Some apps are slow to load, and I'm having trouble finding the right drivers.
Some apps are slow to load, and I'm having trouble finding the right drivers.
A week ago I attempted to install a 64-bit Chrome, Flash Player and Java setup, believing it would work. However, my games and desktop experienced significant frame rate drops every couple of minutes. I then reinstalled the 32-bit version and removed the 64-bit files. After that, even with the 32-bit, my performance issues persisted. Now I’ve reinstalled Windows 8.1 and found a utility included with my motherboard installation media. I tried it and it worked smoothly. I checked if the settings and overclock speed were optimal—my CPU was already at 4GHz, and pushing it to 5.8GHz caused boot loops. At 4.2GHz it would crash under heavy load. After several restarts, the PC would freeze when booting at 4.1GHz but function normally after restarting. I also noticed that after a few reboots, icons and apps took longer to load, unlike when I first turned on the PC. Even though I know this isn’t ideal, I reinstalled Windows again and upgraded to 8.1. Drivers for my components (motherboard, GPU, CD, printer) were installed correctly, and performance returned after a restart. It still takes time for everything to load, especially when launching Windows. I don’t restart often, so it might have been happening before. I’m trying to fix this because I’m very detail-oriented about my system. Also, when installing Windows 8 from the store, do I install drivers on 8 or 8.1?
I’m hoping I haven’t harmed my CPU; the drop in FPS isn’t happening, so I’ll try resetting the CMOS and see what happens. I checked and everything seems to be running under BIOS, not UEFI, and I suspect AHCI might be turned off—though it’s not ideal for HDDs and SSDs, but it’s not necessarily a problem if it’s disabled.
It seems the system was already deactivated prior to this event, so it likely isn't the root cause. AHCI could enhance file transfer speeds, particularly with HDDs and SSDs, as they were built for that purpose. However, if you didn’t enable AHCI during installation, you’ll need to install the corresponding drivers and change Windows disk mode to AHCI before it will boot properly. There are many guides available online—just look up "switch to AHCI after install" for detailed instructions.