Michael, I will try out you suggestions and report again on performance/crashes.

I want to mention that the screen on this machine is a bit smaller than the pro model, but it is still plenty of real estate. Also, this model does not come with a pen(which the pro does) all tallied with the type cover, pen and 64gb micro sd I spent $730. I felt cheated by the pen not being included. But again, it is a wonderful experience to have the pen so don't even think of not getting one.