The server won’t start. It used to work, but I tried to open it today and it wouldn’t run. I tried updating it, uninstalling all plex and removing registry keys, reinstalling, etc and nothing works. I get a createprocess failed code 2 error when trying to launch it after installing, and when I try to run it manually from the .exe file inside the folder in Program Files, Windows tells me that it can’t find the file in the exact path that I am sitting in at that moment. This isn’t a remote server, it’s me trying to run the PMS on my local computer so Plex can read it (which worked in the past). Of course, in the troubleshooting phase I have likely deleted all of my server data, but I still want to be able to use it even if I have to rebuild it all over again.
Your screenshot shows the folder of the stripped down server that is integrated into “Plex for Windows”. That is a pure “player” app and the server in it is only there to handle downloaded files (downloaded from the actual Plex server).
It cannot be started on its own.
If Plex Media server is installed on that machine, it would be inside of C:\Program Files\Plex Media Server
(Notice that it’s not inside of C:\Program Files\Plex\)
This is where it installed. The player itself keeps saying that the server isn’t running, so I try to start the server like I have a hundred times before and it doesn’t work. The server has to be started no matter what, otherwise Plex can’t see the media on my computer which is the only purpose of this program. The server has always been on my computer and I have always started it with the shortcut (which points at this file, or the 32bit version in x86 long ago) or by clicking the .exe itself. I don’t think it’s installing correctly, and I’ve done it 4 times now, including trying older installers and the very old 32bit installer that was still hanging out in my backup downloads folder.
And I get this screen every time I open Plex, so clearly the server is not running on it’s own. It’s not in my taskbar and it’s not running in the background anywhere.
Then I’d check the plex data folder first.
Have you ever moved its location away from the default? If yes, is it still available in that location or has the drive or the folder changed in the meantime?
Does the Logs folder in it have anything useful?
Most important is the Plex Media Server.log file, but you need to have Debug logging enabled for the server. Since you cannot use the web app to change that without the server running, you can use this little .reg file to make the necessary changes:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server]
"logDebug"=dword:00000001
"PublishServerOnPlexOnlineKey"=dword:00000001
"LogVerbose"=dword:00000000
"secureConnections"=dword:00000001
(in case you don’t know what a .reg file is: copy all the contents into notepad.exe and save it as a regular text file. then change the file name extension from txt to regand double click the file. Confirm.)
I updated the registry but it didn’t make a log. I don’t imagine it will if there is no way to trigger it to try to start. The server isn’t starting and I don’t think it was installed correctly because of the error that Windows gave trying to launch it after installing. Also, it doesn’t seem to exist in the installer folder. There’s also no C:\Program Files\Plex Media Server, it installed in C:\Program Files\Plex\Plex Media Server presumably because that’s what the default is. I did delete the registry keys before reinstalling and it picked that folder itself.
Yes, this is actually the default install location for the regular Plex server.
I misremembered that above, sorry about that!
Your screenshot clearly shows all the files to be there. Still, Windows states it cannot find the main executable.
This leads me to believe that something on your system is preventing it from getting started.
Either your Windows has been set to accept only app store applications, or you have a malfunctioning anti virus software.
Or your machine is managed by someone else (firm/school) who created some policies to run only explicitly white-listed applications.
Windows installs anything, I have full admin control. I don’t use an AV, only the windows defender and the program installs and says it has installed and is uninstallable from the control panel menu every time. It has installed before, same Windows. This is my computer, no on else has control of it, generally not even TrustedInstaller because I know how to use psexec to take control of things it doesn’t want me to have control of, like the stupid updater task that thinks it should be able to wake my computer to run updates. I have like 13 or 16 IT certifications, some of them on Windows 10, many of them still active, and there is no reason that a program should install and not be able to run when the .exe file is clicked manually, ESPECIALLY if the exact same program installed in the exact same spot worked just fine before updating. I ran /sfc scannow and the dism restore-health tool, there isn’t anything wrong with my Windows installation. I was able to download and run Jellyfin just fine, so there is nothing corrupted with the drive holding my media (not that it would be a factor here since the PMS will simply not start).
You’re not installing or running Plex Media Server as the Administrator account are you? And haven’t in the past, right? Everything Plex related, installing, running, administering, et al should be done as a normal user. Attempting to run PMS with elevated privileges will affect the Plex data directory and potentially make it so that normal users can no longer start the server.
What I generally recommend with these types of issues is to completely move the Plex data directory aside, but don’t delete it (it’s in %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server). Then start PMS so that it can rebuild its data directory. If it work, it implies there’s corruption with the app data; if it doesn’t it implies there’s a problem with the installation itself.
Not as the Administrator account, no. I have admin rights and this is the only account on this computer. As I said, it worked before, but it won’t run now. I did try removing the appdata and it still won’t start. Also, the server always had to be started with admin rights in the past, but that doesn’t affect anything because there is no one on this computer except admins. I wouldn’t want “normal” users to start my server.
This is the error that I get after installing when it tries to run (there is a checkbox to launch the server, I just left it checked). This message is why I think it’s an installer error.
Check the properties of the file. I have a feeling the installer didn’t work properly and your exe might be 0 bytes or something odd. It should be around 30MB in size. If the properties don’t appear then the file is bad.
Have you tried downloading the installer again? If you have a bad installer, reinstalling won’t help.
