No audio playback in Premiere Elements 2018

[Joseph233705783s1z]

I've been happily editing using Premiere Elements 2018 for the past several years.  Last week I created a new project, and when I tried to play some clips, no audio!  My audio hardware is working fine with YouTube videos, system sounds, etc.  Looked for settings in PE that would affect this, but couldn't find any.  Then PE started behaving erratically--clips wouldn't play at all, certain commands did nothing.  When I tried to close it, it seemed to stop responding entirely.  After experiencing this several times, I decided to delete it and reinstall it.  Today I did so, but no joy, as the new installation is behaving exactly the same!  Is there a timer on this software that just makes it dysfunctional after a certain amount of time?  I was a reasonably happy PE customer until now...

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[Peru Bob]

What are the complete computer specs, including hard drives (how many, what kind, what is on each, what capacity, and how full)?

If NVIDIA graphics, make sure to use the latest Studio Driver from NVIDIA (NOT the Game Driver).

[Joseph233705783s1z]

Device name ZDOG2Q6W8N2
Full device name ZDOG2Q6W8N2.CBN.Local
Processor Intel(R) Core(TM) i5-7500 CPU @ 3.40GHz 3.41 GHz
Installed RAM 8.00 GB (7.87 GB usable)
Device ID 5743E911-7973-47C9-BBB7-3A495D2E0DC4
Product ID 00329-10020-00002-AA057
System type 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor
Pen and touch No pen or touch input is available for this display

Edition Windows 10 Enterprise
Version 21H2
Installed on ‎1/‎13/‎2022
OS build 19044.1526
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 120.2212.4170.0

Only one hard drive: 464 GB; abourt 200GB used as present.  Not sure if it's SATA or IDE; it's not a SSD.  Don't know the manufacturer of the HDD.  Intel graphics 1920 x 1200, 59p refresh.

Funny thing is, I have been using this PC with the original installation of PE 2018 for years.  Nothing has changed on the PC, as far as I know.  I see many references to setting the input settings to none, but my Audio Hardware page doesn't include an input option.

[Bill Sprague]

Along with Bob's requests and suggestions, consider checking the Audio Hardware Preferences.   Default Audio Input should be set to "No Input".   For some reason, if it is not matched to your computer correctly the entire system bogs down as it tries to process the audio. 

[Joseph233705783s1z]

There is no option for selecting an input option in my Audio Hardware preferences.

[Bill Sprague]

There is no option for selecting an input option in my Audio Hardware preferences.

If it is there, it should look like this....

[Joseph233705783s1z]

Nope!  My audio hardware page has no field for Default Input.

[Joseph233705783s1z]

Yesterday I uninstalled PE 2018 again, because it was absolutely useless.  Wouldn't play any clips, respond to the space bar, and wouldn't close without resorting to the Task Manager.  Don't know what's wrong, but these recent attempts were all in 2022, and the last time I used it was in late (November, I think) 2021.  I'm suspecting some kind of timer went off in the software, rendering it useless after a certain time period.  That thought is infuriating, but wouldn't surprise me.  Nothing has change on the PC I use it on at work to edit during my lunchtime.  Incidentally, when I tried to reinstall it, I got an error message saying some components couldn't be installed.  When I tried to access the log files to get further information, they only returned garbage characters in a text editor, so even trying to get to the bottom of those was a dead end.  Also tried chatting online, and all they could tell me was that my version was no longer supported.  Not satisfying!

[Bill Sprague]

 I'm suspecting some kind of timer went off in the software, rendering it useless after a certain time period.  

That does not happen.  

[Joseph233705783s1z]

Tried re-installing it yesterday.  I still get an error message at the end of the installation, saying that some components couldn't be installed.  Once again, I can't open the log file with a text editor, as only junk characters appear so I can't read the error code to get a heads-up how to proceed.  Still not playing back any audio, and still no Default Input field on my Preferences Audio Hardware page.  Here's a screen shot: 

Meanwhile, I checked my Premiere Elements 2018 on my laptop at home, and it is working perfectly, which is great, but that does not solve my problem of not being able to install it on my PC at work--where I do most of my editing during lunch!  Can anyone help me?!?

[Joseph233705783s1z · Accepted solution]

After spending a couple of weeks trying to resolve this issue with PE 2018, I was forced to move on, as no further replies were forthcoming from the community.  I consulted with a friend who is much more conversant with computers than I am, and he intimated that Windows could have pushed out an update that rendered certain features non-compatible.  After numerous unsuccessful attempts at reinstalling, I finally had to give up on this version.  After carefully checking that my work PC fully met all the required specifications for the installation of  PE 2022, I purchased, downloaded, and installed it, and--guess what--it is working perfectly.  I am glad that my problem has been resolved, and I can resume editing videos for my YouTube channel, but I certainly am disappointed that this product just seemed to stop working without remedy after abour five years' use.

[Joseph233705783s1z]

I  got a couple of inital replies and one follow-up, but then the replies went silent.  Disappointing first experience with the support community.

[Steve Grisetti]

Actually this is exactly where Peru Bob was going in your very first reply. The FIRST thing we always recommend is that you double-check to ensure you have all of the latest updates and that you get your updates from sites like nVidia, AMD and Intel rather than trusting Windows to automatically update. This fixes problems the vast majority of the time.

Sorry we weren't able to get that answer to you more promptly, Joseph. We say it so often on this forum that people get sick of hearing it. But what's most important is that you've found a solution and you're making movies again! No matter where that solution came from.