UPGRADED FROM PRE 3.0 TO PRE 10...WAS THIS A MISTAKE????

Question

I have a windows 7 operating system with a (c) drive with over 200gb, a separate slave drive with over 100gb, and 4 gb memory. My Video card is up to date, and quite large since I am an avid online game player.
I love to write, and create videos, and movies, and music for friends family and clients. And in my experience..no software does the job for me like my Adobe Premiere Elements 5.0, and the Adobe Photoshop 5.0 combo pack.  I was happy with my PRE 3.0. loved the ease, the creations, and the finished product.
But then....I realized I was short changing myself  by not advancing into the more modern up to date version. so I upgraded to PRE 10. I was very happy when I did. Called my comp guy and shouted it via text. He was happy for me as well. Then I tried to transfer over a project I have been working on for a month now, over to my new platform. PRE 10.
MISTAKE!!!
It barely picks up half of the  fade ins, and fade outs I implemented in my project. It wont allow me to even change the size of my timeline or streamlined images without creating large gaps, and not allowing me to delete said gaps. It has been a nightmare, and I've only had it for a couple of days now.
I am very much so a power user when it comes to my comp. I pride myself in getting online daily and tinkering with stuff until I master it...sort of speak. And now this little problem makes me wish I never upgraded at all. please don't misunderstand me...I love the great effects and transitions...if they ever worked on my existing project...I'd love them more. I love the format of the entire APE 10...if I could enhance the font so I could see the actual prompts on top...that would be a plus as well. And I love the fact that the project has a lot more themes...if they would work with my existing project I would be overjoyed.
But they don't allow, and they don't work properly with my existing project. I know you keep reading "With my existing project". I would hate to have to completely do this project over again...but I fear that is my only course of action at this point. Maybe the leap from 3.0 to 10.0 was too much for my little project to bear. Maybe this is not set up properly in my system...which would also answer the question as to why this version runs so darn slow.
Catching up with the timeline when I play it is near to impossible. I have to keep rewinding and playing it over and over again in order for it to play with all the effects I have added to my GIFs and images. Needless to say...I am not a happy camper. I would love for someone to help me with this issue, so I can be on my way to creating videos again. Thank you all for patiently listening to me vent, and for your assistance in advance.
Peace in the Middle E.

Answer 1

Hello S.G. & VDO Surfer...sorry...didn't see this reply or the one after this by VDO Surfer till just now.
I create videos out of JPEGs, GIFs, and WMVs I find online. of course I give them credit at the end of my productions. I have but one that was not done for a client which is on youtube. that was my first ever. I am sure its not the computer giving me trouble, as I recently had a blue screen crash, and had to wipe it totally clean. in doing so I only uploaded the images and GIFs I needed to complete this tribute video I am creating.
I started it out in PRE 3, and when the comp crashed, I was able to get it off the old HD, and put in onto the other one. I didn't plan on upgrading until after I uploaded it onto  my new comp. Once I upgraded I began having all sorts of problems. It plays choppily, and acts as if it has to catch up with my prompts.
Again...I started this out in PRE3 so it was fine then. It did kind of the  same thing, now that I think of it. I had to keep rewinding it, in order to get it to play straight through  after it has caught up to itself. before I installed the upgrade I was online with the adobe chat rep. they told me all I had to do was download the newer versions and they would completely override the older versions. they didn't say that the projects previously created would be hindered by the newer version. and when I asked them that, they said 'oh no...no problem at all'.
So I did my homework. its ok though I will do it the old fashioned way. Back to the drawing board. I have already begun. and the funny part is, even doing it from the beginning...its still a little choppy. I guess that's how it is with this program. no matter if its a new project or existing one...it still plays back a little choppy.
I do have one question for you guys. When you have to delete and close a gap...why it is that it sometimes does not comply....causing me to move all of the frames over to fill the gap...manually?