Cant find my project file: premier elements 13

[owenv87084900]

first time posting and hope you may be able to help!

I have been using elements 13 to create a video on my windows machine (11 pro).

I have been using an external HDD which has the original photo and video files and, as far as I understood, I was saving the premier elements project file to my local drive.

While working on the video, the external HDD crashed and I was able to recover all files which have now been saved to a new external HDD.

I am now wanting to continue making the video and expected id need to 'point' the project to the new file location. But when I go in to my elements software I cannot find the file I was working on at all. 

The only place that I can find any reference to the file is in the "open project>preview files" folder where there is an empty folder with the same file name. (but no actual file in the folder). There is no file in the "auto-save" folder which is strange.

I would understand if the file was still there but not able to 'find' the original files becasue they are on a new HDD... but this is not the case.

I would be extremely grateful for any thoughts on how to recover the project.

many thanks,

[Steve Grisetti]

Unless you chose a specific place to save your project files, they are saved to Documents/Adobe/Premiere Elements/13.0 on a Windows machine.

[owenv87084900]

Thank you for the help. unfotunately its not there and so I must have saved it somewhere else - will continue looking. 

[Bill Sprague]

Try the search in Windows Explorer.  Select  your primary drive and put ".prel" in the serch box (without the quotation marks).   Be patient.  It may take a few minutes.

[owenv87084900]

thanks for your input and effort to try assist. Sadly the only thing that comes up is the empty folder. Very strange that the folder is saved but no files in it. i opened a new proejct and that seesm to saving as normal. I think i need to resign myself to the fact that it must have just got lost on the HDD that crashed. thanks again for the time to share your ideas on solutions

[Peru Bob]

Is it possible that you saved the project file on the HDD that crashed?

[owenv87084900]

I think this must be what happened. I was told that all files were recovered from the HDD, but i presume that this one might not have been recovered