If the problems start right after installation of new software, and if the problem is with the older software and not with the new, you may have just been introduced to the disastrous decision that Microsoft made when they originally wrote the Windows DLL handling. A DLL, short for Dynamic Link Library, is a fragment of a program that resides in a separate file, and is only loaded into memory when the parent program needs to execute that particular code. The problem is when an older software program is using a DLL, if the newer DLL version changes things like the function interface into the DLL, or it's return data, the older software will receive unexpected data and this can cause it to crash. Programs can also seize all the Windows resources available, keeping other programs from running. Determine a fix.
Laptops are a different story.
The typical laptop computer is simply far too fragile and expensive to do a hardware repair in an average IT department. These devices are almost always factory-repair for hardware problems. Software conflicts can sometimes be resolved by installation order. Permanent fixes, though, must originate with the software vendor. The fault for a software conflict occurring always resides with the vendor whose software was released last .