Plex Server Crashes at Launch / System Tray Icon disappears after upgrade

[TonyWGT]

Server Version#: 1.41.3.9314
Player Version#: 1.104.0

Hi, Help Please!

I’ve had Plex Server installed on my Dell Precision T5500 Workstation for a few years but to be honest I have had a change in living arrangements and I haven’t had need to use it for a while. Fast forward to about a month ago, my Workstation now resides at my partner’s house and we wanted to stream something to her TV which I knew I already had in my Plex Library. So I logged into Plex (it may be 2 years or more since I last used it) and checked everything over because not only had the Workstation been moved but it had also had a second processor added and was connected to a different home network.

All seemed well in settings but I saw it was offering me an update. I could’ve ignored it but I figured I hadn’t used it in a long while and an update sounded like a good idea before using it again. Previously these updates literally took a couple of minutes, so why not…?

I started the update and it showed it was still in progress for AGES! I left the PC running for 2 hours after I’d started the update but I needed to turn the PC off at this point. I checked the System Tray icon and it wasn’t there, nor was the service running in Task Manager. So I shut the PC down and decided to investigate later.

Next time I booted the PC the Plex Server System Tray Icon was there, so I assumed everything was fine, but then I hovered the mouse over the icon and the icon disappeared. Upon further investigation I couldn’t make any changes to the Server’s configuration in the Web control panel, so I uninstalled and reinstalled the latest Plex Server software (that was available at the time). Same problem. I tried uninstalling, rebooting and reinstalling with the same outcome.

I searched Google for help and found an article which referred to conflicting .dll files and painstakingly went through the list but couldn’t find any conflicting .dll files in the mix.
Next I found an article which explained how to manually uninstall Plex Server from my PC which I followed to the letter then rebooted the PC and tried reinstallation, again with the same result.

I’ve just followed another article which ultimately forced recreation of all Plex Server Databases etc. but still the same - When my PC starts the Plex Server icon appears in the System Tray but a) I cannot see or configure the Server in the Web Control Panel, and if I hover the Mouse over the System Tray Icon it vanishes straight away.

I realise what I’ve described here is very much truncated and basic but I’ve genuinely tried a lot of things over the past few weeks at different times. I am generally Tech savvy (Independent IT Consultant) but I don’t mind conceding this has me flummoxed and it’s beginning to irritate me that I can’t get it working now.

As far as I’m concerned I’ve emptied my Libraries except for a few new test videos and I don’t care if I have to start from ground zero with the Plex Server (although I really can’t/don’t want to go to any extreme lengths of reinstalling Windows if I can at all help it…).

I’m afraid this is the first time I’ve asked for help on here. I’ve had a scratch around the various folders and (I think) I’ve uploaded a .zip file of the pertinent logs etc. If I need to provide more info. please just let me know.

Plex Server Info.zip (147.6 KB)

Any help/advice would really be gratefully accepted/appreciated.

Thanks in advance,
Tony

[TonyWGT]

Did I do something wrong here, or did I post this in the wrong place? Or is this literally a problem nobody knows how to deal with?

I’m hoping the lack of any interaction is a reflection on the timing of this post (during the festive period), but if I did something dumb here please can somebody let me know what to do to get help with this issue.

Many thanks in advance.

[dbirch]

You didnt do anything stupid, the post just fell thru the cracks. Was that all of your logs?

I am seeing Dec 31, 2024 02:14:29.714 [54800] DEBUG - [JobRunner] Job running: "C:\Program Files\Plex\Plex Media Server\CrashUploader.exe" "--directory=C:\Users\Tony.GENERATIONTECHS\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Crash Reports\1.41.3.9314-a0bfb8370" --version=1.41.3.9314-a0bfb8370 --platform=Windows "--platformVersion=10.0 (Build 19045)" --serverUuid=b6d2f17dc4f67efd77cfb6c6a42eba72fff4bf6a --userId=NOUSERID --sentryUrl=https://o17675.ingest.sentry.io/api/1233455/ --sentryKey=xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx "--vendor=Dell Inc." --model=x64-x64 "--device=Precision WorkStation T5500" but I am not qualified to look a crash logs.

[TonyWGT]

Hey, Thanks for the response @dbirch - I thought I was going crazy!

I’ve just had a look in that Crash Reports folder - There’s a “.RateLimit.json” file and 2 sub folders, but they’re both completely empty.

I boot my PC almost daily and the System Tray Icon still appears until I hover over it.

If there’s any specific log I should be uploading please can you let me know?

Many Thanks!

[OttoKerner]

If you didn’t change anything else, except updating the Plex server software version, then issue could be likely these things:

1. the server’s data are missing. This can happen if you have relocated the Plex data folder away from its default location on drive C:
   Inspect the Windows registry and look where Plex server is expecting to find its data. Ensure the data are still in this location.
2. the primary database file is damaged. If you can still find a DB backup from before the server update, restore it https://support.plex.tv/articles/202485658-restore-a-database-backed-up-via-scheduled-tasks/ . Then immediately repair it using PlexDBRepair/Windows at master · ChuckPa/PlexDBRepair · GitHub
3. inspect the registry and see if a specific GPU has been selected for hardware transcoding. Delete this selection if it exists. https://support.plex.tv/articles/201105343-advanced-hidden-server-settings/