How do I fix a HP Pavilion that suddenly became extremely slow?

[JOluyemi]

Hello everyone. A couple of days ago while browsing, my laptop suddenly froze. I couldn't click or exit anything. I forced it to shut down using the power button.

When I restarted, it didn't load past the HP welcome screen. It just kept rolling. Then I forced shut down again and left it for some time.

When I turned it back on, I saw messages that seemed like it was trying to rectify the problem. It finally finished repair and it successfully loaded.

But since then it has become EXTREMELY slow. I didn't install any new software neither am I running any heavy program on it just browsing and typing (I'm a writer).

Hard drive is 1TB and I have over 800GB free space. RAM is 4GB. Core i3. 2.2GHz.

This has never happened before. It has always been very fast. PLEASE HELP. WHAT CAN I DO?

I tried running Windows Defender to see if there were any viruses or damages but discovered my Windows Defender was no longer there. Even my Kaspersky antivirus was also removed.

Please any suggestions? I have an urgent project to submit.

[Lil_Boy_Blue]

Hi
PLEASE POST ANY RESULTS.
First:- Turn off the computer, press and hold the PWR button for 4 seconds.

Then - Leave only keyboard and mouse connected, disconnect all externally connected
devices such as Docking Station, USB storage devices, displays, and printers.
Unplug the AC adapter from the computer.

Next - Press and Hold the Power button for 15 seconds to Hard Reset.
Rinse and Repeat; Re-Connect the AC adapter.

NOW begin checking/testing/proving the Hardware is fit for purpose.
Power on your PC, press ESC (repeatedly), then F2 at the prompt.
Choose System Tests (Fast Test does a 4 minute hardware check).
AND/OR
HOW DO I USE DIAGNOSTICS?

HP PC Hardware Diagnostics is a Windows-based utility that allows you to run diagnostic tests to determine if the computer hardware is functioning properly. The tool runs within the Windows operating system in order to diagnose hardware failures. HP PC Hardware Diagnostics Windows comes pre-installed on new HP computers, but if not on yours, download here:-
https://www8.hp.com/us/en/campaigns/hpsupportassistant/pc-diags.html

I use these....
https://download.cnet.com/Bitdefender-Antivirus-Free/3000-2239_4-75902507.html
https://download.cnet.com/Malwarebytes/3000-8022_4-10804572.html
https://support.kaspersky.com/viruses/krd18
https://usa.kaspersky.com/downloads/tdsskiller

https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

From 2016 onwards there is a possible recovery option via the cloud...
HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool (Windows 7 & 10)
https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c06162205
OR
This First part only works when a valid Recovery Partition is enabled.
If it displays an error message then move onto the Second part,
OR if you have data you wish to try and save using the XCOPY command.
Then create your own Repair/Recovery/Rebuild/Re-install media or buy a set from HP.

Turn off the computer.
Disconnect all connected devices and cables, Media Drives, USB drives, printers, & faxes.
Remove media from internal drives, and remove any recently added internal hardware.
Do not disconnect the monitor, keyboard, mouse, or power cord.
WARNING - ONE WAY ONLY, WIPES ALL DATA - NON-RECOVERABLE
Turn on the computer and repeatedly press the F11 key, about once every second,
until the Choose an option screen is displayed, and then continue.

On the Choose an Option screen, click Troubleshoot, and work your way through the screens.