if you reinstalled your OS, there's a very good chance that you should install all of your drivers (video card, audio, etc). An operating system without recent drivers is going to run like dogshit.
There is no ne CDLC will always be of various quality. The power you have? You can load up any CDLC and fix it yourself to your liking. That's always there. It just takes a fair amount of learning and time. However, we don't turn away any CDLC unless it's been proven to be unusable (doesn't load, tone bug, etc).
I always get inspired whenever I see a band I really like (and if they perform really well). If I reach that a 1/3 level one day, I'll be super content.