My hp laptop is extremely slow. Startup and shutting down takes so long.

[Weallknowthat]

HP Laptop 14-ck0xxx

Intel(R) Core(TM) i3-7020U CPU @ 2.30 GHz

Installed RAM: 4.00GB (3.88 GB usable)

System type: 64-bit operating system, x64-based processor

My laptop is extremely slow. Sometimes, start up takes 30 mins only to freeze when I click something. Browsers such as Microsoft edge or chrome takes so long to start as well. Now, shutting down also takes more than 5 mins. It's so frustrating that I can't do many things at work because of this issue. I don't know what to do anymore. 

[WAWood]

@Weallknowthat 

This issue is often due to a failing drive. So, let's check that first, because if it is failing, it would need to be replaced and there is no point then in doing anything else until we confirm that.

If your PC is new enough to support UEFI, you can use these steps to test the hard drive: http://support.hp.com/us-en/document/c00439024

If not, to check the drive you have to follow these steps:
1) Press Esc key repeatedly, several times a second, while rebooting the laptop. Do NOT hold the key down, just press it over and over.
2) Eventually, you will see an HP Startup Menu
3) Press the Function key for testing the hard drive (usually F2) and let it run.