Server Version#: 1.22.3.4523-d0ce30438 (I have also tested this on the latest server update 1.41.6.9685-d301f511a)
As some background, I have been using Plex for nearly a decade and have never had a problem this serious, even though I stopped updating my PMS around 2021 (due to some serious glitches and bugs I threw in the towel and rolled things back to an earlier problem-free version). That was fine for four years. Now this has happened, although I’m guessing it’s unrelated. Or maybe not. I’m stumped. I’ll try to explain it and keep things as simple as possible. (Or you can skip ahead to the TL:DR below.)
As of last week my Plex Server would be playing something and abruptly turn off without any warning or error messages. At first I thought it might be due to a VPN issue (the one I’m using has been horrendous) or wi-fi outages due to some heavy storms in my area. I did some troubleshooting and tests. That wasn’t the case.
Then other strange things started happening. One time the external disc that’s associated with the server unmounted itself from my desktop and I had to reconnect it. Then the server itself would not only sporadically quit while playing, but vanish from my laptop’s menu (top right) and would have to be accessed from the dock or my Applications folder and re-opened every day.
Then as of this morning my entire Plex server wouldn’t load (12 libraries in all), although the hard drive was connected, I was definitely signed in, the wi-fi is working and no VPN was being used. All of my libraries were marked as “UNAVAILABLE” and no amount of refreshing, reconnecting, restarting, uninstalling, reinstalling or updating would do the trick and make my media available again.
So I started looking into this problem through these forums and elsewhere, and while following some tips I realized that somehow THREE versions of my server running if I clicked “More” on my home page to see which servers were available. Even stranger, none of these servers were accessible (red exclamation points by each) and after reviewing some research it was recommended to delete these duplicate servers from “Authorized Users” in Settings to eliminate the issue.
But here was the problem. All of these servers were identical and had just been accessed recently, so it was impossible to know which ones to delete. I made the best guesses I could but once I eliminated two servers and was back to one I had no libraries at all. Nothing. No movies. No TV shows. No videos. The only thing that imported was my music library (which, as of an hour ago has also disappeared).
Now I am begging for help with this issue because in spite of looking just about everywhere for a similar problem or anything resembling a solution, I am at a complete loss on what to do here. Maybe I followed the wrong advice and made a stupid mistake. Maybe a possible solution is staring me right in the face and I’m missing it.
Or maybe I’ll have to completely rebuild my Plex libraries from scratch? I’d rather avoid that. I have no idea how long that would take after ten years’ worth of work and maintenance. Help!
TL:DR - If you have duplicate servers and remove some of them via “Authorized Users,” can it make your entire media library disappear?
