HP Elitebook x360 1040 G5 Troubleshooting

During audio playback, sound can be crackled, muffled, or cut in and out when using the computer speakers or headphones.

If you are using headphones and experience audio issues, the problem might be with the headphone jack. Issues can occur with the part that you are plugging in or the port you are plugging in too. To solve this issue you will need to troubleshoot the situation. To do so, check if the audio plays over your computer speakers properly. If it does, the headphone jack is most likely the issue, try plugging them in firmly. If issues persist check if small debris are blocking or interfering with the jack. If audio over the speakers is subpar, check the following section.

If one or two of the four speakers lose sound and stop working outdated computer firmware may be the issue. For this computer the BIOS may need an update, specifically BIOS versions 01.01.01 and 01.01.02. Downloading the HP firmware pack should resolve the sound issue. Consider downloading the pack from HP.com at the link below.

HP Firmware Pack

1. Select windows from the operating system drop down
2. Select the version of windows that you are running in the version drop down
3. Click on the plus sign (+) to expand the BIOS section
4. Select the latest version of the firmware pack
5. Click Details under the SoftPaq Title for installation instructions

If the previous solutions do not resolve the issue then your laptop speakers may have a hardware defect. Consider checking the connection of the speakers to the motherboard by following our speaker replacement guide. Follow the guide to access and potentially reconnect the cable between the speakers and the mother board. If this does not work consider replacing the speakers entirely by following the same guide.

30 seconds after starting the operating system, brightness control keys and the microphone mute key may not function.

You may have an old version of windows, so this could be a software problem. These problems can lead to many issues with your computer dysfunctional function keys. To fix this issue consider installing the latest version of Windows and manually uninstalling the old version.

Install the latest version running Windows Update:

1. Click Start, and then click Settings.
2. Click Update & security.
3. Click Check for updates.

Uninstall the old version:

1. Start -> Settings > Apps & Features from Search.
2. Type hp hotkey in the search box.
3. Click HP Hotkey Support.
4. Click Uninstall.
5. Follow Onscreen Instructions to Complete.

Computer dies quickly or only works when plugged into a power source.

If your brightness is too high, then your display may be draining your battery. This could make your battery life drastically decrease due to the energy that is being used to power your screen. To fix this issue you may want to lower your display brightness.

Lower your display brightness:

1. Start -> Settings -> System -> Display
2. Lower the brightness with the slider

Turning on power saving mode adds more usage time to your battery life. This will limit your CPU and lower your brightness automatically. If you need more usage time on your computer you might want to consider turning on power saving mode.

Turn on power savings mode:

1. Start -> Settings -> System -> Battery
2. Turn on battery saver status until next charge

Having applications open in the background while using other applications makes your battery life much lower. Closing these background applications will increase usage time. If you have unnecessary background applications open, consider closing them.

Close background applications:

1. Right click taskbar
2. Click on Task Manager
3. Click more details
4. You can view what applications are running in the background
5. Close what you don’t need by right clicking application then pressing end task

High usage applications use more computing power than other applications which can rapidly drain your battery. Closing these applications will extend your battery life. Consider closing these applications especially if they are running in the background or not needed.

View and end these applications:

1. Right click taskbar
2. Click on Task Manager
3. Click more details
4. Look at CPU column, high CPU usage applications will drain your battery
5. Close these apps by right clicking application then pressing end task

If you are having battery issues, you might not be getting a good charge. Off-brand chargers can damage your battery or not charge your computer at all. Try to use manufacturer chargers, in this case the hp charger that came with the laptop. If that charger is the issue, then consider buying a new charger from HP.

Over time the amount of charge that your battery can hold decreases. Batteries do not last forever and there can be other battery issues as well. If your laptop is five to six years old and the prior solutions did not work consider replacing the battery. To do so follow this battery replacement guide.

You push the power button and it does not turn on.

