Brian

I like the MSI Motherboards, and the Asus ROG models. That MSI should be fine. I'd buy it.

Oh, I get why your husband noticed that model. On the surface, it seems "better," but in reality, you are wasting money. It's almost like trying to buy a Hummer when a simple 4-wheel drive vehicle will do; sure both can go off-roading, but that Hummer only gets 5 miles per gallon and is completely unnecessary for the simple off-roading that you might do, or drive through that snow storm. The right tool for the job.

It depends on the laptop. Yes is the short answer, but “It depends…” is probably a more accurate answer. If the laptop has screws and/or an access panel, it’s relatively straightforward. That said, laptops are becoming more and more integrated and sealed units; in which case you could really break something even if you are careful. it might be better to take it to a repair shop that specializes in Laptop Repair and have them swap out the drive. Have them install Windows 10. Even though there is money involved, it will be way cheaper than forking out a few thousand on a new laptop.

It also could be a great time to replace your existing internal HD with a Samsung Evo 870 2TB SSD Drive. This way you can pull the existing HD and not touch it, and start from a clean SSD Drive from scratch. You still will need to create a Windows 10 64 bit Home Thumb Drive.

Use the Windows Media Creation Tool to create a Windows 10 64-Bit Thumb Drive. You will need at least a blank 16GB Thumbdrive for this. Or you could use a 32GB. In the past, 8GB Thumbdrives were fine, but Windows 10 is a little too big these days and I like having a little wiggle room. Boot from that, delete existing partitions and reinstall Windows 10 Home 64-bit from scratch. I would also download the Dell Drivers for your WiFi / Ethernet Port so you can get out to the internet and download other drivers before doing anything. (Or just grab video drivers, chipset drivers, or use Dell’s Support Website to scan your computer and download everything for you. (This is why it’s so important to get the Ethernet / Wi-Fi Drivers First, so you can get online.) Again, this method will NUKE your Main HD, so be sure to backup ALL important files and such.

That laptop is fine. I'd use that until you can get your Desktop straightened out.

I just use Windows Defender, on both my Virtual Machines and Wife's Computer. Seriously. That's it. Unless you download lots of illegal movies and other stuff from the Torrent Sites, visit shady porn sites and download said porn videos that are laced with something, or play around on the Dark Web, your chances of you getting a Virus are pretty small. This isn't the 1990's. Now in 2025, people want to scam you into getting your bank account info. Or get your Credit Cards somehow, much more profitable. The problem is when people buy a new laptop, they don't run things by me 1st. The issue isn't that it's a new laptop, the issue is that it's an under-powered laptop, as in...you didn't buy "enough." It's like buying a 3 Door Honda Hatchback but needing to go off-road in the Mountains somewhere, in which case a beefy 4 wheel drive vehicle is required. Both vehicles can get you to the Supermarket, but only one will get you through rough terrain, rivers & mud and through the mountains. In 2025, Adobe's products are using the GPU now more than ever; it's no longer the computer that has "Lots of RAM," a "Big HD" and a "Fast CPU." That thinking was 30 years ago. Hell, that applied even 10 years ago when we were still dealing with PS CS6. Once we got past 2020, Photoshop started to get more bloated. All I can recommend to you is to "SAVE-SAVE-SAVE." Be ready to "Click Buy" when you see a deal. Waiting until the end of the year is a safe bet...if you can hold out that long. I'd budget $2500-$3000. If you buy something that's less, fantastic!! I hate wasting money on this shit. But if you have a chunk of cash at the ready, you could snag an awesome computer that will last you 7 years or so.

Nothing. Windows 10 will continue to work like it always has. There just won't be any further bug-fixes / patches / security updates, etc. So as time goes on, Windows 10 will become more vulnerable to things, and those things WebRoot may not be able to help you out with. For the moment, start saving for a new laptop/computer and a system restore back to Windows 10 is a good first step. That's the Adobe App not talking to the Adobe Mothership. It's a communication issue. You might have to un-install and re-install the Photoshop CC App. You might have to contact Adobe as well. Microsoft is sneaky like that. If your laptop can support Win 11, MSFT will push down the update, and when you run Windows Update (or it's triggered in some way,) Windows 11 will install. So since you are on the Home Edition, you will need to stay on top of things and not let it install. Sidenote: If the BSOD keep appearing, even with Windows 10, I suspect a failing HD or faulty RAM being the culprit. But 1st things 1st, let's get you settled back into Windows 10.

I just did a quick Google Search with your laptop and Windows 11, and it seems lots of other folks are having similar issues that you are having. I'm thinking Windows 11 just doesn't like your laptop, or specifically, the Dell Drivers just suck and Windows 11 crashes. At this point, if you do take in your laptop to have it Nuked, see if you can go back to Windows 10 and stay there.

