I'm running CachyOS with KDE on a 1 TB SSD, and I want to use a separate 500 GB internal SSD for Steam games and other files because it's faster. What's the recommended way to have that drive mount automatically whenever the system starts?
3 Answers
For a reliable setup, check the drive’s UUID with a command such as `lsblk -f`, create a mount directory like `/mnt/games` or a directory under `/home`, and add an appropriate fstab line. After saving it, run `sudo mount -a` to catch mistakes without restarting. Also check the ownership and permissions so your regular user can write to the Steam library.
The usual Linux solution is to add the SSD’s filesystem to /etc/fstab. Use the drive’s UUID rather than a device name like /dev/sdb1, choose the directory where you want it mounted, and then test the entry with `mount -a` before rebooting. Make sure the mount point already exists and that the filesystem type and mount options are correct.
CachyOS should have a disk-management utility that can configure a drive to mount automatically at startup. If that option isn’t available or you want a setup that’s easier to maintain, configure it manually in /etc/fstab. The CachyOS documentation has a guide specifically for automounting additional drives at boot.
Good point about permissions—I’ll make sure the mount directory is writable by my user before adding it as a Steam library.