DVR keeps deleting downloaded files

General Discussions Plex Features
1

A few weeks ago I setup Plex DVR with my HDHR Prime, and setup recording for a couple shows.
After having seen the recording successfully being made, I decided to enable the advanced recording option to automatically delete the recorded file a day after being watched. The idea is that I also download these shows and prefer to keep the smaller and edited version from the downloaded file.

My recordings were setup in a separate folder than my downloaded shows, and both folders are included in the library.
I run Plex on a Synology NAS, and the plex user is set with rights to add/remove files to the record folder, but only with read access to the download folder.

I was shocked to discover a day later that not only Plex deleted both recorded and downloaded files for the most recent watched episode, but also deleted all previously watched downloaded files of those shows!!! Hundred of files gone, nowhere to be found.

I then disabled the auto-delete feature of recordings, and things seemed to be “fine” for some time.
It seemed like Plex wasn’t recording new episodes anymore, but the downloaded versions were still being added and not being deleted.

Then one day all the sudden, possibly after a combination of an update and/or reboot, my newly downloaded episodes for these shows were gone too, even if there hadn’t been any recordings!

I then went on to remove the recording schedule completely since it wasn’t working, and redownloaded recent episodes.
To my shock, the next day everything was gone again!

What else can I do to prevent Plex from deleting my episodes?
There is no scheduled recording, so no setting to automatically remove anything anymore. I just disabled DVR with hope that helps. Could there be a hidden task somewhere I can access from the file system?
File deletion by owner is disabled (and was always disabled) in the settings.

I also realized that Plex was able to delete the files because the Synology install script adds the plex user to the admin group, even on updates where the plex user already exists.
Plex runs perfectly fine without admin group membership on Synology NAS, why does it adds itself like that!?

Finally, no matter what, Plex should delete the files in a way compatible with the OS it runs on, i.e. in this case respect the fact that the recycle bin option is enabled on that folder.

2

Have you checked the settings for the show in your library? DVR seems to change the settings in the library when you initially add the show to DVR. But don’t think it changes it to new settings later, not willing to test this theory on my library though.

3

I just found the Advanced setting under the show details, thanks! I didn’t know about these per-show settings.

Now there’s still multiple failures here IMHO:

  • The DVR shouldn’t change the show settings! It should only impact recorded files.
  • The show deletion setting should have respected my global setting to not allow deletion.
  • Plex should have sent the files to the system trash, not permanently deleted the files.
  • The plex user should not have been (re)added to the admin group on Synology NAS.
4

@mhofman said:
I just found the Advanced setting under the show details, thanks! I didn’t know about these per-show settings.

Now there’s still multiple failures here IMHO:

  • The DVR shouldn’t change the show settings! It should only impact recorded files.
  • The show deletion setting should have respected my global setting to not allow deletion.
  • Plex should have sent the files to the system trash, not permanently deleted the files.
  • The plex user should not have been (re)added to the admin group on Synology NAS.

You can also add the failure of recording a show even though the garbage collector will remove it right away.

5

It appears I might be having the same problem as mhofman. I have one of my recorded shows to delete 1 day after watching and come to find out that I now have 14 seasons missing in another plex library (ugh… there goes hours of my life gone) I don’t know if this happen all at once or has been doing it for several months. I had a hunch that it was plex I guess because this show is the only show I have in two different libraries. For example I have a library named “TV Shows” and another library “TV Air Broadcast” Well somehow I think plex is deleting in my “TV Shows” library which is not suppose too. These seasons that are gone (folders remain in QNAP NAS) have not been recorded by the DVR. I guess I will remove the DVR recording of the show and see what happens. Too bad my backup on my server is set to “synchronize” otherwise I could get my seasons back. This is a bummer…

6

I’m also having the exact same problem as @mhofman I’ve tried all of the same possible fixes to no avail. Is there anything else I can try short of recreating my Plex server?

7

If you set a deletion or keep policy when setting up a recording in DVR that setting was saved to your show settings. From what I have seen Plex appears to keep the same setting for a show regardless of the library the show is in. So if you set a keep policy of 30 days or delete after one week on a recording that setting was set on the show. Garbage collection runs periodically on the media in you libraries, any show that exceeds the settings for the show is then removed. Plex uses the original air date of episodes not the record date so others have seen episodes for reruns or repeats of shows removed immediately after recording. As another comment above stated the show settings spans all libraries the show is located in.

To fix this issue what I have suggested to others who have been unable to get to the settings for the show in their library is to take some episode that was just aired and recorded. Copy that file and modify the file name to match the show you need to modify the settings for and place it in your library so Plex will pick it up, then change the show settings and remove the file you copied into the library.