Problem with update to Windows 64-bit version 1.32.4.7195-7c8f9d3b6

Plex Media Server Desktops & Laptops
1

Server Version#: 1.32.4.7195-7c8f9d3b6
Player Version#: Web Version 4.100.1

On Windows 10, have Plex located on drive D due to space limitations on C, and has been this way for approximately 6 years, registry entries adjusted for the different than defualt location, no problems, all updates install correctly. Currently on Version 1.32.3.7192.

On updating to Version 1.32.4.7195 (to be exact: version 1.32.4.7195-7c8f9d3b6) through the regular Plex Update notification service today, Plex indicated donwloading, installling, then just hung at the update screen.

Turns out that the update did not update but instead installed a clean version of Plex on drive C to the default folder (C:\Program Files\Plex); all executable and helper files were removed from the Plex folder on drive D, but (fortunately) the database files werenā€™t touched. Tried a manual install of the update, presuming that it would give me the usual ā€˜advanced optionā€™ to select where to install but instead just reinstalled to drive C again.

Copied that drive C folder contents (except subfolders with DB, etc.) to the Plex folder on drive D, checked the registry settings, no changes there, still pointing to drive D, but the Plex Update Installer had been changed to Drive C, default folder - changed that back to point to drive D location, wiped the Plex folder on C, restarted Plex, seems to be running fine, limited testing, media plays, all libraries are there, etc.

Weird. May be just an isolated incident with my system, but could also be problem with that update, so exercise some caution and be sure you have backups of your DB.

2

Is that how you installed it originally? The installer checks to see where the previous install was and will reuse that if itā€™s a custom folder. If you manually move the install like you describe, I donā€™t know if the installer would be able to find it that way.

Since you did install manually, there should be logs in the ā€œInstaller Logsā€ folder next to the PMS logs. Can you zip up and send me those logs?

3

Thanks for the reply and for any help in figuring out why version 1.32.4.7195-7c8f9d3b6 didnā€™t install correctly.

ā€œThe installer checks to see where the previous install was and will reuse that if itā€™s a custom folderā€

Plex has been installed on drive D for several years, updates have been through the regular Plex update function inside Plex without fail or any problems until this time. The only reason for the manual move yesterday was because the update did a clean install on drive C, not drive D as per usual, and then just hung.

Install logs are attached in a zip file as requested.
Installer Logs.zip (97.9 KB)

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Your logs show that the installer found the previous install to be on C:.

Do you have any older installer logs?

Also check C:\Windows\System32\config\systemprofile\AppData\Local\Plex Media Server\Logs for logs from the autoupdate attempt.

5

Attached are severl older, but recent logs. Also attached are the Plex Update Service logs. The regular logs also appear to show installation on drive C instead of D. The last 2 Update Service logs show drive D, but presume that was after I cleared the clean install off of drive C. Kind of odd, as Plex has been installed on Drive D for several years (approx 6) and has been updated without issue until now. Presume it must be something on my system, perhaps the recent Windows 10 update (?); Iā€™ll troubleshoot and monitor the next Plex update install. Thanks for the time and help on this.
PlexUpdateServiceLogs.zip (3.9 KB)
Installer Logs_multiple.zip (180.9 KB)

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Huh. Those all say they installed to C: going back to March. Are you sure it only changed now?

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Yes, been on drive D for several years. Donā€™t understand either. It is working okay, will see how the next update goes. Thanks

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Installed, or more accurately, reinstalled vers 1.32.5.7210-77f7f99fa, as Plex notified me of an update. Ran the update, same thing happened
plex.registry.after.update.zip (353.5 KB)
plex.registry.before.update.zip (274.1 KB)
, Plex just hung on the update screen.

Plex update(s) is not respecting the current install location if Plex is installed on a drive different from the defaults on drive C.

Plex is overwriting registry entries, changing back to the default drive C locations on install, changing the default install location and the Plex update service exe location.

Iā€™ve attached 2 zip files, first are the registry settings that were in place pointing to drive D before the Plex update; second is after the Plex update, where the HKEY_USERS, HKEY_CURRENT_USER, HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE_CurrentControlSet are changed to the drive C defaults.

