PLEASE help - Elements 8 forcing 16:9 to a 4:3 layout causing distortion

Question

I'm so frustrated with Elements 8 that it's actually starting to make me feel ill now...!
I've been trying for the last four hours to make a simple six minute movie on Adobe Elements 8. I won't bore you with all the details of the intense frustration of using this program (mainly to do with massive massive PC useage which causes the whole thing to crawl along making every task take four times longer than it should) but having finally acheived getting the thing edited and saved it's managed to convert what started out as a widescreen video into 4:3, so everythig is squeezed and distorted.
I've tried everythig in the save area to do it differently, but no joy.
Having researched it as best I could (not easy) I find that there are settings before you save. Basically there are two that apply to me:
PAL DV Standard
PAL DV Widescreen
Both squeeze the movie into 4:3.
I've used this program before and got Widescreen in, widescreen out no problems, but not any more.
I've tried searching the help menus, I've tried finding a way to contact Adobe, but total blank.
Can anyone pleas please help?

Answer 1

Thank you. Adobe forums won't let me copy and paste the question and I've just about lost the will to live with this one after five hours now.
I know that sounds pathetic but it's just ground me down to nothing.
I give up.