So I had an old windows desktop that we were using as a server with all our media files on external hard drives. The desktop finally gave out and is dead but all the media is still fine and intact on the hard drives. How do I move the Plex server to the new desktop we got?
If the hard drive in the old machine is still intact, you could attach it to the new machine and copy over all the old data.
This would retain your complete server, including custom metadata, ‘watched’ history, shares – everything.
If you can reproduce the exact drive letters which every external hard drive had on the old machine, this is definitely the preferred approach.
If the old hard drive is dead, you can only set up a new server.
Remove the old server from your account: https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/settings/devices/pms
Before continuing, assign each external hard drive a fixed letter: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-assign-permanent-drive-letter-windows-10
Then download and install the server software to the new machine.
Use the exact same Plex username and password you’ve been using until now.
Is that going to cause problems with sharers and with the Plex pass?
Option one, if done properly (i.e. including saving the old registry data) will retain all shares.
Option two will require you to edit each sharee and grant him access to your new server/libraries: https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/settings/users-sharing
Plex Pass is bound to your account and not the server, so if you use the same username and password, you will retain your pass.
Ok. Let me just make sure I understand this (if I sound like a novice…it’s because I am). So when I went to login on the new desktop it shows two servers now with the same name. One is available and one shows unavailable. I assume the “unavailable” is the dead computer. So I need to remove that server?
Yes the hard drive to that desktop is shot. The media is all intact on extral hadrives.
You need to solve this issue by renaming your new server under
Settings - Server - General - ‘Friendly Name’
Then you can distinguish your new server from your old server(s) on https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/settings/devices/pms
Remove all old servers.
And then I’ll need to set up all the library’s again correct? And then edit the users to be able to be on the new server?
Precisely.
I’ll give that a shot. Thanks for your time and help.
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