Since many of the logs sent previously showed drive C as the install location this probably didnā€™t change with vers 1.32.5.7210-77f7f99fa, but Iā€™m just noticing it now as Plex hangs on update install, which it had not been doing before. I havenā€™t seen this as an issue on any other postings, so perhaps Iā€™m the only one affected, or the only one just noticing this?

But, I think this is a bug. If this is something that can be resolved, that of course would be the ideal solution. If not, then my only solution is to manually run the install, after install shutdown Plex, stop the Update Service, edit the Registry to return it to the correct drive D locations, edit the bin location of the the Update Service exe file, restart Plex (or verify the registry change), restart the Update Service.

Just noticed, it also changes firewall entries back to C on the update install.

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Oh, you have the install folder within the app_data folder. I donā€™t know if that is confusing the installer. Would you mind moving the install folder somewhere else and see if this keeps happening.

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On the screenshots where the install folder is in the appdata folder on drive C, thatā€™s because the Plex update installs to C despite all Plex folders being on drive D.

Before running the update, all Plex folders are on drive D (and have been), and all registry entries point to drive D folders. The are no Plex folders on drive C, no registry entries pointing to drive C.

Thatā€™s what I think is the bug: the Plex update install does not respect that Plex is installed on a drive different from the default, installs the update to the defaults on drive C, resets several registry entries back to the default, including the Plex Update exe folder/file and the PlexUpdateService bin location.

11

I think the point was that your D: install directory overlaps with your data directory, which doesnā€™t seem like a great idea. Does it still revert to C: if you e.g. had InstallFolder set to D:\plex_install and LocalAppDataPath set to D:\plex_data.

1.32.4 also apparently shored up some security issues with the Windows installer (some more details here), so you could be running into some fallout from that as well. That could be a red herring if logs from back in March say it was installing to C: though.

1 Like
12

Not sure that that would make a difference. The default install is to %LOCALAPPDATA%\Plex Media Server, with that folder containing the program and support folders/files (including the Plex Update Service.exe and the folders for the various version update install files) as well as the Plex db folders. So, the only difference in folder structure is that Plex resides on drive D instead of C. Still believe it is a bug as the update is rewriting registry entries, changing Service bin file location, and changing firewall settings; it shouldnā€™t be doing that.

Could have something to do with the vers 1.32.4 change you reference, and itā€™s possible that I didnā€™t notice this until now when Plex hung on installing the update, which had not happened before (Plex was getting updated previously, and it may have created the default folders/files on C, but, again, may not have noticed until now since the updates installed cleanly).

Edit: Also, forgot, not running Plex as a Service, so donā€™t think that that change has any direct effect.

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Thatā€™s the default data directory path, but the default path for Plex Media Server.exe is %PROGRAMFILES% (or %PROGRAMFILES(X86)% for 32-bit PMS on 64-bit Windows).

It definitely seems like thereā€™s a new bug somewhere, but by default the program files arenā€™t installed alongside the metadata/database directories.

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Oops, sorry, youā€™re correct, not sure what I was thinking. Iā€™ll take a look at reconfiguring to separate folders as you suggested tomorrow and see what impact that has. But yes, still believe there is a bug as Plex updates should not be changing registry settings, etc. Thanks for the previous suggestion and the correction on the install locations!

15

In general: install Plex server into the default location %PROGRAMFILES% on drive C:
That way only the program files are located on drive C: (about 440 MB with current software releases).

The Plex data folder is relocated with a registry manipulation, which I assume you have already performed.

16

Made those changes, seems to be running okay. Thanks for the follow-up and input on this.

Still think it is odd that having run Plex - all folders/files - on drive D for 6+ years, updates applied, no issues that there is now a problem in applying updates; something has had to have changed. I can live with the change to having Plex server files on C, data on D (had it that way on previous server, 7+ years ago), but it would be nice to have the need to make such a change permanent in the update issues. But regardless, thanks for the help on this.

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