Oh here is your error message meaning: IRQL_NOT_LESS_OR_EQUAL Windows 11 As you can see, a software bug in the driver. I'm thinking the Dell Drivers for your laptop just suck with Windows 11. Maybe you can Nuke it and go back to Windows 10. I would however, backup important files while you can. Right now you can get into your Laptop, even if it's just for a short time. Eventually...this won't be an option. SO BACKUP-BACKUP-BACKUP!!! Things like files and images, license numbers for software. Backup Actions and Brushes. Have it in your mind that your laptop is a Ticking Time Bomb and eventually you won't get into it. So backup!! No editing Photos, get backed up. Buy a 128GB Thumbdrive and copy stuff there.

You have outdated drivers that aren't playing well with Windows 11. That laptop has been discontinued by Dell, and I'm sure most of the Drivers have been "Orphaned" and really aren't updated to make it more compatible with Windows 11. Two choices: Take your computer into a Tech Shop and have them Nuke the HD (Wipe it) and install a fresh copy of Windows 11. There is no guarantee that this will work, but if you do have some sort of corruption of drivers, this should clear it. But again...no guarantees that this will work and you might be back at square one. Time for a new Laptop. It's only money, right? Windows 11 is really pushing older hardware. What do I mean when I say "Older?" Devices that are 2-3 years old or more. The biggest mistake you did is upgrade to Windows 11. (I know, Micro$oft bugs you about it and makes things so tempting.)

Dear Lord... I'm surprised Photoshop is working at all, especially if you are running the latest version of PS CC. Yeah, that Video Card doesn't have enough horsepower for Photoshop in 2025. Your lagging will just get worse as time goes on. Here is a list of recommended Video Cards for Photoshop. I recommend one with a score of 10,000 or better in 2025. The closest to your Video Card is a GeForce GTX 1060 with 5GB of Video Memory and that has a score of 4189. Before you head down this Rabbit Hole, it really sounds like you upgraded to Windows 11 on a 4 year old computer, and the components inside, while good 4 years ago, doesn't hold up to what Photoshop is now. This is why I recommend such expensive things and jump up-and-down about Video Cards. Adobe keeps upgrading Photoshop, it seems 2-3 times per year these days, and unless you have BEEFY Hardware, you can't blindly upgrade thinking things will work. I know folks like to purchase things they can afford, but what they really need to do is purchase things they NEED, and plan for the computer 4 years from now. Otherwise, you are buying a new computer every 36-48 months to keep up with software. Gone are the days of running Photoshop CS6 for 12 years. Feel free to purchase the WebRoot if you'd like. Personally, I wouldn't...but it's not my money. I would, however...start saving up for a new computer. Why a new computer? Because Video Cards these days are like "Computers within Computers." They are HUGE and a new NVIDIA RTX 4070 or 4080 (Hell, even one like a 3070 or 3080) won't physically fit inside your computer. Plus, you have to upgrade the Power Supply, and then your Motherboard probably won't have the type of slot you need to support it, then you have to buy a new Motherboard, RAM that will work and then a CPU Chip. All for a friggin' Video Card. It's just easier to purchase a new computer all at once. Cheaper too. To show you what I mean about purchasing a Video Card off the shelf, here is a YouTube Sort Video of someone installing a NVIDIA 4080 in their computer. Now you know what I mean about "HUGE." Try fitting one of those damn things into your Dell. LOL!!

With Security Complete, you are paying for a Password Keeper and Cloud Storage on top of the WebRoot stuff. If you want to go that route, "it's fine," I guess.

Adobe's products are using the Video GPU for a performance boost overall, and to run things for its fancy modules. So if your Video Card isn't "Beefy" enough, Photoshop forces your computer to work harder. Sometimes Windows 11 has an update that is installed, and it Royally screws up Windows, causing all sorts of issues. Unfortunately, there is no single "Magic Answer" to tell you how to fix. There could be 1 thing or the combination of things that are causing your sluggishness. What I want to know is, what are you actually doing when it starts the "Jet Engines." If it's something like Liquify, then it's definitely the Video Card or it's Drivers. Speaking of which, what Video Card are you using?

WebRoot is still good. But in reality, Windows Defender works fine as well and that's free from Microsoft. You just have to stay on top of the Windows Updates for it. People don't really get "Viruses" anymore. It's keyloggers, trojans, and other things like Ransomware to get money out of you. That's the Goal these days: Get the Money! Get the Money! Get the Money! It does nobody any good to lock out your computer or corrupt it, without some sort of exploit to get money out of your bank account or credit cards. But if you want to sign up for WebRoot again, that's fine. Personally, I run Windows Defender on my Wife's Computer and don't run any Virus Software on my Mac.