Server Version#: 4.30.2
Player Version#: N/A
Tuner Make/Model: Hauppage WinTV-HVR-2250
Guide/Lineup name: Broadcast TV Norflk-Prtsmth OTA Broadcast
DVR Settings
Using XMLTV?: No?
My DVR works fine for about a month or so, before it stops updating the guide data. If I manually trigger the update it goes through the process showing the progress of the download and all the listings processed, but the EPG tells me the guide is empty and there are no future recordings scheduled. Refreshing manually repeats the process of downloading but same result.
The only way I’ve found to get it working again is delete the DVR and rebuild it, where it will work for another 2-4 weeks before doing the same thing. Not sure what to do, and can’t find any similar problems.
I had the same problem, drove me crazy. Finally figured out that I was using DFS Replication to replicate the DB’s to another server for backup and PlexDB’s don’t like it. Once I stopped replicating everything has worked as designed. Check rights/access etc to the DB directory and ensure Plex is the only activity in the directory.
Best to ensure you run with debug logging not disabled and next time it happens to capture the server logs and attach the zip here together with time of the issue and what symptoms
OK, I turned on the logs and after a few weeks the guide is empty. I ran the update, it said it processed a few thousand items and the EPG is still empty. Hopefully that will help pinpoint the error.
Do you have any active backup tools running that may be having the database file open when the EPG refresh completed and attempted to replace the database
At the end of the refresh we could not replace the file - got Access Denied - which could be file lock
Aug 17, 2020 04:59:26.272 [7456] ERROR - Couldn't rename file "C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\tv.plex.providers.epg.cloud-df309642-858e-4850-bcea-4235e0fea082-loading.db" to "C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\tv.plex.providers.epg.cloud-df309642-858e-4850-bcea-4235e0fea082.db": Access is denied
It is happening everytime - so it is less likely to be a timing bug - but more likely some process having the db file open
Aug 17, 2020 15:58:05.607 [1700] ERROR - Couldn't rename file "C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\tv.plex.providers.epg.cloud-df309642-858e-4850-bcea-4235e0fea082-loading.db" to "C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\tv.plex.providers.epg.cloud-df309642-858e-4850-bcea-4235e0fea082.db": Access is denied
If you are not running any active continuous backups tool - then we would need to investigate lower level using diagnostic tool Process Monitor coupled with server logs - see Process Monitor - Sysinternals | Microsoft Learn for download
So you would shut down Plex Media Server
Launch Procmon.exe
Set up a filter for Path containing tv.plex.providers.epg.cloud
Start capture
Launch Plex Media Server
Run an EPG Refresh as soon as you can (to minimize the time procmon.exe runs as it gobbles system resources)
At the end of the refresh, stop procmon capture
Save all displayed events as a PML file
Zip the PML file and provide with fresh Plex Media Server logs.
Note that prolonged running of procmon.exe may exhaust all system resources and crash windows
I did have two running. When I first installed plex it did not seem to start on boot. I had no icon in the system tray so I added it to the startup screen. I shut off the startup script and only one instance starts now, though I still don’t get a tray icon, and if I open plex from the start menu it starts a second instance which is when the tray icon shows up.
Regardless that did the trick, as I ran the EPG update and everything worked like it should.
I do however have Backblaze installed on the system, so where is the database located I can add it to the exclusion list to prevent any problems, don’t really need a backup of the EPG listings anyway.
If it is a scheduled task or a service then there would be no desktop session and no system tray icon -
The option for starting Plex Media Server is to start at login and not Start at Boot. So if you have multiple windows accounts on the machine or if you do not automatically login to the windows user account that you used for installing Plex Media Server, then you would have issues. Plex Media Server install defaults to auto start on login of the windows account used / running at the time of the install / update.
The issue with file locks would apply to lots of Plex Media Server files and would not be confined to just the database files.
In any case your failures were to do with the two instances of Plex Media Server running as both had the files open for reading.
If you wish to avoid file lock errors caused by the active continuous backups utility then exclude the whole Plex Media Server area "C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\
FYI the database files are here C:\Users\civie_000\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases\
