Plex Server Keeps Restoring Old Data After Clean Install on New Drive

Plex Media Server
1

I’ve run into a frustrating issue where my rebuilt original Plex Media Server keeps restoring old server data/settings — even after a full reinstall with a new disk, new hostname, and clean OS. Here’s the situation:

Originally, when the Plex system failed (aServer), I restored a backup to another PC (cServer) and got it working quickly. Now that I’ve replaced the NVMe disk and rebuilt aServer, I wanted to repurpose it as a backup server (now intended as cServer). However, every time I install Plex on it, the old aServer identity reappears, including settings and server name.

Steps I’ve Taken:

  • Deleted the original server from the Authorized Devices page at plex.tv/devices
  • Replaced the failed drive with a new NVMe SSD
  • Performed a clean install of Windows 11 Pro
  • Changed the hostname and MAC address
  • Verified AppData\Local\Plex Media Server was absent before installation
  • Installed Plex from a fresh download (tried both plex.tv and Microsoft Store)
  • Confirmed a new MachineIdentifier was generated (does not match old one)
  • Did not restore any backups or settings

Despite all this:

  • Plex does not initialize properly
  • Visiting the setup page shows the original aServer name
  • Some old settings (like library paths) are still being applied
  • It appears that Plex is relinking this system to the old server identity

Also Tried:

  • Full registry cleanup:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Plex, Inc.\Plex Media Server
    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Plex, Inc. (if present)
  • Installed offline with network disconnected, then reconnected after initialization

The problem persists.

It seems that Plex’s cloud sync or account history is still associating this physical hardware with the previously deleted server (aServer), despite a different hostname, disk, MAC, and MachineIdentifier. There appears to be no way to break this link.

Request:

  • Can a Plex staff member confirm if there’s any cloud metadata or device fingerprint still binding this PC to the original server identity?
  • Is there a way to fully purge that connection?
  • Or a way to directly contact Plex support regarding this kind of edge case?

This should be easy to resolve, but it’s turned into several hours of unproductive debugging.

System Info (Both Systems):

  • OS: Windows 11 Pro
  • Plex Version: 1.41.7.9823
  • Installation Sources: plex.tv installer and Microsoft Store
2

That’s not how the syncing thing works. It only tracks your watched items. There is no server settings backup. Are you sure you’re not seeing the backup you made?

3

New hatd drive, installed windows from scratch via iso image. Plugged in nic downloaded chrome, then plex. After trying to initialize which hangs. I go to setup and it shows formet server name and library settings which were never on that drive.

4

I mean on the other computer you setup as the backup when your server died. The original cServer. Is that computer still running?

5

The computer that i restored the backup to is running. The original pc that had the nvme disk die is the one that Inrebuilt and it keeps pulling down the original settings from somewhere. I moved it to my DMZ so its not even on the same subnet as it was originally and has no way to get info from the restored PC.

6

I reloaded windows again, then connected it to a hotspot off my network completely. Installed plex without chrome installed. This time the install was seen as a new install and not a previous install. Anyone have any insights to what was causing the previous build to keep coming up?

7

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