Random 'Windows Explorer has stopped responding' when accessing Control Panel

[WrkBoot]

You know,I had the same problem with my last rig.It started somewhere in the middle to late of 2012. It didn't happen all the time,id say 10% maybe. I went as far as changing my modem(Comcast replaced)and as far as I remember it just started working again.Then I started not being able to run Youtube videos. I thought it might of been an update I was missing.I just stopped watching youtube.
Then I built a new rig. Still have the youtube problem. The only think Ive moved over from my last rig was sound card,DVD rom and SSD.

 

[frozenreads]

Also might want to check your Load Line Calibration setting. I've found that at the higher LLC settings with a near stock vcore and with power savings settings enabled, can cause dangerously low voltages at idle which can result in random crashes at transitions from idle. This has resulted in several cases of low CPU load instability for me on a couple systems I've built near stock voltage.

For fun, if enabled also maybe try disabling any BIOS CPU power saving features temporarily and see if it makes any difference?

Umm, you might be on to something there, I do notice the error after the machine has been idling doing nothing, I will try a fixed voltage instead of Offset and turn off Speedstep and some other things and see if that irons things out. I am also going to to turn to the dark side and try Windows 8.1 (I know, I know, Im a desperate man) out of interest to see if the issue reoccur. The other thing I have noticed that may or may not be related is if I have my two WD 1TB Velociraptors in RAID0, some odd things happen, Bitdefender full scans never finish, Malwarebytes scans just crash, always towards the end of a scan, no BSOD's, no Windows errors, they just stop. If I switch back to regular AHCI, no problem. I tried increasing PCH, but no luck. All very very odd.

 

[frozenreads]

Well.................knock me down with a feather! I installed Windows 8.1 and all my woes vanished! I have to say after several days of testing, underneath the warts of Windows 8.1 (and it has plenty of them), is a pretty darn quick and stable OS. I never EVER thought I would say that and its early days I guess but so far........I ...............actually................quite.........like.......it. There I said it!! I know that I shall now burn in the fiery pits of hell but I quite like it.