for this?

Translated with DeepL.com (free version)

2

Welcome to the Forum!

Are the Drives set up as Automount on Start-Up? And I think in steam, You have to add them in the Settings.

3

In Steam, games installed on hard drives 2 & 3 are missing after a restart, or the hard drives are completely missing from the configuration. When I add the hard drives back to Steam, the games are there, but they have to be checked, which takes time.

It sounds like you install the flatpak version of Steam. Flatpaks runs in Sandbox and if you don't set up Steam to see outside its box this could happen. Either install flatseal to setup Steam properly or install the .deb (Zorin OS) version. Or you could simple download the .deb file from Steam Homepage and double click it.

1 Like
4

First, thanks for your help, i didn't installed the flatpack version, i installed the Zorin OS Version which is named "Steam (installer)" in the Store. I also already added the drives in Steam but after a reboot they are gone. But i fixed the Steam startup problem, i Installed the .deb version and followed this reddit post (which is funny, since I don't even have an iGPU): https://www.reddit.com/r/linux_gaming/comments/16ll3ll/comment/k137b56/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Edit: Hard Drive Problem also fixed, I had to change the mountpoint names as per this post, now the drives are mounted on startup

5

yes, I looked that up, the drives are "auto" configured but the automount is activated, I even try to deactivate that automation and activated it manually, didn't worked