If your battery is dead or defective your computer will not power on. The first simple fix is plugging the computer in and trying to charge it. If your battery is dead than this should work and you should see signs of functionality. If your laptop only works when it is plugged in and charging than your battery may be defective. If this is the case consider replacing the defective battery so that your computer can function again. Follow this battery replacement guide to fix the issue.

If the battery was dead and you attempted to charge it and it still does not turn on. The charger may not be functioning. Off-brand chargers can damage your battery or might not charge your computer at all. Try to use manufacturer chargers, in this case the hp charger that came with the laptop. If that charger is the issue, then consider buying a new charger from HP.

An overheating device has noticeable symptoms that you should watch out for. If your laptop is hot to the touch than it is overheating. This can be caused by placing your laptop on a soft surface or blocking its vent in any other way. If the laptop overheats it may shut itself down and will not turn on again. This could also cause many other issues, so consider fixing this as soon as possible. To resolve this issue try to clear anything that may be blocking the vents (place the laptop on a flat hard surface). Let the laptop completely cool down and once it does, try to reboot the computer. If the reboot is successful then overheating and blocked vents were the issue. If this does not fix the problem your fan may be defective, consider replacing it and follow our fan replacement guide.

If you have checked the previous problems and solutions then your SSD may be damaged. The SSD is hardware that can be damaged or defective, causing many problems. A faulty SSD could completely stop your computer from working. If the laptop will not power on after trying all of the other solutions then consider replacing your SSD. You can do so by following our SSD replacement guide.

Your device is not running at peak performance and response is slower than normal. If tasks are taking longer to execute and productivity is decreased than you may have this issue.

A full hard drive will noticeably decrease the speed of your computer. After your hard drive is full your computer will not have the capacity to store more data including temporary data. This slows down the computer because it stores temporary dat on the hard drive will running applications. If you believe that this is the issue consider creating space on your hard drive by deleting unnecessary files.

Delete unnecessary files:

1. Start -> Setting -> System -> Storage
2. Clean out unnecessary files that are taking up extra places

High demand applications use the CPU when they run. If you have a high demand application running in the background while trying to do other things, the CPU will be shared. If you are using the CPU for different applications the processing speed will decrease. If you close applications that are not necessary then it will allow you to use the full processing power of your computer. Consider closing background applications to increase the speed of your computer.

Close background applications:

1. Right click taskbar
2. Click on Task Manager
3. Click more details
4. Look at the CPU percentage column
5. End high CPU percentage applications by right clicking app and then ending task

Your computer runs normally, but you cannot move your cursor with the touchpad. If your cursor does not move or jumps when you mover your finger on the touchpad you may have this issue.

Your touchpad can be accidentally disabled, if this happens it will seem that the touchpad is malfunctioning. There is a quick fix to this issue that you should consider trying immediately. Double tap on the upper left corner on the touchpad, this action can turn on or turn off the touchpad.

You may want to consider performing a hard reset, this will clear all driver instructions. Your computer rereads all instructions from the drivers and software, which can solve some problems. Perform the hard reset by following the steps in the HP document, performing a hard reset.

Be sure you have the latest drivers for your TouchPad. Drivers help hardware communicate with the computers operating system. If your drivers are out of date many issues can arise. Consider updating your drivers to fix issues with your touchpad. Use the following steps to install the latest drivers.

1. Go to the HP Drivers and Downloads webpage and click on Laptop.
2. Select windows from the operating system drop down
3. Select the version of windows that you are running in the version drop down
4. Scroll down to select the driver category Driver - Keyboard, Mouse and Input Devices.
5. Click the Download button next to the appropriate TouchPad or ClickPad driver. The file downloads to your Downloads folder
6. Open your Downloads folder and double-click to install the latest driver. Follow on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

If none of the previous solutions fix your issue then consider replacing your touchpad. If the issue is not resolved with the software related solution then it is most likely hardware. Touch pads can be faulty or damaged. If this is the case you definitely want to replace it. Before doing so, connect an external USB mouse to your laptop and if it works, continue to follow our touchpad replacement guide.