The level of panic is indescribable when this happens to your Steam Deck. The device will either continuously display the logo or enter a startup loop. This usually occurs after an update to the system. In some cases, toggling between the modes (game mode and desktop mode) has triggered the issue. At times, the Steam Deck crashes when installing or playing a certain game or app, and upon restarting, it gets stuck on the logo screen. Additionally, the problem has been known to occur when attempting to dual-boot the device (installing Windows or another OS) on the Steam Deck. Even brand-new, out-of-the-box Steam Decks have exhibited this issue.
1. Connect the Deck to the Internet by Other Means
If the Steam Deck is updating but cannot load the Wi-Fi driver after restarting, it will not be able to connect to the Internet, preventing it from progressing past the logo screen, as the OS is in an update phase. In such cases, connecting the Deck to the Internet through alternative means (like USB tethering from a mobile phone) will solve the problem. Should you have an Ethernet connection available, you can use an Ethernet to USB cable to connect the Steam Deck to the Internet. Below, we will outline the steps to employ USB tethering from an Android phone to connect the Steam Deck to the Internet.
2. Try Different Restart Methods
Since the Steam Deck is stuck on the logo screen, we can try various restart methods to get past the logo screen.
Perform a Hard Restart
Hold the Power Button for 3 Chime Sounds
Power on the Deck While Charging
Use the Volume Up and Power Buttons to Power on the Deck
Use the Volume Down, Quick Access, and Power Buttons to Boot the Deck
This procedure will reset the APU or graphics driver of the Steam Deck.
Power on the Deck After Completely Discharging Its Battery
3. Start the Deck After Removing the SD Card
If the SD card content is corrupted or it is causing a short circuit within the Steam Deck, the device may get stuck on the logo screen. Starting the Steam Deck after removing the SD card may solve this issue.
4. Boot the Steam Deck After Putting It in Battery Storage Mode
If a hardware component within the Steam Deck is malfunctioning and not interacting properly with the OS, the device may not boot properly and get stuck on the logo screen. Placing the Steam Deck into battery storage mode may resolve this issue as it effectively resets the hardware of the device. Note: Do not attempt this if your battery level is above 80%.
5. Use the BIOS to Select the Boot Drive
When the Steam Deck is not booting as expected, using the BIOS to select the boot drive may enable you to access the OS.
Select the SteamOS Drive
Use the Last Known Good Configuration from Boot Manager
6. Check and Fix Partitions on the Deck
The Steam Deck will fail to boot into the OS if any of its partitions are corrupted. Here, inspecting and repairing the partitions on the Deck will address the issue. If the USB approach is unsuccessful, you might opt to make a bootable SD card (preferably from a reputable manufacturer such as SanDisk) and repeat the above steps.
8. Reinstall or Reimage SteamOS
If essential components of the SteamOS on the Deck are compromised, the device will not be able to boot into the OS, resulting in the discussed issue. To correct this, either reinstall or reimage SteamOS on your Steam Deck. Please note that this will erase your data on the Steam Deck. You can back up your data by connecting the internal drive to a PC.
Reinstall SteamOS
Reimage SteamOS
9. Update Firmware
Staying on top of firmware updates can prevent a host of problems. To update your Steam Deck’s firmware: Should reimaging not resolve the issue, consider using an older version of SteamOS, which can be requested from Steam Support, to try reimaging the Steam Deck again. If the problem continues, there might be damage to the internal drive that could require replacement. When facing issues after replacing the drive, ensure to clone it from the older drive. If the difficulty persists, reach out to Steam Support for further help.
