Collection path problem

[RafaG 17]

I have Emby running under Proxmox 8.4 after migrating it from Windows. While checking the logs, I found these messages related to the collections path:

 

Quote

2025-06-03 05:15:00.052 Error App: Error in validateChildren for 41631 /var/lib/emby/data\collections
    *** Error Report ***
    Version: 4.8.11.0
    Command line: /opt/emby-server/system/EmbyServer.dll -programdata /var/lib/emby -ffdetect /opt/emby-server/bin/ffdetect -ffmpeg /opt/emby-server/bin/ffmpeg -ffprobe /opt/emby-server/bin/ffprobe -restartexitcode 3 -updatepackage emby-server-deb_{version}_amd64.deb
    Operating system: Linux version 6.8.12-11-pve (build@proxmox) (gcc (Debian 12.2.0-14+deb12u1) 12.2.0, GNU ld (GNU Binutils for Debian) 2.40) #1 SMP PREEMPT_DYNAMIC PMX
    Framework: .NET 6.0.36
    OS/Process: x64/x64
    Runtime: opt/emby-server/system/System.Private.CoreLib.dll
    Processor count: 4
    Data path: /var/lib/emby
    Application path: /opt/emby-server/system
    System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path '/var/lib/emby/data\collections'.
       at System.IO.Enumeration.FileSystemEnumerator`1.CreateDirectoryHandle(String path, Boolean ignoreNotFound)
       at System.IO.Enumeration.FileSystemEnumerator`1.Init()
       at System.IO.Enumeration.FileSystemEnumerable`1..ctor(String directory, FindTransform transform, EnumerationOptions options, Boolean isNormalized)
       at System.IO.Enumeration.FileSystemEnumerableFactory.FileSystemInfos(String directory, String expression, EnumerationOptions options, Boolean isNormalized)
       at System.IO.DirectoryInfo.InternalEnumerateInfos(String path, String searchPattern, SearchTarget searchTarget, EnumerationOptions options)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.IO.ManagedFileSystem.EnumerateFileSystemInfos(DirectoryInfo dir, Boolean recursive)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.IO.ManagedFileSystem.GetFileSystemEntries(String path, Boolean recursive, FileSystemCredentials credentials)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Providers.DirectoryService.GetFileSystemEntriesInternal(String path)
       at System.Collections.Concurrent.ConcurrentDictionary`2.GetOrAdd(TKey key, Func`2 valueFactory)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Providers.DirectoryService.GetFileSystemEntries(String path, Boolean clearCache)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Providers.DirectoryService.GetFileSystemEntries(String path)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities.BaseItem.GetFileSystemChildren(IDirectoryService directoryService)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities.Folder.GetNonCachedChildren(IDirectoryService directoryService, LibraryOptions libraryOptions)
       at MediaBrowser.Controller.Entities.BaseItem.ValidateChildrenInternal(IProgress`1 progress, CancellationToken cancellationToken, Boolean recursive, Boolean refreshChildMetadata, BaseItem[] collectionFolders, LibraryOptions libraryOptions, Dictionary`2 newItemIds, MetadataRefreshOptions refreshOptions, IDirectoryService directoryService)
       at Emby.Server.Implementations.Library.LibraryManager.ValidatePhysicalRoots(IProgress`1 progress, IDirectoryService directoryService, CancellationToken cancellationToken)
    Source: System.Private.CoreLib
    TargetSite: IntPtr CreateDirectoryHandle(System.String, Boolean)
 

How can I fix this?

Edited June 3, 2025 by RafaG

[Happy2Play 9780]

This is a legacy/really old issue as that is an obsolete path as collections were moved to metadata/collections a long time ago (I believe 4.6).

Is it affecting any of your Collections as they should be in /metadata/collections now?

On Dashboard-Library does it show a path on the collections library?  

But will guess you will have to use the api to delete if unless you manually poke around in the database.

@Lukewill need to confirm but think you would just remove the current one.

Somewhat covered here but note removing the Collections library will delete all the content from the Emby /collections folder so if you have say custom artwork/metadata you will want to copy it and manually put it back in /metadata/collections.

[Neminem 1518]

@RafaGdid you use the backup / restore plugin ?

It look like you path got messed up /var/lib/emby/data\collections

Marked in red, loks like a windows path thing.

As you migrated from windows to linux.

And hence this error

System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: System.IO.DirectoryNotFoundException: Could not find a part of the path '/var/lib/emby/data\collections'.

Its not currently supported, AFAIK.

Edited June 3, 2025 by Neminem

[RafaG 17]

Hi,

@Happy2Play, no, no problem with my colletions, and no path on Dashboard_Library. I try to delete via API.
@Neminem, yes, I use backup/restore plugin. I guest that problem came from windows, for this reason I mencion my migration, but it's out of my control

Thanks for your help

[Neminem 1518]

16 minutes ago, RafaG said:

yes, I use backup/restore plugin. I guest that problem came from windows, for this reason I mencion my migration, but it's out of my control

I'm not sure how to fix that, other that edit the library.db.

But making errors while doing so can make bad, really bad.

If you go down that road, shutdown the server, and make a copy of it, before doing anything else.

Adding :

But I have never done this, so can't really help you here.

Edited June 3, 2025 by Neminem

[Luke 42077]

On 6/3/2025 at 5:28 AM, Happy2Play said:

This is a legacy/really old issue as that is an obsolete path as collections were moved to metadata/collections a long time ago (I believe 4.6).

Is it affecting any of your Collections as they should be in /metadata/collections now?

On Dashboard-Library does it show a path on the collections library?  

But will guess you will have to use the api to delete if unless you manually poke around in the database.

@Lukewill need to confirm but think you would just remove the current one.

Somewhat covered here but note removing the Collections library will delete all the content from the Emby /collections folder so if you have say custom artwork/metadata you will want to copy it and manually put it back in /metadata/collections.

Has this helped?

[RafaG 17]

Yes. I marked as a solution

Edited June 11, 2025 by RafaG