# First step in Plex dance not working repeatedly **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussions\ **Tags:** server-windows, android-mobile-legacy\ **Created:** [December 27, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036 "2024-12-27T04:43:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ipalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@ipalm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ipalm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:43am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/1 "2024-12-27T04:43:47Z")
so, my external SRT files weren’t showing up for futurama, so I did step one of the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064); I removed the Futurama folder from the folder that Plex has access to, and then I scanned my TV Shows library. the last several times I’ve done this, I’ve had to scan two or three times in order to get the show actually put in the trash. otherwise, emptying the trash doesn’t do anything, the show’s still sits there, with no trash icon on it, but if you open the show up it shows everything as unavailable. I just did the scanning seven times trying to do the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) tonight, and it still isn’t working. Futurama is not going into the trash. I’ve double checked the file pads under the get info, and I don’t have another copy hanging around, it just shows my one copy, and says it’s unavailable. ---
**Author:** ![pshanew](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/pshanew/32/160555_2.png) [@pshanew](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pshanew)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:51am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/2 "2024-12-27T04:51:16Z")
Refresh metadata (not scan). Assuming, of course, [you’ve followed Plex’s guidance](https://support.plex.tv/articles/) for naming external subtitles. ---
**Author:** ![ipalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@ipalm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ipalm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 5:05am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/3 "2024-12-27T05:05:45Z")
the first step of the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) is clearly to scan after removing the files. but, if you hit the three buttons, once you’re inside a show description, you can just delete it. then it goes into the trash, and you can do the rest of the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) successfully. ---
**Author:** ![pshanew](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/pshanew/32/160555_2.png) [@pshanew](https://forums.plex.tv/u/pshanew)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 5:12am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/4 "2024-12-27T05:12:05Z")
I’m saying that the [Plex Dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) is generally not necessary in cases where you’re just missing metadata. Just refresh metadata. For the show or season, or a particular episode. Just follow the naming guidelines. ---
**Author:** ![ipalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@ipalm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ipalm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 5:25am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/5 "2024-12-27T05:25:52Z")
I’ve never had refreshing the metadata work to pull an external SRT file. if it did, I wouldn’t be dealing with the hassle of a [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 7:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/6 "2024-12-27T07:44:14Z")
External subtitles and tv shows are extremely sensitive to the folder organization of that show. If you deviate from the Plex guidelines here, the subs might not get recognized: [https://support.plex.tv/articles/naming-and-organizing-your-tv-show-files/](https://support.plex.tv/articles/naming-and-organizing-your-tv-show-files/) ---
**Author:** ![ipalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@ipalm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ipalm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:35pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/7 "2024-12-27T16:35:11Z")
I’ve been following the naming convention to a t since the first time we had this conversation years ago. but every time I add a new show to the library, and then add the subtitles later, I have to do the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) to get the subtitles recognized. it’s gotten to the point where I always have to keep the video files in a different folder until I’ve got the subtitles all fixed up, and then add them together in order for them to get recognized. a while ago I switched hard drives, messed up my folder locations, so Plex read everything as new, and didn’t pick up the external subtitles for almost anything. until I do a [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) with them. and now, as I stated, the first step of the [Plex dance](https://forums.plex.tv/t/the-plex-dance/197064) has to be repeated more and more to get it to work, I’m just skipping it now, moving the files to an inaccessible folder, and then just deleting the show manually from my library before cleaning bundles and putting it back ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:39pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/8 "2024-12-27T16:39:16Z")
Where are your media stored? On hard drives inside of the server machine? On externally connected hard drives? On network file shares (file server/NAS etc.)? Or worse? (cloud storage, and the like) Have you performed a database repair lately? Or ever? If not, **shut down plex server** and execute this .bat file on the server machine (same user account that Plex server uses!) [PlexDBRepair/Windows at master · ChuckPa/PlexDBRepair · GitHub](https://github.com/ChuckPa/PlexDBRepair/tree/master/Windows) ---
**Author:** ![ipalm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e274bd/32.png) [@ipalm](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ipalm)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:51pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/9 "2024-12-27T16:51:28Z")
external hard drives. and this is the first I’ve heard of database repair. what does it mean and what does it do? ---
**Author:** ![OttoKerner](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/plex/user_avatar/forums.plex.tv/ottokerner/32/10079_2.png) [@OttoKerner](https://forums.plex.tv/u/OttoKerner)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2024, 4:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/10 "2024-12-27T16:56:26Z")
The script is exporting the db files to a SQL text file, then imports it again and rebuilds the database. By doing this, it can purge many inconsistencies in the internal file structure, optimize the file, and re-create index tables. This process is also more thorough than the offically recommended method for [repairing the database](https://support.plex.tv/articles/repair-a-corrupted-database/). It can’t do much harm, unless your C: drive is almost full (does not apply if you have relocated your [plex data folder](https://support.plex.tv/articles/202915258-where-is-the-plex-media-server-data-directory-located/)). But it can potentially remove weird behaviour such as the one you’re experiencing and also speed up the database a bit. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/plex/original/3X/2/a/2acb9765406f63293d357b4ec509ec39aa28f2ad.png) [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)\ **Post date:** [March 27, 2025, 4:56pm UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/first-step-in-plex-dance-not-working-repeatedly/900036/11 "2025-03-27T16:56:36Z")
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