Cannot access any settings pages

General Discussions
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Having trouble accessing my server settings both remotely and on the Plex Server itself. I’ve tried logging in using a VPN, not using a VPN, using https://plex.tv/, https://127.0.0.1/, localhost, etc.

I can watch anything to my heart’s content, I can view the Dashboard and alerts, I even upgraded the Server from the UI, but “Server settings are unavailable” for anything under settings.

Using Chrome Developer tools the network call to “prefs?etc…” returns an error 500, which implies to me it’s a software issue perhaps? Problem is browser independent, I just tried on Edge, and got the same result as well as well.

I’ve uninstalled and reinstalled, but the problem persists. “Server settings are unavailable.”

Looking at the request going to the Webserver:

Request URL: http://127.0.0.1:32400/system/:/prefs?X-Plex-Product=Plex%20Web&X-Plex-Version=4.87.2&X-Plex-Client-Identifier=fwci7q3gecsjc9jc16fcvkzj&X-Plex-Platform=Chrome&X-Plex-Platform-Version=109.0&X-Plex-Features=external-media%2Cindirect-media%2Chub-style-list&X-Plex-Model=bundled&X-Plex-Device=Windows&X-Plex-Device-Name=Chrome&X-Plex-Device-Screen-Resolution=1858x977%2C1920x1080&X-Plex-Token=XXXXXXXXXXXXX&X-Plex-Language=en Request Method: GET Status Code: 500 Internal Server Error Remote Address: 127.0.0.1:32400 Referrer Policy: strict-origin-when-cross-origin

I can’t go back a version because it just crashes incessantly when I try. So I’m pretty much sunk at the moment.

Logs from a Server Startup, Reproduction of the problem, and then shut down:

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See "Unable to connect securely" after update - #2 by OttoKerner

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  • Date/Time are set properly
  • Incognito mode in Chrome/Edge both give the same results.
  • I don’t believe my router is applying this as I see no option for it in the router settings anywhere
  • Local IP’s start at 10.0.., so I think I’m good there
  • I tried Method 2.2 from the linked page (and ONLY 2.2), but no change in the behaviour unfortunately.
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How are you calling the web app after the procedure?
Do you have a bookmark or do you use a link from your browser history?
In any case: verify that the URL is not using a domain name, but only the local IP address of the server. There must be no other folder names or parameters in the URL than http://ip-of-server:32400/web

Stupid question: are you certain that you downloaded and installed the Plex Server and not just the Plex player?

Note: the new Windows 11 security feature “core isolation” hasn’t been tested for compatibility with Plex. You better leave it off.

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There are no stupid questions when I’m pounding my head against the wall over here, I’ll answer anything at this point. :wink: It’s definitely Plex Media Server, as I’ve been running this for the past 6 years or so on this PC.

Sorry, speaking of the PC, I should’ve specified, I’m on Windows 10 still. Haven’t made the jump, and I am access the UI via 127.0.0.1 to make sure there’s no external funny business going on.

Side note, I have Windows Defender Firewall turned off, but I do see some rules in the inbound rules anyways for Plex Media Server, and PlexScriptHost.

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As far as Plex server is concerned, it will handle the Windows firewall automatically. Unless you are using a 3rd-party firewall software, I recommend you to re-enable it.
If there is a 3rd-party firewall in the picture, make sure it also has the necessary rules in its settings.
https://support.plex.tv/articles/201543147-what-network-ports-do-i-need-to-allow-through-my-firewall/

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No third-party firewall software in the picture. I did install VPN software about 3 months ago, but Plex has been operating fine. I’ve turned the VPN software off for the purpose of debugging this problem, so I don’t think that is a factor.

Surfshark, for reference.

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Inspect your hosts file anyway. Some VPN software is not truly disabled until uninstalled (and some leave residues even after that).

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Good call. hosts file is unchanged, thankfully (or frustratingly?), and hasn’t been modified since 2015.

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Do you have an older Plex server installation .exe lying around?
As new as possible before version 1.30.2
I’d try downgrading to this one. Newer versions had their web app updated and it might have some side effects.

If you have a second Windows machine with Plex server or have a backup of the Plex data folder, you usually can find older installers in the subfolder Updates

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I did try to go back to the previous 2 versions, but it would crash incessantly on Startup after install. It looked like it got stuck on DB migration steps from what I could tell in the logs.

I do have a spare laptop around here, so maybe I’ll install on that, ensure it comes up successfully, then shut it down, copy my PlexData from this Server, and see if it is successful after starting up again with that PlexData in place.

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Are you trying the 32 bit version or the 64 bit version?
I’d go for the 64 bit

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Interestingly enough I think I’ve just got the 32-bit one, based on the names of the previous updates in PlexData/Plex Media Server/Updates. (ie- PlexMediaServer-1.30.1.6562-915986d62-x86.exe)

I’ll try uninstalling and installing the 64 bit version.

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And that seems to have resolved the issue!

Since I’ve got 32GB of RAM on this Server, I probably wanted the 64bit version to begin with. I dunno what the root cause was, but I’m happy to be in business again.

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