Scanning issue with two of seven libraries, emby does not see/detect a significant number of media in them

[hawkguru 4]

So it appears I am having difficulty adding two libraries. Emby can only see the content in them partially. I have scanned several other libraries and they all seem to have worked successfully.

I even removed and then re-added the problematic libraries one by one, but I believe Emby is using the extisting cache...so after I remove, and re-add the problematic libraries scanning is finished right away...

I can attach logs, however, is it possible to send the log privately to the mod/person from Emby that will help me out than post the file publicly here? Just the file, for the discussion I will continue posting here!

Thank you

[GrimReaper 4740]

Could you share a screenshot of your server Settings>Library tab in the sidebar, where all your libraries are visible, together with their paths? 

Do you have any overlapping/nested paths? 

[Happy2Play 9780]

What is the library content type?

A wild guess would be content misidentified and merged into something it is not.

But a real example maybe needed of what Emby is not seeing.

[hawkguru 4]

Is this what you are looking for?  (image attached)

The offending libraries are these two:

 

E: Docs & TV Series & Music

I: E2 TV SERIES DOCS MUSIC 2

 

 

One thing I wanted to mention - as a work around, I tried to add the several directories in one library one by one, that seems to have worked no issue (but I deleted that library so its not in the screenshot). However, that results in a slightly different variation of layout. I prefer to do it in one if possible. But if it's not then I think I am fine with my alternative.

For example, within the the E: Docs & TV Series & Music directory, the TV Series , Non-Nature DOCS, Nature Docs folders remain empty whereas if I add them one by one they seem to work (although then the layout will slightly vary)

 

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[hawkguru 4]

27 minutes ago, Happy2Play said:

What is the library content type?

A wild guess would be content misidentified and merged into something it is not.

But a real example maybe needed of what Emby is not seeing.

I chose mixed content but only media but i like the layout that it produces is why i choise that category

[pwhodges 2012]

Have you specified any folder which are included within other folders?

Paul

[hawkguru 4]

7 minutes ago, pwhodges said:

Have you specified any folder which are included within other folders?

Paul

Sorry Paul I am not exactly sure what you mean. I can answer if you can help clarify what u mean (its a me problem lol). 

What's interesting is that the TV Series folder in E gets added correctly if I add those folders in E in the screenshot above ^ one by one, but right now that folder and some others are empty. 

 

And if it helps the admin/moderator to do a remote session to quickly see what's happening, i'd be more than happy to provide access. 

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[pwhodges 2012]

4 hours ago, hawkguru said:

Sorry Paul I am not exactly sure what you mean. I can answer if you can help clarify what u mean (its a me problem lol). 

Do you anywhere specify a folder for an Emby library which is a subfolder of one also specified in an Emby library?  Doing this confuses Emby no end!

Paul

[hawkguru 4]

Just now, pwhodges said:

Do you anywhere specify a folder for an Emby library which is a subfolder of one also specified in an Emby library?  Doing this confuses Emby no end!

Paul

It is my apologies, I am still not  exactly sure what you exactly - I will put it this way, each one of these is a different drive, and has only been specified in one library, so I have never told emby to index the same directories in two different libraries/place - does that answer correspond to what you were asking?

 

Also I tried building the library from scratch - I closed emby, backed up programdata folder, then deleted database.db file, then re-opened emby to re-add the problematic library, but then i no longer saw the library even get added back to my dash board. So I closed emby, deleted the programdata library altogether, and replaced it with a backup i made, and everything is back to 'normal' (by that i don't mean the issue is gone, just that I have the old backup restored). 

If the only way I can cleanly re-build library from scrach is to remove emby portable version and re-install it, then I can do that. 

[Gilgamesh_48 1240]

2 minutes ago, hawkguru said:

It is my apologies, I am still not  exactly sure what you exactly - I will put it this way, each one of these is a different drive, and has only been specified in one library, so I have never told emby to index the same directories in two different libraries/place - does that answer correspond to what you were asking?

 

Also I tried building the library from scratch - I closed emby, backed up programdata folder, then deleted database.db file, then re-opened emby to re-add the problematic library, but then i no longer saw the library even get added back to my dash board. So I closed emby, deleted the programdata library altogether, and replaced it with a backup i made, and everything is back to 'normal' (by that i don't mean the issue is gone, just that I have the old backup restored). 

If the only way I can cleanly re-build library from scrach is to remove emby portable version and re-install it, then I can do that. 

Are you specifying the root of those drives as the library's main folder? If so then that is your problem. Emby only works correctly if each library's bas folder is really a folder.

[pwhodges 2012]

Ah yes,  in his screenshot above two of the libraries are specified as H:\ and K:\

Paul

Edited June 7, 2025 by pwhodges

[hawkguru 4]

Not the exact root but one folder above the root - i have done this for all the others they seem just perfect- how come only two have this issue? But ok its not  an issue i will divide the problematic into different libraries to lessen this root related issue. 

