You can follow the below steps to perform System maintenance check to improve performance of the laptop:
Press Windows and X key together and select Control Panel.
Click on Troubleshooting.
Click on View all on the left side panel.
Click on System Maintenance and follow the onscreen instructions.
Also check if your PC has too many autoloaders in it(Programs loaded automatically every time you boot).
You can choose which programs to be kept as autoloaders by keeping the below ones only:
Anti-virus program
Your firewall.
Programs that you feel have a legitimate reason to always be there. Dropbox, for instance, can't do its job otherwise. And Skype must autoload if you want to get incoming calls.
To remove unwanted autoloaders, you have to find them. Click Start, type msconfig, and press enter.
Close System Tray Programs
Many applications tend to run in the system tray, or notification area. These applications often launch at startup and stay running in the background but remain hidden behind the up arrow icon at the bottom-right corner of your screen. Click the up arrow icon near the system tray, right-click any applications you don’t need running in the background, and close them to free up resources.
Uninstall Programs You Don’t Use Open the Control Panel, find the list of installed programs, and uninstall programs you don’t use and don’t need from your laptop. This can help speed your PC up, as those programs might include background processes, autostart entries, system services, and other things that can slow down your laptop.
When I connect an external microphone to the jack, it is not working. I can see it in the "Sound" tab, but the levels is very low. I have tried with several microphones.