# External storage accidentally disconnected
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593
**Category:** Plex Media Server
**Tags:** server-nvidia-shield
**Created:** [March 15, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593 "2023-03-15T17:59:34Z")
**Posts on this page:** 15
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 5:59pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/1 "2023-03-15T17:59:34Z")
Server Version#: 9.17.0.38861
Player Version#: com.plexapp.android
Please help. A few days ago i accidentally unplugged the USB cable from the shield tv pro to my external HDD that has all of my media on it. After reconnecting the cord, I only get a message to retry the connection but nothing works.
I can access all the media through Kodi, emby and the file manager but plex insists that the drive is not connected.
How can I make plex recognize the fact that the drive is connected and the files are available?
Thank you for any help or advice.
(Because I’m noob I don’t know if i am showing the version numbers correctly)
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/2 "2023-03-15T20:30:42Z")
Have you tried restarting Plex Media Server? From inside the Plex client app, go to settings and turn off the server, then turn it back on.
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 9:14pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/3 "2023-03-15T21:14:31Z")
Thank you for the suggestion but that did not work. I still am told to retry the connection.
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 9:25pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/4 "2023-03-15T21:25:27Z")
So did the server start up? Is it running?
Can you grab the [server logs](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/) manually using this guide? [https://support.plex.tv/articles/220347688-accessing-shield-storage/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/220347688-accessing-shield-storage/)
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 10:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/5 "2023-03-15T22:09:17Z")
Ok, the server did start; it is running. I am trying to copy the log file now… thank you.
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 11:09pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/7 "2023-03-15T23:09:12Z")
[Plex Media Server.log](https://forums.plex.tv/uploads/short-url/1d8JdXshLgfFwdTY2JodUWxjcHx.log) (48.2 KB)
This is my [server log](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/) file.
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 11:23pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/8 "2023-03-15T23:23:02Z")
Looks like your server has become unclaimed. Access the local Plex Web and reclaim it.
192.168.0.187:32400/web
Edit - By the way. Did you shut down PMS before you grabbed the logs? It says it was shutdown. Just checking if you had done it or if there was a problem.
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 15, 2023, 11:29pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/9 "2023-03-15T23:29:34Z")
I did shut it down in case it was necessary… I was unsure.
As I attempt to access the local Plex web to reclaim the server I get the “ERR\_CONNECTION\_REFUSED” from the browser. Where to go from here?
Again, thank you
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 5:43am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/10 "2023-03-16T05:43:15Z")
Did you restart PMS before trying to claim it?
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 2:47pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/11 "2023-03-16T14:47:55Z")
> [@anon18523487](#):
>
> Access the local Plex Web
I went back to check and now there are not any options under “Plex Media Server” (that is where is where I had selected “stop” previously.)
How do I restart it?
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 6:40pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/12 "2023-03-16T18:40:23Z")
The “stop” you saw earlier should now say “start”. Try rebooting the Shield.
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 16, 2023, 8:29pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/13 "2023-03-16T20:29:14Z")
It still acts like there is no server the not buttons under “Plex Media Server” now.
[Plex Media Server.log](https://forums.plex.tv/uploads/short-url/1d8JdXshLgfFwdTY2JodUWxjcHx.log) (48.2 KB)
Should I be re-installing the Plex Media Server?
the external drive is fine.
---
### Author:  [@cr\_middaugh\_gmail\_com](https://forums.plex.tv/u/cr_middaugh_gmail_com)
#### Post date: [March 21, 2023, 10:15pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/14 "2023-03-21T22:15:02Z")
There are no longer any “stop” or “start” options there… Do I need to re-install Plex Media Server? If it won’t break anything, then I’m willing to do it.
Thank you for any help or advice.
---
### Author:  [@anon18523487](https://forums.plex.tv/u/anon18523487)
#### Post date: [March 22, 2023, 7:32am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/15 "2023-03-22T07:32:06Z")
Hmm. Your last logs are the same as the one you provided before. Which means that PMS isn’t even trying to run. Did you restart the Shield and then check in the client before getting this new log?
---
### Author:  [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [June 20, 2023, 7:32am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/external-storage-accidentally-disconnected/834593/16 "2023-06-20T07:32:22Z")
This topic was automatically closed 90 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.