I Hate to Ask (Moved appdata and now all libraries gone

Plex Media Server
,
1

Server Version#:1.43.1.10611
Player Version#:
<If providing server logs please do NOT turn on verbose logging, only debug logging should be enabled>

I followed the instructions to move appdata to an external hard drive:

Anyway… all of the libraries have disappeared and it looks like new stuff is still going to the now empty original folder on the PC hard drive… I don’t want to have to start again with new libraries and have to do the whole making new data. I’ve worked too hard to make my Plex perfect.

I just checked my registry editor and the stringvalue I added is gone… happened 3 times already and I thought it was there this time when I restarted… but after starting Plex just now it disappeared again.

Please help this not tech savvy person fix this. I will not put the 300Gb back on my PC, no way…

2

Do you still have access to the contents of your appdata?

Sorry to ask, but why? The contents on the appdata would be best served on a locally attached drive. There will be lots of reading and writing to this drive. Also if for some reason the external drive goes offline or Windows decides to change it’s letter, your PMS install will be hidden and not work as expected.

4

I do still have access to the files (they are already saved on the external hard drive…) I moved them because I cannot afford having 1/3 of my PC’s hard drive (300Gb) used up by Plex… If you know of anyway to lessen that… I would put it back on the PC drive and forget the move to the external one…

5

Disabling and deleting any existing Video Preview Thumbnails would be the biggest saver. Run Clean Bundles and DB Optimization, though these should be ran during maintenance windows.

In your %localappdata%\Plex Media Server\Plug-in Support\Databases check to see if you have any bloated and ancient backup DB files.

Just to confirm, are you saying that Plex is then consuming 100Gb of the available 300Gb or it’s using 300Gb and your total is closer to 1Tb?

6

Did you try and make the registry edit while Plex server was still running?
(closing the web browser won’t make it stop running)

If you have more than one Windows user account: which account is used to run Plex Server? You need to make the registry edit while being logged in as that same user.

Also: copy the data only while Plex server is stopped/ended/shut down.

With an external drive, you should definitely assign a fixed drive letter to the drive with the plex data folder. The same applies to the drive(s) holding the media files, btw.

8

300Gb OF 1tB

9

I did all that… followed every instruction

10

I have never heard of the registry edits getting reverted, unless:

  • you are using Windows system restore points regularly
  • are importing some kind of registry backup
  • are using a Windows Domain Controller (and maybe roaming user profiles)
  • maybe are running Plex server as a system service and just forgot the fact
11

What do you mean “system service”? As far as I know, I am not doing any of these… I just tried again and nothing btw

12

Am I putting the string value in correctly? I right click “New” on the “Plex Media Server” tab and then I add “LocalAppDataPath” and then modify and add this: “E://PLEX Data” as it is on my drive… not using the “Plex Media Server” folder. But then… do I hit something else, or just exit

13

You’d need additional software to do that. It’s not possible with just the regular server installar.

I am not aware of any tabs in the Windows registry editor.

14

I don’t mean “tab”… I’m talking about the left side of the editor, where it says “HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server”. I reight clck it and then press 'NEW"???

15

Where do I delete the thumbnails if I go back to the C:// drive???

16

No, that creates a new branch of the registry.
You are supposed to use the right side, to add a new String.

And add only one backslash after the drive letter.
See [HowTo] An extended guide on how to move the Plex data folder on Windows

17

I had tried it on the right side as well… maybe I put it in the

1
1535×212 9.08 KB

wrong space… where does it go? as for the two //, I mistyped and only have one /

18

As I said… I did everything on the top of that page

[HowTo] An extended guide on how to move the Plex data folder on Windows

19

I’m sorry I’m being so “needy” but I am not an expert computer use… I can do most front end things… its the back stuff I don’t get at all… I’ve used PLEX for a number of years now, and never had the 300Gb problem before. I searched the forums for anything and only thought I understood the moving data stuff… not the deleting thumbnail things

20

You are editing the wrong registry branch.
It’s HKEY_CURRENT_USER , not HKEY_USERS

21

thank you… I’ll try it

22

Thank you so much!!! It works… yay, PLEX!!!