Backwards compatibility is the likely culprit, especially if you're on on Windows 8, 8.1, or 10. Ensure that you have all the following installed:
DirectX 9.0c
Visual Studio from 2006 to present
Visual C++ from 2006 to present
.NET Framework
XNA Framework
For Studio and C++, be sure that you are installing each version in order, first the x86 version, then the x64 version. All versions should be installed side-by-side. If a version is not needed or not compatible with your PC, it will tell you when it goes to install.
Are you getting any errors when you crash?
Also, as
@devivre stated above, overclocking is a great way to introduce instability. If you're using any, I'd completely disable it while running TW1. Especially if it's hanging and forcing you to hard-boot the PC, that's not good. I'd definitely disable it if that's the case.
There's no reason to reboot or delete the saves. If you're not seeing any corruption in the saved games, then everything is probably fine there. It's most likely the engine itself running into a conflict with an OS, drivers, and hardware it wasn't made for.
Something to try, as well, is running the game as an Administrator in compatibility mode for Windows XP (Service Pack 2). If the game is installed anywhere under
Program Files or
Program Files(x86), move it to the root of your drive or a folder of your own creation on the root.