Server Version#:1.22.0.4163
Player Version#:
Hi there, I just got a new laptop and am trying to set it up as a new media server on my account. However, for some reason when I try to add media, I’m told to download Plex Media Server. It seems to think I have the Plex desktop app instead of the Media Server app. Do I need to make an entirely new Plex account to add this laptop as a server? As of now I can’t find anywhere to create media libraries from this device.
Hi zeeroid_gmail_com,
you do have the Plex Desktop App installed. The Plex Media Server would not have an interface when you start it. You want to download Plex Media Server here (double check you’re downloading “Plex Media Server”) and then follow this guide to install it. In case you also need basic information on how to set it up, you’ll find it right here.
Hope this helps 
I appreciate the response, but this was my suspicion when it happened. I did make the mistake of downloading the desktop app first initially, but I’ve already uninstalled it, and I’ve installed the media server. When it still didn’t work, I uninstalled and installed it again. I’m really baffled as to why it thinks I have the desktop app installed. This is the name of the exe I used to install PMS: PlexMediaServer-1.22.0.4163-d8c4875dd-x86.exe
Just to prove it, this is what I have in my system tray… 
Which URL are you going to when choosing Open Plex? To claim/sign into a server you need to do it at `IPAddress:32400/web
if the registry pref settings are still there from an old install and you are signing into web app with a different account than what was in prefs it won’t load it up
You may just have to clear cookies or plex.tv site data in your browser
So far the url has just been 127.0.0.1:32400/web. Since you mentioned it, I tried clearing all plex cookies and site data. Had to login to my account again, of course. Same issue persisted, unfortunately. I also tried it in a private window, and that didn’t help either. Also tried changing the url to my laptop’s local ip address, which, again, didn’t help. 
Did I mess up by accidentally installing the desktop app before the media server app? Can I erase all trace of Plex from my PC and reinstall it somehow?
I doubt it. Can’t think of any way that would cause this
https://support.plex.tv/articles/201941078-uninstall-plex-media-server/
also should check here and remove any old unused servers if there are there https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/settings/devices/pms
When you start again and go through wizard uncheck the box to enable remote access just for the initial set up. you can do that later if you want after setting up
Well, I am really flabbergasted now. I was about to say I thought doing a clean install solved the problem, because it actually opened the wizard and I set up my libraries this time. Then I closed the web app, saw that PMS was updating my libraries in the background. Seems good so far. When it stopped updating, I opened the web app again, and it looked just like before. Libraries non-existent and when I click on add media, it tells me to download PMS.
Did you claim the server when you had access to it?
Can you try going to that URL in an Incognito/private window
I’m pretty sure I claimed it… That just means being logged into my account when I set it up, right?
private window unfortunately has no effect
claiming server is done here.
If it was claimed it would show in your account settings here. https://app.plex.tv/desktop#!/settings/devices/pms
I think there is something wonky going on with Windows connection on loopback (basically a web page accessing the computer it is on). But am not a Windows user so trying to think what it might be. ( it may not be that at all just a guess)
Okay, I don’t see anything there. As of now it doesn’t appear as though I have any servers. I think the server on my old laptop used to be there, but I deleted it this morning when I was trying to troubleshoot.
I’m not sure if this would change anything if your suspicion were correct, but I accessed the web app from my phone (targeting my PC’s local ip) and the result was the same.
I’ll try another clean install since that was the closest I’ve come yet to fixing this problem; maybe there was something I missed. I’m pretty puzzled though.
All right, I did another clean install and basically now the situation is this:
I have open the same tab with the web app which opened when I first launched PMS and went into the setup wizard. In this tab, things look normal. Currently I’ve added two libraries and they seem to have populated. I also see that the server is claimed in the settings.
However, if I try to open the web app in an incognito window, I see the two libraries on the sidebar, but it says I don’t have access to them (No soup for you). Same thing happened when I used a different browser from my default.
I tried accessing the server from my TV’s Plex app, which is how I normally access the media server, and the libraries and server did not exist.
So, after doing that I tried opening the Plex web app again from the PMS system tray icon, and now the libraries and server have disappeared in the web app as well. I still see them in the original tab (and I can still manage my server from this tab, even now), but in the second instance of the web app I opened everything is gone, just like before.
if you go to https://app.plex.tv what do you see
when on that tab and to you go into server settings under Network does it have anything in this dropdown or does it only have the option of “Any”
At https://app.plex.tv it’s empty, just like opening any new instance of the web app.
This is what it says there:
that’s my server’s local IP
Did you change the second octet of your DHCP server on your router to be 170? that is your problem it is a non standard local IP. it should be 168
192.170.0.25 is is owned by Hewlett Packard probably for one of their corporate headquaters 192.170.0.0 - 192.170.0.255 - USA | Myip.ms
I did change it a long time ago, and I could change it back, but this has never been an issue before when I was using my old laptop as a media server for the past 3 years or so. Not sure why it would suddenly cause a problem on this new laptop…
I can’t say what happened on your old computer. But when you sign into or claimed your new server it makes pings to that address and it is pinging and probably getting bad or not authorized responses from HPs headquarters. so it is not sending responses correctly to you. and when you claimed it the security that kicks in gets confused.
if you are trying to have security by way of obscurity, change the third octet 192.168.X.25which can be anything from 0-255 like 192.168.30.25
Well, all right, I’ll go back to 168. Honestly the reason I changed it in the first place is pretty dumb, but I didn’t seem to have any reason to change it back. I’ll just modify the 3rd number like you suggested. Thanks for your help by the way, hopefully this works!
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