Weird HP Envy Laptop Problem

[wfc4life]

I have a client running Windows 8.1 on a HP Envy laptop.

There are two issues:
1. When IE or Google Chrome is started. It takes several minutes for the home page to load.
2. When the client uses Adobe Reader and QuickBooks 2014, the software randomly locks up, and the client has to reboot the machine.

What I have checked:
1. Ran hardware diagnostics & verified drivers were all working properly; no issues.
2. Performed a "hard" reset of the laptop.
3. Updated the OS.
4. Ran Malwarebytes; nothing found.
5. Ran Tweaking.com AIO software; issues persist.
6. Issue one doesn't occur in safe mode. Adobe Reader also works fine in safe mode; QuickBooks won't run in safe mode.

My Conclusion:
Since the client has been using the same anti-virus for years, I don't think the Norton Security is an issue. Also, the client has a second HP Envy which is working fine. The fact the issues don't occur in safe mode, make me think this is a software problem. The client is a building contractor and has a ton of specialty software to aid him in his work.

Help Needed:
1. Am I missing anything in my process?
2. Is there any troubleshooting software that would help me pinpoint which program is "clogging up" things?

Thanks in advance for any advice/help anyone may have.

 

[PBComputer]

Had one in today, all tests came up with no problems. Turns out the hard drive is full of bad sectors. But I had a gut feeling on the drive

 

[gadgetfixup]

What does CPU and memory usage look like? BHOs all removed? What about HD? Is SMART reporting any issues? If no issues reported then so a safe sector scan and see if anything comes up bad. That is where I'd start.

 

[FremontPC]

If the two Envys are twins, try swapping out the RAM.

Indeed, check the HDD with Crystal Disk Info (portable), could be a lemon HDD. Might turn out to be a good upsell to SSD, especially on a portable device...

 

[Martyn]

Could be a hard drive issue so certainly take a clone of the drive. After that I would remove Norton and go from there. Often these Internet security programs can play havoc. Go from there.

 

[wfc4life]

CPU usage ranges from 5-15% when nothing but the OS is running; RAM usage is consistent in the mid 20s. Based on my experience, this is normal for Win 8.1. I did run Crystal Disk Info and the drive came back OK. Google Chrome has only WOT and Adblock Plus enabled, and is the default web browser. IE is acting the same way, but I didn't disable any add-ons. I can give that a shot.

 

[NYJimbo]

IE is acting the same way, but I didn't disable any add-ons. I can give that a shot.

If it was just browsers being the problem, I would say blow out the Internet Options (restore and reset) because I've seen bad flash or java do weird things with load times. But if you are also seeing it with Adobe Reader and QB then it is something more significant. All the above ideas should be looked into, but we can't be sure of what hardware diags you ran AND If you have run enough virus tools to find bad things floating in the O/S.

 

[FremontPC]

You say you "Reset" Windows and the same was true of IE, from the get-go?

 

[cypress]

I would run a hard drive diagnostics with a program like gsmartcontrol. I will usually do a quick check with crystal disk but gsmartcontrol will give you a better reading.