Windows 7 - Slow Startup. CPU Busy. Slow Shutdown

Hello!
Below are my primary concerns and performance issues. I use the machine for work.

- Slow startup
- System hangs when trying to File/Save in most programs.
- CPU never gets to 0%, even when no programs are open
- Waits for a background task (I don't know what) before shutdown. What is running?
- Video card or software not running correctly?
- Overall performance is good, but then I run into these hangs when the system stalls.
- I could use help looking at the background services and what is not properly configured or not needed.

Primary Programs I use and running most of the workday:
- MS Office
- FireFox, Chrome
- ACT! by Sage
- Lotus Notes

Laptop Information:
New laptop purchased 4 months ago.
Hewlett-Packard HP Pavilion g7 Notebook PC
Windows 7 Ultimate (x64) Service Pack 1 (build 7601)
Install Language: English (United States)
System Locale: English (United States)
Installed: 5/1/2012 1:22:39 PM

1.90 gigahertz AMD A4-3305M APU with Radeon HD Graphics
No memory cache
64-bit ready
Multi-core (2 total)
Not hyper-threaded

319.85 Gigabytes Usable Hard Drive Capacity
235.72 Gigabytes Hard Drive Free Space

ELBY CLONEDRIVE SCSI CdRom Device [Optical drive]
hp DVD A DS8A5LH SATA CdRom Device [Optical drive]

ST9320325AS [Hard drive] (320.07 GB) – drive 0, s/n 6VDE725G, rev 0005HPM1, SMART Status: Healthy

c: (NTFS on drive 0) * 294.04 GB 232.23 GB free
d: (NTFS on drive 0) 21.56 GB 2.33 GB free
e: (FAT32 on drive 0) 4.25 GB 1.16 GB free

External Monitor Connected
AMD Radeon™ HD 6480G [Display adapter]
Generic PnP Monitor (17.6"vis, January 2009)
HP 2311 [Monitor] (23.1"vis, s/n CNT14494FZ, October 2011)


Many thanks in advance for your assistance.
Best regards,

Tony

Tony, I hate to be a stickler about this, but you mentioned this machine in used for work.

Item #3 of this sites Terms Of Use indicates "We offer free computer help and tech support for home and personal use. We are not here to support others that work for profit, or to support/replace your company's IT department."

Many of us here make a living providing this same kind of support in the real world, but choose to volunteer and give away our time here to experimenters, junior techs, those that are learning and exploring, and personal users who choose to venture into the world of the unknown.

It is only fair that you pay an appropriate professional to support a machine that is used for business to produce a profit for you or your company.

Understood. I just recently left the corporate world and started working from home. I tend to forget that I am my own business now. I use the computer for my home stuff as well which explains the oversight. I have read your terms of service. My sincere apologies. Please delete topic. Best regards. Tony.