What happens if you turn MP off? What are the actual cores used? What about this luma map(?? do you mean luma matte) created by a fractal. Which Fractal? Fractals can take a very long time to render.
As for resetting your preferences, mashing down all of the keys on the left side of the keyboard before you double click on the app and holding them down should prevent AE from opening before you get this:
If you release the keys before the popup appears AE will just launch. If you still cannot get the option to appear then just follow the link at the bottom of the Preferences > General page and delete or rename your file after you close AE.