Reasons I have to return to version 2

[kelvindodd]

Please pardon my need for a quick rant, I'll try to keep it short...

So, I'm in the middle of huge project right now and I have no choice but to stick with PE4 until I'm done. But as soon as I can, I have no choice but to revert to PE2. See below. I really hate to, but I don't see where I have a choice.

System instability - I've lost countless hours of work to endless crashing, PE telling me its encountered an error and needs to close. I've gotten into the habit of saving after EVERY change I make. Not an efficient way to work, for sure. My system is quite robust and has a two week old fresh install of XP SP2 with every update available, virtually no third party software to speak of.

Rendering - I seem to get endless 'out of memory, cannot compile movie' errors while I'm trying to render my timeline. I continue to get weird reactions to anything I try to do until I restart PE. A shutdown of PE fixes the problem, albeit temporarily. Currently working on a 400GB drive with plenty of space, and 2Gb of RAM, memory shouldn't be a problem.

Titler crashes endlessly - no matter that I've installed all firmware and driver updates Dell and manufacturers have to offer. Have also uninstalled and reinstalled PE4. Updated latest version of Quicktime. No difference. Text animations seem to be the trigger. I can limp through creating titles, as long as I don't touch animations. As soon as I do, crash!

Timeline stops playing randomly while in playback. Minor annoyance, but nonetheless...

User interface - inability to manage my desktop as I see fit. Cannot undock Timeline or properties menu.

I may be wrong, but I don't see any real advantage to using PE4, except for the additional transitions and effects. Going back to PE2, I'll just have to keep PE4 installed and apply those effects to individual clips and export for use in PE2. Small price to pay for a stable product.

If anyone has fixes in mind for any of these problems, I would love to hear from you. I'd much rather have the opportunity to keep working with PE4, but at the rate I'm going I'll never get my project completed!

[Steve Grisetti]

Version 2 was definitely a high point for the program's development so far.

But I still wonder why so many of the people who are having problems with versions 3 and 4 are people with 2 gigs or more of RAM. Is it a Premiere Elements issue? A Windows issue? Is it all in my imagination?

I don't know.

[Chuck Engels]

I ran version 2 and 3 with 2.5 GB of RAM, no issues at all.
I run version 3 and 4 with 4 GB of RAM, no issues at all.

After saying that, have you tested your RAM? It is possible that you could have some bad spots, a program like Premiere Elements will definitely find any problems with RAM as it will use every last drop it can get unlike most programs.

The Titler is a definite problem I agree.

I am still using version 3 for my work, it is also quite stable.

[kelvindodd]

Well, I definitely want to withhold judgement until I can test it a little more, but it seems to be a memory issue for me, at least. I took out my added stick of RAM, and as far as I can tell, the crashing has stopped.

Obviously, Chuck runs much higher amounts of RAM, so it shouldn't be an Adobe issue. I do know the stick I removed was one I bought aftermarket and I remember not paying much for it, so there's no telling what could be wrong with it. I'll see if I can test it, and in the meantime, run with 1Gb.

Oh, and note to self, don't buy the cheap memory sticks!!!

[Jayell]

Obviously, Chuck runs much higher amounts of RAM, so it shouldn't be an Adobe issue.

But do keep in mind that many folks with 2GB or more of RAM have had issues, while many others have not. We never seemed to have determined why some do and some don't. I'm running 2GB with V2 with no major issues.

I'm always wondering if those with RAM problems have added RAM later or if it was what came with the machine. How about in your case?

[demalibu]

Yes, I'm running 3gb on PE4 and I've had more crashes in 2 months than 12 months on PE3.
Chuck, Steve do you know if Adobe is working on the titler and export to tape problems that seem to crop up here endlessly ?
One final question, if I uninstall PE4 and reinstall PE3 will my projects and captured footage created in PE4 work OK?

[Chuck Engels]

Chuck, Steve do you know if Adobe is working on the titler and export to tape problems that seem to crop up here endlessly ?
One final question, if I uninstall PE4 and reinstall PE3 will my projects and captured footage created in PE4 work OK?

I don't know what they are working on, they do know that the problems exist.
Even if I did know what they are working on there is a Non-disclosure agreement that I am bound to and cannot talk about anything anyway.

You cannot open v4 projects in v3, the captured footage will all be fine but you can't work on v4 projects in v3, you will need to start over.

[Gerry]

Just as another voice in the wilderness here...

I ran v2 with 2 gigs of RAM with absolutely no crashes ever. EVER. And I did quite a bit of stuff in v2.

I've had a bunch of "PE must close now" issues with v4, and I haven't done all that much in it.

I share the frustration. When I booted up v2 several weeks ago it was like seeing an old friend again (and on two monitors, instead of just one).

And I guess I realized the reason I'm sticking with v4 is because it says "4" (and to paraphrase "This is Spinal Tap") and "Four is more than two." And I'm just bull-headed and stupid enough to think that at some point the program will just cry "uncle" and knuckle under.

[Bob]

I recently went to 4GB ram from 2GB and PE3 has been completely stable under both -- I've never had a crash or freeze with it. I have held off from moving to PE4 for now.

I always recommend avoiding the cheap generic memory and get name brand. Even if the memory tests out OK, cheap memory can have marginal characteristics that can show up when paired with other existing memory in the system. But, beyond the physical hardware, there may also be issues with the software and firmware in the system that can be exposed when more memory is present. You might want to check that your audio and video drivers are up to date and possibly even check your computer manufacturer's site to see if a bios update is available -- check the description of what the update fixes to see if it applies to your situation.

[kelvindodd]

Well I knew it was too good to be true, I spoke too soon. Removing the RAM stick seemed to have changed the crashes to some extent, but they are still quite evident.

What's even worse, is now I've tried burning my movie to a disk to test, and as soon as I select disk under the Share tab, it crashes instantly. Reboot, restart, same result. Is that another common occurance among the PE4 community?

As of now, I'm exporting the entire timeline to an AVI just to make sure I can get my project I've been working weeks on, onto a disk. If that doesn't work, I'm going to be kinda upset...

Will keep you posted.

[Gerry]

as I select disk under the Share tab, it crashes instantly. Reboot, restart, same result. Is that another common occurance among the PE4 community?

To be fair, I've never had PE4 crash because of a disk burn. It's only been while editing.

[RJ Johnston]

If you click "disk" and it crashes, then you probably have or had Roxio installed.

[Steve Grisetti]

One other thing could explain the crashes many people with powerful machines are experiencing: overheating.

This piece of freeware will tell you how hot your system is running http://www.almico.com/speedfan.php

And, if we're seeing systems running way hotter than they should be, that would certainly explain why opening the title space or DVD space shuts the program down.

Speedfan is also a great tool for checking your hard drive's health. About the only downside to it is that it runs your fan a lot more than your operating system normally would, and that can get annoying if you like your computer quiet. On the other hand, computers are getting smaller and quieter but with more powerful components, so heat could very well be at work here.

Anybody else have any thoughts?

[Ron]

I was importing some VOB's yesterday for my daughter (PE4). I kept an eye on the process and PE started at about 184MB and while it was importing, it steadily climbed about 10MB a minute. When the VOB was fully imported, the memory usage was 580MB. It kept increasing as I was manipulating the project files. So, it seems it's a virtual memory hog and I guess restarting the program occasionally may fix some of the problems people are experiencing.

[demalibu]

When i was exporting 30 mins to tape (and PE4 was stopping and telling me export successful every 3-4 minutes) processes was showing me it was using 700-900mb of memory. Is that right??