Server Version#:
Player Version#:
<If providing server logs please do NOT turn on verbose logging, only debug logging should be enabled>
Server is set to “Sign In at Log On” . Used yesterday (10-10-2023) server status indicated it was up to date, and it was working fine. Today, the icon in the task bar (indicating the server is running), does not appear. When attempting to start it from the Windows ‘Apps’ pull down, the following message appears:
Message Banner reads: Plex Media Server.exe - Bad Image
Message Text reads:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\msi.dll is either not designed to run on Windows or it contains an error. Try installing the program again using the original installation media or contact your system administrator or the software vendor for support. Error status 0xc000012f.
My Plex Media Server won’t start up as well (although I’m not getting that Bad Image dialog) after an Windows 10 update last night (Oct 12, 2023 - KB5031356 & KB5021224). It was working perfectly up to then (v1.32.6.7468). When I manually load it, it briefly appears in my system tray on my taskbar, then disappears. The only thing in my Task Manager is Plex Update Service but 0% CPU.
I tried to update to the latest version by downloading 1.32.6.7557 but the installation hangs when it detects the older version and it says uninstalling that first. I even tried to manually modify and uninstall the older version by itself and it hangs as well. Then I tried the Microsoft Fix It Tool / Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter and selected the Plex Media Server to uninstall and that hangs too stuck at Resolving problems.
I also attempted to download latest Plex Server version, with the same results. And then tried to uninstall the older version, and it hung up also. And used the FIx it Tool, and its troubleshooter and it still would not uninstall. Finally attempted to delete all the components of the old version (manual uninstall). But when I attempted to install the new version, it still detects the old version, and halts the install. So, I’m also stuck with no ideas. At this point, I’m merely hoping an expert at Plex steps in and provides a procedure for rectifying the situation.
Argh, thanks for posting your experience. I was going to go in and manually delete the files and folders but hearing your experience I will hold off. I wonder if there’s some registry items that is telling the new version install it detects the old version? Really crappy that we can’t repair/refresh or reinstall over whatever is causing these crashes.
TBH I haven’t seen any real tech support from Plex to most of these posts, just hopefully some helpful techie users might chime in. I thought paying for the Plex Pass gave us tech support - but that might have been long ago.
I’m guessing you’re right about some potential registry settings. And you’re correct. in my opinion PLEX has become absolutely miserable at any competent level of tech support. It was a fairly stable and reliable platform thru early 2020, and since, it has been a legacy of installation and ‘improvement’ failures, bugs, and headaches.
"Plex represents a fundamental problem with modern software development. Nobody is content with a thing being a thing anymore, even when that thing was originally close to ideal. Software gets bloated with features people didn’t ask for, and the people funding those features are the gullible idiots that saw something good and tried to support it. "
I am going to go out on a limb here, can you upload a copy of your msi.dll to VirusTotal ? and then post a link to that result? For comparison my version is: This Result
Thanks, I will point a couple things out and have news you probably do not want to hear.
When comparing the files yours 78D75E166F6FD2905116F98482058BB3 and mine 3D9ED252C9E16257E860B9AC3EC39533 do not match. I unfortunately suspect your computer has a virus. If you look in the section Names the results for mine are just normal windows names. The result you posted includes things like OdijT7MM.exe which scream randomized virus payload file.
I could be completely wrong in that regard, but the issue you are dealing with is specifically OS related and not per se a Plex issue.
Thanks. And, yeah, that’s not good to hear. I’ve got McAfee running continually on my Media Computer. So, if you’re right, I wonder what that says about McAfee . I’ll note that on my Desktop Computer I have exactly the same msi.dll file (judging from their last modified date/time stamp and their filesize). The one on the Media Computer was last modified/updated 10/10/2023 at 10:45pm. The one on the Desktop Computer was last updated on 10/11/2023 at 3:30AM. They both have filesize of 3,258 kb. So both were updated within about 5 hours of each other, I’m guessing they were part of the same Windows Update cycle.
Also, once I realized that msi.dll was associated to the Windows Installer, I did an install of PMS to my Desktop Computer, and then uninstalled it, with no issues with either the install or the uninstall. Both completed cleanly. So, if it is solely an OS issue, I would be inclined to imagine that they would have both had issues with install/uninstall of PMS.
Additionally (and apologies for repeating some of what I may have already said) the problem “Plex Media Server won’t start”, did not initially manifest with any install/uninstall, but began when I attempted to log on to PMS, on the Media Computer, from the icon on the taskbar. The icon did not appear on the task bar, so I attempted to launch PMS from the Apps pull down, on the Start Screen. The message box, originally referenced above, appeared. So (following suggestion on the forum to 'insure you have the latest version installed), I went to Plex site to download and install the latest version. (My prior install from the Plex Site was done in 2019, and since then I’ve only applied the updates pushed from Plex.) When I attempted to install the version I had just downloaded, the install dialogue indicated that a prior version needed to be uninstalled (Press NEXT to uninstall), and when I pressed NEXT, the same message box appeared again. Using the Windows uninstall also failed to uninstall the existing version. After a manual ‘uninstall’ of all components I could identify as associated PMS, attempting to install the latest version, still results in detecting an ‘existing’ version, an attempt to uninstall, and a failure to ‘uninstall’.
Whatever the case may be, I am stuck at this point.
Thanks again for your interest. And thanks again for your aid with this issue.
Thanks @dbirch I did start a new thread with my server logs. No one replied so I tried everything and ended up nuking my Windows 10 and starting over and its working now. I just have to reinstall/configure over a hundred apps now.
Cringing! That’s a major “this sucks” situation. With my similar situation, “dbirch” has been very helpful with analytical/investigative suggestions and aid, for which I’m very grateful. Unfortunately, it seems I may face a similar recovery path. Not something I’m looking forward to, so I’ll just put it off until next week, and keep sucking on my Sunday Mimosa. Good luck with your recovery efforts.
. I’ll note that on my Desktop Computer I have exactly the same msi.dll file (judging from their last modified date/time stamp and their filesize). The one on the Media Computer was last modified/updated 10/10/2023 at 10:45pm. The one on the Desktop Computer was last updated on 10/11/2023 at 3:30AM. They both have filesize of 3,258 kb. So both were updated within about 5 hours of each other, I’m guessing they were part of the same Windows Update cycle.