iTunes 11.0.2 freezes (Windows 8)

I've installed the latest version of iTunes (11.0.2) for Windows (I am running Windows 8). iTunes freezes a lot and when I try to start iTunes nothing happens even though I can see the process running in task manager. It still opens after a few minutes though.

Now my real problem: whenever I click Edit > Preferences, iTunes freezes and I have to close the process with task manager. I need to open Preferences because I get an "Unable to load data class" or "Unable to load provider data" error.

Any suggestions?

I am running Windows 8 and iTunes with the latest updates.