Why does my project not stay rendered ?

Question

Hi, things are generally going swimmingly.
However, after rendering for smooth play of titles and fx and then closing, upon opening the project again, the render is gone and I must render again.  Is this the norm?  Why don't those areas stay rendered.  I understand that if I change a title or transition, it will be necessary to render.  It's just annoying to have to render each time I open the project.
Also, I get occasional messages that there is a major problem and Adobe has to close.  Which it does.
toutmeister 

Answer 1

John,
You are correct that the Rendering should "stick," no matter how many times you Close/Open the Project, or reboot the computer. Still, some users report issues with the Renders sticking.
For starters, the Renders are basically "proxy files," that PrE (or PrPro) uses for smoothest playback. These files are linked to in the Project file, the PREL in PrE, or the PRPROJ file, in PrPro. Sometimes, those links can be broken, and for various reasons. Usuallly, if the link is broken, the program will ask "Where is Render file _____.AVI?" though not always. In most of the cases of "missing" Render files, no dialog screen appears.
Some of the elements that can contribute to the missing Renders are:
External HDD's used for the Scratch Disks
Networked drives used for the Scratch Disks
Some totally unknown problem
The first two are usually obvious, when the question, "where are your Scratch Disk files located?" but for the third, its a mystery, and fortunately only affects a few users. If there is no issue with #'s 1, or 2, then it's a case of # 3. Do #'s 1, or 2, apply in your case?
If it's any consolation, it seems that # 3 also happens with PrPro CS4 and CS5, and even Adobe does not have a cause, or fix. From following these issues, when # 3 hits, there seems to be nothing in common, between the Projects of those, who are "bitten." Each case seems different, and many of those users only have it with a single Project. The next half-dozen will stay Rendered. So far, it's been impossible to track this down, or even identify a Project, where it is likely to happen.
Sorry that I do not have more to offer, other than to say, either Re-render, or if it's not really necessary, let it go. I have many Projects, where playback is adequate, and I do not bother to Render, while I have others, especially with a lot of Keyframed animation, where I might Render a section dozens of times, while I adjust things.
For some more background on Rendering, see this ARTICLE.
Good luck,
Hunt