Possible to Recover MachineIdentifier from AppData?

Plex Media Server
1

Server Version#: 1.32.6557
Player Version#: N/A
OS: Windows Server 2019

Through a literal series of unfortunate events, I’ve lost my Plex OS drive completely and I’ve lost backups for the OS drive a few days later. My only option for restoration is possibly repairing the partition table on the SSD and pulling off the disk image…but considering the SSD is reporting 32 KB in size in vmware…I think the problems may be a bit bigger than the partition table…

I’ve rebuilt a new VM, clean OS, installed Plex Media Server (1.32.7.7571 was what I had to go with, hopefully small version increase is not a problem?), and re-attached my Plex Local App Data. I’ve updated the registry with all the known values I could dig up from sporadic and random notes/backups.

I can’t find the MachineIdentifier or any other Unique IDs. Is there ANYWHERE else I can find this information so I can hopefully properly restore Plex as if it was just down for a few weeks?

Can I find these IDs anywhere in the App Data directory? Logs anywhere? I should have all of Windows logs available as well if that helps, as I ship them to an indexer. Could this be stored anywhere in the Database backups? Do Plex servers store it for neighboring servers maybe? Will I find it in my Firefox cache or anything that would’ve accessed the server? Any clients like PlexHTPC or Plexamp or other clients? I have my Plex X-Plex-Token from a backup 2 years old, does this help me with anything? Does Plex support have this? Would I be able to pull it from logging into Plex and looking at any site data? Might anything be stored in plug-ins like WebTools?

I just don’t know where to begin spending my time, or if it’s fruitless. Please halp!

EDIT: Current Status
MachineIdentifier - Need to Locate
PlexOnlineToken - Found - Found in com.plexapp.dlna, in a string “X-Plex-Token=[PlexOnlineToken][UnknownRandomCharacters][ProcessedMachineIdentifier]”
ProcessedMachineIdentifier - Found - Located in Setup Plex.html.tmp### files in AppData root.
AnonymousMachineIdentifier - Need to Locate

UPDATE:
I took a backup and a snapshot, went ahead and ran Plex as is with all the data I had (no MachineIdentifier or AnonymousMachineIdentifier). After a bunch of secure errors and cert problems (resolved by just trying trying and trying again), I was able to get back into the Plex server, and it’s shown up with my others again as if nothing happened!!!

Worth noting for anyone else in the same dilemma, I could not browse to the server by name without just getting redirected to app.plex.tv. I had to try and browse locally via the Plex tray icon. Copy the resulting URL to a real browser. Sign into Plex. Watch it show up and fail as Insecure. Try pointing locally via server name/IP + port. Sign back into Plex again. Huzzah. Back in Action!

2

Why are you trying to recover the machine ID?

3

My Plex Server OS drive died, I’m trying to manually restore it without a full Plex Registry backup.

I just want to seamlessly bring Plex back online as best I can, for myself, Plex Home, and Plex shared library users.

I just assume Machine ID or any other unique IDs need to be restored for this to work based on Plex’s documentation and posts I’ve read online.

EDIT: If it’s PlexOnlineToken or ProcessedMachineIdentifier or AnonymousMachineIdentifier that I need, the ask still stands. Where else might I be able to find this or anything?

4

Do you have an OS backup from any point where plex was installed?

5

Nope, as I said in the OP, all backups for this server were lost. I was trying to avoid adding the fluff so as not to scare off people with more walls of text, but…

This happened during the week I was migrating around 120 TB+ for work, while also unexpectedly encountering issues with their legacy config (inherited 2012 R2s). I had to ignore the Plex failure to finish my actual work for the week (this was an 80 hour work week for me). It was a literal nightmare week. And this is just the tip of the ice berg (also had power failures due to stupid new Smart Meter that screwed up some other systems behind clearly too old UPSes).

After I got a chance, I saw that for reasons completely unknown to me…Veeam decided during a retention period clean up to delete ALL backups of just this particular server from the backup job it was part of (literally have other servers in similar jobs with backups dating back 2 years…). They were there when I checked initially, going back a whole month…and then I checked a few days later and BAM, all gone. No idea why apart from the logs indicating Veeam had decided something was outside of the retention period and cleaned it up.

I don’t have snapshots on my backup repository.

Getting data from the OS drive I’ve landed on being an impossibility unless the SSD datastore I had it on can somehow have the partition table restored and assume that’s the only thing wrong with it (dang SSDs…I miss HDDs sometimes…)

6

Then I think you are SOL, you will just need to recreate the server.

7

I figured as much, and I’m already at that point. I’ve already got a new VM built, attached the Plex AppData drive, installed Plex, updated registry with all known values.

I’ve been able to locate (updated in OP) the following, and have added them to the registry as well:
PlexOnlineToken
ProcessedMachineIdentifier

But I’m still hoping to locate:
MachineIdentifier
AnonymousMachineIdentifier

Not having a clue what is required to make this stand up as if it were the old server…I’m only speculating I need these. Maybe the Online Token and Processed Machine Identifier will be enough?

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