ChiMickey
Thanks for the reply with details.
1. About the 8.0.1 Update. For reasons unknown only to Adobe, it set that up so after the update there was no 8.0.1 that appeared anywhere (including Help Menu/Adobe Premiere Elements). One of the actions of the 8.0.1 Update was to disable the automatic background rendering option in Edit Menu/Preferences/General. So, if you see background rendering disabled in preferences, you "probably" have the 8.0.1 Update installed unless you remember turning off that option yourself. Please try to download and install the Premiere Elements 8.0.1 Update from the following link
Adobe - Premiere Elements : For Windows : Adobe Premiere Elements 8.0.1 update
You can leave the program closed during this download and install. Hopefully it will tell you that it is already installed or it will install.
2. If you are not seeing AppData after Owner, I suspect that your Folder Option Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives is not selected.
To do that, click on the Start Button. Then in the Search field above the Start button, type in Folder Options.
Then look to the top of that left column where you should see Folder Options text to click on.
When you click on Folder Options, the Folder Options dialog appears. Click on the View Tab there and scroll down to the
Show Hidden Files, Folders, and Drives option to make sure that it is selected.
If the 8.0.1 Update and deletion of the Adobe Premiere Elements Prefs file (or whole 8.0 Folder in which Adobe Premiere Elements Prefs file exists) does not resolve the problem, then we should think about uninstall, the free ccleaner run through, reinstall with antivirus and firewall(s) disabled.
https://www.piriform.com/ccleaner/download
Have you evaluated the problems with and without antivirus disabled to rule the antivirus program as a factor in the problems?
We will be looking forward to the results.
Thank you.
ATR