[hawkguru 4]

9 minutes ago, pwhodges said:

Ah yes,  in his screenshot above two of the libraries are specified as H:\ and K:\

Paul

Drive H has no issues issue is with drives E and I . Or i guess you meant path wise yes they are two separate drives

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[Gilgamesh_48 1240]

18 minutes ago, hawkguru said:

Not the exact root but one folder above the root - i have done this for all the others they seem just perfect- how come only two have this issue? But ok its not  an issue i will divide the problematic into different libraries to lessen this root related issue. 

Because improper structure works sometimes does NOT mean it will always work. Emby's coding is very good at identifying and matching "crap" correctly but little changes in the back end sometimes breaks things. 

If you want to use improper naming or structure then Emby will try VERY hard to make things work but it is generally a LOT easier to fix the issues instead of complaining.

If you current library is something like D:| then the fix is to make a directory called anything you want and move all the current files into it and then add that path to the library involved. 

One of my Libraries is setup like this:
P:\_Movies 
And that is exactly the directory I use for my libraries and I have zero issues.

I do not have any "Mixed content" libraries (except for my "recordings" library where you have to use that structure) and I do not see any need for "mixed" but many people do use it. I understand that some people find it "better" somehow but, to me, it just seems to complicate things.

[pwhodges 2012]

H:\ is not a subfolder of H: - it is the base folder.

When Emby gets confused, the symptoms often do not show where you would expect...

Paul

[hawkguru 4]

9 minutes ago, pwhodges said:

H:\ is not a subfolder of H: - it is the base folder.

When Emby gets confused, the symptoms often do not show where you would expect...

Paul

But H has no issues regardless, in the other drives with the issues the files are not at the root...despite me naming them that way. You keep referring to H, but my problem is not with H - H is the only drive where the path is a root-path. the other drives are not this way. But again, H has 0 issues. The drives with issues the files are not at the root of the drive. 

I think what i will do is change my library altogether, make the naming scheme more specific. Everyone's suggestion here has helped. Thank you!!!

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[hawkguru 4]

10 minutes ago, Gilgamesh_48 said:

Because improper structure works sometimes does NOT mean it will always work. Emby's coding is very good at identifying and matching "crap" correctly but little changes in the back end sometimes breaks things. 

If you want to use improper naming or structure then Emby will try VERY hard to make things work but it is generally a LOT easier to fix the issues instead of complaining.

If you current library is something like D:| then the fix is to make a directory called anything you want and move all the current files into it and then add that path to the library involved. 

One of my Libraries is setup like this:
P:\_Movies 
And that is exactly the directory I use for my libraries and I have zero issues.

I do not have any "Mixed content" libraries (except for my "recordings" library where you have to use that structure) and I do not see any need for "mixed" but many people do use it. I understand that some people find it "better" somehow but, to me, it just seems to complicate things.

As I specifically mentioned, in the drives with the issues the files are not at the base folder/root path, I may have given the drive a virtual name to make it look that way, but those are virtual names. H is probably the only drive where i added it at the root, and that has no issues, the other drives are not added from their root.

And I mean yes my use case is different than yours. 

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[hawkguru 4]

At this point I'd like to ask @pwhodges and @Gilgamesh_48 to no longer participate/post back in this thread if this is possible. Thank you for all the help you offered so far. Also, as I said I will try to re-organize my library differently. Your understanding is much appreciated.

Edited June 7, 2025 by hawkguru

[Gilgamesh_48 1240]

3 hours ago, hawkguru said:

At this point I'd like to ask @pwhodges and @Gilgamesh_48 to no longer participate/post back in this thread if this is possible. Thank you for all the help you offered so far. Also, as I said I will try to re-organize my library differently. Your understanding is much appreciated.

Because you posted this I will, possibly, post 10-15 more posts. 

I do not see the why behind that request? I tried to be helpful and dropped out as soon as I was sure you understood what I said. I can be wrong but so can you.

Edited June 8, 2025 by Gilgamesh_48

[hawkguru 4]

@Gilgamesh_48 Suit yourself, post 100 replies if you want. This thread was mine to get help, yet you’ve hijacked it now. I am unfollowing this thread now. Have fun ‘helping’, but remember helping is not about how many posts you do or replies, its actually about helping , and when a new member specifically requests you stop, you stop, cause that’s helping to do, that’s respect too. Goodbye and enjoy your thread @Gilgamesh_48

Edited June 8, 2025 by hawkguru

[Luke 42078]

On 6/7/2025 at 11:51 AM, hawkguru said:

Is this what you are looking for?  (image attached)

The offending libraries are these two:

 

E: Docs & TV Series & Music

I: E2 TV SERIES DOCS MUSIC 2

 

 

One thing I wanted to mention - as a work around, I tried to add the several directories in one library one by one, that seems to have worked no issue (but I deleted that library so its not in the screenshot). However, that results in a slightly different variation of layout. I prefer to do it in one if possible. But if it's not then I think I am fine with my alternative.

For example, within the the E: Docs & TV Series & Music directory, the TV Series , Non-Nature DOCS, Nature Docs folders remain empty whereas if I add them one by one they seem to work (although then the layout will slightly vary)

 

Hi, did the library scan finish after setting up this library? 

[hawkguru 4]

i did it differently and more organized, not having issues now. thank you.