# Plex server manually stopping due to corrupted preferences.xml file
**URL:** https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-manually-stopping-due-to-corrupted-preferences-xml-file/875435
**Category:** Plex Media Server
**Tags:** server-synology
**Created:** [April 19, 2024, 4:30am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-manually-stopping-due-to-corrupted-preferences-xml-file/875435 "2024-04-19T04:30:43Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Malte5a](https://forums.plex.tv/u/Malte5a)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2024, 4:30am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-manually-stopping-due-to-corrupted-preferences-xml-file/875435/1 "2024-04-19T04:30:43Z")
Plex Media Server Version#: 1.29.2.6364-7000
Synology DSM Version#: 7.1.1-42962 Update 6
I have attached my Plex Media [Server Logs](https://support.plex.tv/articles/200250417-plex-media-server-log-files/) and the Startup Crash Log.
I have only just noticed this recently, when I went to watch something. I logged into my NAS and noted it was stopped, but every time I started it, it would say Manually Stopped seconds after starting.
I looked at the above 2 logs, in the Plex Media Server there were a bunch of errors but (in my ignorance) nothing jumped out as critical (a lot of errors that have been around for a while apparently and for a show I had deleted ages ago). In the Startup Crash Log it had the following:
_Apr 19, 2024 13:37:51: Failed to initialize logging: Error parsing file at “/var/packages/PlexMediaServer/shares/PlexMediaServer/AppData/Plex Media Server/Preferences.xml”_
When I tried searching for solutions to this I found topics about permissions, which I checked (plexmediaserver had read/write under “system internal user” to the shared folder) and I even reapplied the permissions. I also found another topic where someone had something similar, but their XML file was blank/empty.
However when I went to open my Preferences.xml file to confirm if this was the same case i got the following error when opening in my browser:
_ **This page contains the following errors:** _
_error on line 1 at column 1: Encoding error_
_ **Below is a rendering of the page up to the first error.** _
I am assuming this to be the cause, however I am at a loss as how to fix this as in the above-mentioned topic it was advised not to delete this as it contains the servers identify and can cause duplicate servers with the same hostname.
Any suggestions? or do I simply have to remove this and hope for no issues?
Log Files:
[Plex Media Server.zip](https://forums.plex.tv/uploads/short-url/li0P5X8kKe64s203rQtxKou3BUt.zip) (277.7 KB)
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### Author:  [@ChuckPa](https://forums.plex.tv/u/ChuckPa)
#### Post date: [April 19, 2024, 4:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-manually-stopping-due-to-corrupted-preferences-xml-file/875435/2 "2024-04-19T04:44:53Z")
Given you’re on DSM 7, there is hope here.
I’ll send you a PM so you can share your Preferences.xml.
If it’s not too bad, we can salvage and then reclaim it.
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### Author:  [@system](https://forums.plex.tv/u/system)
#### Post date: [July 18, 2024, 4:44am UTC](https://forums.plex.tv/t/plex-server-manually-stopping-due-to-corrupted-preferences-xml-file/875435/3 "2024-07-18T04:44:59Z")
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