Path is already configured as root folder

Help & Support
#1

Hi noob here pulling my hair out - am hoping there is a simple answer I have missed, but for the life of me I don’t get how to proceed.

Everything is generally working for me - but I store all my media on my Unraid server and have decided that with Sonarr I will group my current TV in one folder and have Sonarr monitor that. Previously I have had numerous sub-folders and categories, but I want to simplify things. Now for most of the series, this is fine, however, there are some that my existing episode on the disk will not be recognised by Sonarr.

Say I want to add the series Black Sails. I move the files to the relevant folder on my server and add a new series to Sonarr. I tell it the path \Tower\TV Current\Black Sails and this is accepted. Under this folder are all the Seasons folders and metadata

The series is added,but sonarr doesn’t pick up the existing files. I look at the filepath and it is listed as \Tower\TV Current\Black Sails\Black Sails. If I try to amend it I get the message “Path is already configured as root folder” and it won’t let me change it to \Tower\TV Current\Black Sails.

if I go tot he series editor I get the same “Path is already configured as root folder” error message and I cannot change the file path.

If I delete the series and try re-adding it or adding existing from disk I still get the error message “Path is already configured as root folder” and it refuses to add the series.

Please help - I’m sure there is a simple answer to what this noob is doing wrong.

P.S. Loving Sonarr in general

#2

When you go to Add Existing you need to enter the path that contains your series folders, not a series folder itself, so you would enter: \\Tower\TV Current\

There is a message to that effect at the top of the modal window where you choose the path, but maybe its not clear enough?

#3

I did see that - but if I try to add \Tower\TV Current\ the path is not accepted - I get the same error message

#4

Did you already add it? That’s the only time you should see that.

#5

Not that I know of…

However, if I did add it should it not then pick up all the series under TV Current?

Would I be better off deleting all the series and then asking Sonarr to import all under \Tower\TV Current?

I should add that the above behaviour doesn’t happen every time, just for some series…

#6

You have to select the folder on the add existing screen to see the series folders within it, unless you did you wouldn’t see them.

Yeah, looking that way, remove all the series, remove all the root folders from the add existing series modal and add ‘\Tower\TV Current’, then import each series under it.

#7

OK, will give that a go and let you know!

#8

Well I’ve deleted all series, tried to import from disk using “\Tower\Tv Current” - still get the same error message…

Any ideas?

I cannot see any place where I can tell Sonarr to remove the \Tower\TV current root folder as I have no series now…Am I best off uninstalling, reinstalling?

#9

https://db.tt/myCAh0Z7 - the same place you are trying to add one. There is a list of the currently added ones, did you remove them?

#10

I removed all the series from Sonarr.

Now it gives me the you must be new here message.

If I try to import a series I don’t get any list of configured drives/folders etc, but I do get several balls bouncing form left to right and back again with varying grades of grey/black. I presume these are a wait indicator. If I leave it, nothing changes, even after 30 minutes.

If I try to import a series then When I type \Tower\TV Current I get the same error message. If I type \Tower\TV Current\ the list of series folders on the drive appear and I can select a specific series. this is what I did previously and presumably this is where the problem lies.

#11

Are you clicking “Add existing series”? When you do that, you should get a popup window (modal) what do you see (screenshot please).

#12

Markus.

I did click add existing. A Window did indeed pop up - but I decided to remove Sonarr and reinstall it. I then reconfigured it with my indexers and sabnzbd etc. Last of all I added my existing series using \Tower\TV Current\

They have all been added and all seem to be working properly now. I’m not sure exactly what I did before, but it definitely did not agree with Sonarr’s configuration.

I presume that if I add a new series folder then Sonarr will pick that up automatically or do I have to import any new series in the same manner?

thanks for all your help

#13

Use add new series in the UI to add a new one (Sonarr will create a folder for it, either immediately if the option is set, or when a file is to be imported).

If you add a new folder on disk you will need to Add an Existing series, select the existing folder and then choose the series in the results.

#14

Thanks - got it all sorted now - I can see that the behaviour that was being demonstrated by sonarr wasn’t in line with what you are describing above and what is now happening. I think this all stemmed from me failing to properly import my series and this issue with the root folder.

So much easier to use now!

thanks again and keep up the good work!

#15

Just had the same message but not sure if it’s a slightly different issue.

Whilst I have most series in one location, some series are being directed elsewhere (the missus!). She also has a tag which she adds to each of her series for notification purposes.

When adding a new series, the path is changed to the alternate location in the drop-down. This is the main folder above the individual series folders. This is fine. We then have to edit the series to add the tag. At this point the path still shows the selected parent folder above the series folder but, the moment the tag is added, the above message pops up and we can’t save. It transpires that, at this point, we have to change the path to a specific series folder, i.e. one level down. Of course the folder doesn’t actually exist yet as nothing has been downloaded but manually typing it in and saving seems to work.

Not sure if this is a bug or a design feature but it’s rather confusing! :slight_smile:

#16

I did some testing, but I’m not seeing this behavior. I tried paths with and without a trailing slash.

Thats definitely not intended behavior. If you could provide some examples of the paths used for root folders we can take a look.

#17

markus,

replying to an old thread i see, however, I have the exact same issue, with the exact same series…“Black Sails”. The folder path for the folder “Black Sails” is the same as other shows, i.e., “The Walking Dead” and I wouldn’t have known there was an issue except I went to change the type from 720 down to SD. This changed simply enough for The Walking Dead, however, for Black Sails I get the error about “Path is already configured as a root folder”?

Note…this is not a “New Show” being added, and Sonarr has been configured for sometime in its present form, I only wanted to change it from 720 down to SD.

image link in imgur below…

Black Sails - path

#18

What is the “end” of the path for the working and non-working show? Both end or don’t end with a backslash?

#19

so this is interesting. I tried to change a few more series, they changed successfully, however, another one had the same error. The paths of all of these shows are the same. I went into series editor and selected one of the shows that says it is already “root” and once selected the bar at the bottom appears with the option for Monitored, Profile/Season Folder, and Root Folder. In looking at the list of root folders (should only be one), the shows that will not let me change their profile are listed there…as shown in the image link posted. The question i guess is, how do I clean up the list of root folders so that there is only one Root Folder, and how do I change the designation of these series from a Root Folder to a Standard folder?

Ev7CJ0A.png1008×266 19.6 KB

#20

Ok…resolved it. The answer was in the link below for a missing root folder…

This message may appear if a previous root folder is no longer used. To remove old root folders:

  1. Begin adding a new Series by searching for a name, but do not submit
  2. In the ‘Path’ dropdown, select ‘Add a different path’
  3. Click the cross at the end of a row to remove the unused path (this is where I deleted the shows mistakenly set as Root)

Once this was done, I was able to go back to the shows and change the quality without any issues, and they are no longer listed as “Root Folders”.

hope this helps someone else…

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