Spectre x360 15 slows down due to Conexant APO Agent

[Pocong]

Spectre x360 15 slows down due to Conexant APO Agent.

The process takes up 20-25% of CPU.

If you feel that your x360 is sluggish, you might want to check the task manager.

I have disabled suspicious programs, but I haven't figured out the culprit.

Conexant APO Agent seems to be a part of Realtek driver.

I disabled all sound drivers but it still continues to pop up.

Does this happens to all x360?

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Pocong Welcome to HP Community! I suggest you reinstall the audio drivers from the device manager, if the issue persists, here's what I recommend you do:

First, let's start with performing a hard reset on the PC to release any excessive static/power that could have caused the issue. 

• Turn off the computer. 
• Disconnect all external connected peripheral devices such as USB storage devices, external displays, and printers. 
• Unplug the AC adapter from the computer. 
• Press and hold down the Power button for about 15 seconds to drain any residual electrical charge from the capacitors that protect the memory. 
• Press the Power button to turn on the computer. 
• If a startup menu opens, use the arrow keys to select Start Windows Normally, and then press the Enter key. 

Second, you can check if there is Bios update available for your PC, here is the link to download. 

Performing a test on the Hard drive as well as on the Memory from the Hardware diagnostics:  

1. Hold the power button for at least five seconds to turn off the computer.

2. Turn on the computer and immediately press Esc repeatedly, about once every second. When the menu appears, press the F2 key.

3. On the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics (UEFI) main menu, click System Tests.

4. Click Extensive Test.

5. Click Run once, or Loop until error.

   While the test is running, the time remaining and test result for each component are shown on the screen. The test can take 2 or more hours to complete.

   NOTE:

If the diagnostics are not available when using the F2 menu, run the HP PC Hardware Diagnostics from a USB drive. To download the latest version of the diagnostics, go to the HP Hardware Diagnostics website. For instructions, see Testing from an external USB device.

Depending on the test results, If the test passes then I would suggest you perform a complete system recovery.  

Note: Recovery will wipe off everything from the computer. If you have anything important get in touch with some local stores to get your data backed up. 

  

Click here to know: How to perform each step.

Let me know how that pans out,

If you feel I was helpful, simply click on Accept as Solution to help the community grow,

That said, I will have someone follow-up on this to ensure you've been helped,

Just in case you don't get back to us within 24 - 48hrs, and have a good day, ahead.

[Pocong]

Thank you, @Riddle_Decipher,

What actually worked for me was to rename 

"C:\Windows\System32\CXAPOAgent64.exe"

 to 

"C:\Windows\System32\-CXAPOAgent64.exe-"

I'm not entirely happy with this solution, but it works and it takes only a few minutes instead of hours.

[Riddle_Decipher]

@Pocong It's good that it worked out, renaming core system files isn't something we usually suggest, perhaps, you should create a backup of the original file or create a system restore point to be on a safer side.

Click here for details on how to create a restore point.

If you wish to thank me for my efforts, you could click on "Accept as solution" on my post as the solution should help others too.