I've been having some major issues with my old PC after my dad upgraded the hard drive. It used to run Windows 10 just fine, but things have really changed since he did the upgrade. I was having some trouble with programs like Fusion360 and Bambu Studio due to high CPU and memory usage, which is why my dad thought a new hard drive would help. He insists he didn't change anything aside from that, but my experience says otherwise. I'm noticing various problems:
1) My important files were transferred over, but I couldn't access one folder initially until he fixed it. Still, I think it's connected to my other issues.
2) Windows feels different; I can't access dark mode, the start menu looks different, and I can't have the clock on my taskbar on both monitors like before.
3) I tried downloading regular Opera instead of OperaGX, but it crashed when downloading a file, while Chrome handled it fine. My dad thinks just to stick with OperaGX.
4) My Discord download is corrupted, and although I tried fixing it following guides, I couldn't figure it out. It ran perfectly before.
5) I tried installing PDFGear, but it says I need .NET Framework 4.6.2, which won't install on my OS. It's all a mess. I'm contemplating professional help, and I plan to eventually save up for a new PC. Can anyone help me understand what's going wrong?
4 Answers
Just a heads-up, when your dad mentioned adding a new hard drive for memory, he might have meant storage rather than RAM. New storage improves capacity, but if you want better performance, check if you can upgrade the RAM too. Also, resetting Windows while keeping data might be something to look into!
Check that taskbar! It sounds like you might accidentally be on Windows 11. Try pressing Win+R and type 'winver' to see the version of Windows you're running. If it's different, that could explain the changes you're seeing.
Just did that, and you’re right! It’s showing Windows 11. I wasn’t expecting that.
It sounds like your dad might have installed a fresh version of Windows or just a really outdated one. Even if you transferred old files, they may not work as you expect on a new installation. You basically got a new setup with some stuff from your old drive. Also, if the graphics card is still the same, that could explain some of your ongoing issues with performance.
Yeah, and if the new hard drive was formatted differently, it could also cause some issues with accessing your files. Just making sure your system is up-to-date could really help.
Your dad might have installed an older version of Windows 10. If that's the case, a clean install of the latest Windows 11 could solve a lot of issues. Also, consider upgrading to an SSD; they are so much faster than the old hard drives and could significantly improve your performance. Here’s a guide for a clean install of Windows 11: [link].
Thanks for the guide! I’ll definitely look into that.
Got it, that makes sense. I’ll see about that.