Slow notebook since day one

[Wildhouse]

I bought my notebook in August last year and it has been rubbish since day one.  I am aware it is a basic spec with 4GB RAM, however, I bought it literally only to go on Zoom calls and use it for nothing else.  HP Support has twice remoted in to try and help and more or less told me it was a waste of time (and money) buying it.  They managed to get it to run a bit quicker for about a week each time.  This morning I turned it on at 9.30am for a 10am Zoom meeting.  At around 9.45am I attempted to open **bleep** to get the Zoom link.  Around 9.55am the email opened.  It took until 10.12am before I could join the Zoom meeting which should have lasted until 11am.  At 1047am the connection was lost and I was unable to log-in again before the meeting ended.  I have tried connecting to the internet via a cable instead of by wifi and it made no difference.  I have no other programs running (apart from the usual programs), I have uninstalled/disabled McAfee and at this point I assume that my £299 has basically just been taken from me under false pretences (product not fit for the purpose).  I wasn't expecting a brilliant PC for that money but I did expect one I could actually use.  I bought HP as I have a HP desktop that is nearly four years old and has been, and still is, superb.  Any help to get this notebook to start and join a Zoom meeting in less than 40 minutes would be appreciated, as it isn't realistic to use it anymore.

[praveenbv]

Hi@Wildhouse,

Welcome to HP Community!

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.

The best way to resolve the issue is by using the HP Guided Troubleshooter: 

CLICK HERE FOR STEP BY STEP GUIDE (Scroll to the bottom for more options)

(simply select your description of the issue from the bottom of the screen to gain access to the next set of steps that should resolve your concern).

 Hope this helps! Keep me posted.

Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.

Click the “Kudos, Thumbs Up" on the bottom right to say “Thanks” for helping!

Have a great day! 

[Wildhouse]

Hi.  I have now performed both of the suggestions below to no avail.  I have removed Office 365 which has made a difference but obviously I can no longer use my PC for work.  Have bought an 8GB memory card and about to install that, so hopefully that will make a difference.