Forum Discussion
Why does my computer work better in Safe Mode?
My computer runs significantly smoother and faster when I boot into Safe Mode compared to normal operation, with noticeably fewer slowdowns and system hiccups. I suspect a third-party driver, startup...
Open Device Manager, and for anything that isn't a core Microsoft component (GPU driver, network adapter, audio, RGB/lighting software, chipset utilities, capture card software) check Properties → Driver → Driver Date.
A driver that's old, beta, or was recently auto-updated is a common cause of background CPU usage or disk thrashing that only shows up in full driver mode, not Safe Mode.