I can no longer encode a sequence in PP CC after the Dec 2013 update

Question

II have had to shut down and restart PP CC about 5 times when just creating a very simple sequence of clips from a family get together for Thanskgiving.  I had to shut down since everything just quite responding.  Fortunately, when I reopened the project, I could resume.   I finally got my sequence created, but, now I can't export the sequence.  The encode has failed 8 times in a row.  I've tried direct export, and exporting to the AME queue.  Sometimes I get the error sound and the absolutely useless error message "Error compiling movie.  Unknown Error." Other times it just stops making any progress in the encode with no message at all, but there are zero CPU cycles being consumed by PP or AME.  It just plain stops, wiht no eror message.  That happened 3 times when used the Media Queue approach, and in the preview window in AME, it just stopped encoding at very different places in the sequence.
It appears as though I can no longer encode a movie.  And I'm paying big bucks for this every month?  What a sap.
I'm glad I'm not a Pro, whose income and life depends on these tools!  But, I have a full time job, and only a very small amount of free time.  I do not want to spend my small amount of free time as an Adobe Beta Tester.  I've been using Adobe tools for years, which is why I signed up for CC, but...at this point: I can't even encode a simple sequence!
I can't express my disappointment.  I wanted to be loading the encoded MP4 onto VIMEO for my friends and family to see by now, but.....I can't even encode a very simple sequence.  And, I not a newbie.  I have hundreds of videos on VIMEO, and many more on Youtube and Smugmug.  Every one was produced with Adobe PP (from v4 on).
But now:  I'm dead in the water.
I gurantee you that i will not 're-up' when my CC subscription expires, and, I guess right now, I have to start from scratch with my raw clips and find some other tools to use?  I wish all my expensive plug-ins (like MB Suite) would work in whatever the tools I will move to...but...I guess I'll just have to write them off as a loss, just like the next 8 months of paying for my Adobe CC Software that no longer works.
I wish there was a way I could take the Thanksgiving Project and its sequences I've created in PP CC and convert the Project to PP 6.0, since I never had  any issues with it PP v6.0.
But, from what I understand, if you make a project in PP CC, you are lost.  You can't go backwards.
And, you know what?  I'm done.  I quit.  I won't even try starting over in PP 6.0.  I'm going to find some other tools.  I know they won;t be as full-featured as Adobe's, but...I'm not a pro.  I just need something that works reliably.
Disgusted beyond words.
John
Win 7 Pro
24 GB Ram
NVidia GTX 470
PS:  So, does Adobe have any kind of disaster recovery plan when an update like this fails?  Can you please send out a "new update" that rolls me back to the prior version on PP CC?

Answer 1

OK.  I have successfully encoded this very simple sequence, but, I *can't* get it to encode using my "standard" custom H.264 preset that I have been using for years.
But, I was not able to encode in many plain vanilla codecs either, but, I got a notice that there was a CC update for AE, so I took the time to install those updates, and, as I always do, I re-booted after the update of AE.
But, of course I had re-booted a couple times last night when I couldn't get the sequence to encode.  That's somethinf I always try b4 writing to a form.
So, here's the sequecne of events this morning:
1)  Try to encode sequecne to uncompressed AVI (Cineform AVI 1920x1080).  It SUCCEEDED.  But, even though the AVI was large > 3.6 GB the quality was horrible, I did not pay much attention to the quality settings.
2)  Try to encode to Quicktime H.264 codec.  FAILED.
3)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=Uncompressed 4:2:2.  FAILED
4)  CC UPdate notice for AE CC and AE 6.0
5)  Perform update
6)  Reboot
7)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=Uncompressed 4:2:2.  SUCCEEDED - but ENORMOUS FILE SIZE *very nice quality though*  :-)
8)  Try to encode to Quicktime Codec=H.264.  SUCCEEDED.
9)  Try to encode to my 'usual' H.264 Preset FAILED, just hung up during the 2nd of two passes.  My preset is a VBR with 2 passes, see bitmap below. In this particular case it got 'hung' at this frame.  But, It never 'hangs' in the same place?
So, I don't know why I was able to encode the sequence using the Quicktime Wrapper and botn Uncompressed and H2.264 Codecs after updating AE CC and rebooting, but not before.  Surely there is no interaction between AE and AME?
But, the re-boot should not have caused it alone, since I had rebooted several times last night, and I've installed nothing but the new update for AE since last night?
So, I guess I'm OK now.  Please excuse my tone last night, I was very frustrtated.
It is interesting that I still can't encode this particluar sequence using my "standard" H.264 preset.
And, BTW Jim:  What I mentioned in my previus post was not that I had brought and old PP 6.0 sequecne into CC and encoded it successfully, but that I just re-encoded one of my most complex sequences AGAIN in PP 6.0, just to wanted to make sure nothing was haywire with "good old" PP 6.0.
But, I did just re-encode a sequence from PP CC from before the Dec 13 update using my "standard" H.264 preset, and...yes...it DID encode.
SOOOOO...Jim, you were correct.  My inability to encode was not due to the DEC 13 PP CC update, but something very peculiar about this one sequence.  But, it is a very simple sequence.  The only effects applied is some light color grading using MB Colorista, and Warp Stabilizer to a stabilize a few hand held shots.  No other effects.  And...the encode that fails using my standard preset, never fails at the same frame.
But...at this point I'm OK.  Instead of an encoded file in MP4 I have an ecnoded H.264 rendition in the QuickTime MOV wrapper.  At least I've got that sequence done and can move on to the ton of others I need to get to (without having to learn an entirely new tool).  :-)
John