Windows 7 Powers Up on Steam Deck

Enthusiast Achieves Milestone with Vintage OS on Modern Handheld

An unexpected fusion of old and new has emerged as enthusiast Bob Pony successfully installed and ran Windows 7 on a portable Steam Deck console. The primary motivation appears to be the sheer challenge and satisfaction of making it work on hardware separated by 13 years.

Unconventional Display and Driver Hurdles

The screenshot shared by **Bob Pony** shows Windows 7 operating in a vertical display mode, a testament to the adaptation required. While the AMD Van Gogh system within the Steam Deck handles the operating system with relative ease, **Bob Pony** highlighted that securing compatible graphic drivers remains a significant obstacle.

Windows 7 natively running on Steam Deck. pic.twitter.com/WZ5G9pJJCD

— BobPony.com (@TheBobPony) July 13, 2025

Future Experiments and User Speculation

Following this achievement, other users have suggested further experimental installations, including older operating systems like Windows XP and even the niche TempleOS. However, **Bob Pony** indicated that further progress is pending as Windows 7 is not yet fully optimized for the Steam Deck.

Past Successes Hint at Future Possibilities

This venture builds on **Bob Pony**’s previous success in demonstrating Windows 8.1 functioning on the Steam Deck two years prior, which reportedly offered full touch functionality. If this experimental pace continues, the community might anticipate seeing Windows Vista running on Valve’s hardware as early as 2027.

The desire to run older Windows versions on modern hardware contrasts with a significant portion of the gaming community’s hope for Valve to release SteamOS, the operating system native to the Steam Deck, for use on desktop PCs and laptops. This anticipation grows as Microsoft approaches the official end of support for the still widely used Windows 10.