Hi Whitney, did you browse this forum before posting? Lots and lots of people have asked questions about laptops. I'm sure you'll find the info you need.
Let's take it one step at a time. First, this: http://www.damiensymonds.net/color-space-settings-for-the-lightroom-user.html
Also, for later, this: http://www.damiensymonds.net/bridge-30-day-challenge
Ok, can you do me a favour?
When you select a raw file in Bridge, there are two ways to open it into ACR - one is Ctrl O (for "Open") and the other is Ctrl R (for "Raw").
Could you try both ways, and see if the problem exists both ways?