Plex is removing files from my hard drive

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 1.14.1.5488
Player Version#: 1.14.1.5488

I’m new to Plex, been using it a couple of weeks, so I don’t know enough about it to tell if my problem is similar to others.

I don’t have oodles of hard drive space so I’d like to ONLY keep the mobile optimized versions of my movies.
I also don’t want to have Plex just trans-code things repeatedly ad nauseum. I want one and ONLY one copy of each movie. Not horribly fussed about quality.

What I have been doing to accomplish this is:

  1. Rip the DVDs using MakeMKV.
  2. Moving the raw .MKVs to my Plex library folder, and allowing it to optimize them.
  3. Moving the optimized versions elsewhere.
  4. Stopping the Plex server service on my pc.
  5. Deleting the raw .MKVs from my Plex library.
  6. Moving the optimized versions into my MAIN Plex library folder, out of the optimized versions.
  7. Restart my PC.
  8. Use the web interface for Plex to scan my files. I’m hoping this will import the optimized versions into the database and only use those.

This doesn’t seem to work, as Plex just wants to randomly pick and choose which files to keep and which to delete. Many of these files get sent to the Recycle bin and others just get canned in to nowhere to be found.

How do I accomplish what I’m trying to do?

Thank you all for any help.

2

You might want to handle the optimizations outside Plex if you only want to keep the optimized versions — e.g. using Handbrake which provides a number of good presets for certain target devices (e.g. phones, set-top-boxes, tv)
https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250377-transcoding-media/

As you pointed out it can also be done by „tricking“ Plex… but if you get something wrong you might lose both files and end up with extra work.

1 Like
3

After your step 5, insert
‘Scan library files’ and ‘Empty trash’
Then it should work.

1 Like
4

Thanks, I’ve been ripping my DVDs over and over again, thinking “I’ve got it figured out.”

I suppose some very specific trial and error is in order.

I’ll give both your suggestions a shot and report back.

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