" ... it drives me nuts by moving the cursor around at will ... "

Maybe disabling the touchpad would help with that? Of course you'd probably want to plug in a mouse so you wouldn't have to keep toggling back and forth.

This comes from an Acer site but since it's the same OS it's likely the same for a Dell.

Also: https://www.groovypost.com/howto/disable-the-touchpad-on-a-google-chromebook/

Others will know more about the requirements of Office and Elements and whether or not a netbook can fill their requirements. I do not.

I would think a new laptop/notebook would be fine though.

I'm a Linux user though so... my guesses are just that. :)

ETA:

"Are notebook computers basically underpowered laptops?"

Laptops and Notebooks - What is the Difference?

Nowadays they seem to be two terms for the same thing?

I am by no means an expert but a notebook is just a slightly smaller, slightly lighter version of a laptop. Depending on model, power or CPU capacity, graphics features, disk speed and RAM are variable and you get what you pay for :-) Some notebooks are pretty darn high powered. It's when you get down to the tablet level that things get really lightweight, power-wise, but even these can be upgraded.

And having a DVD drive is not a deciding factor :-) Very few laptops come with DVD drives any longer - optical drives are just not very commonplace (or necessary) any longer with wifi and internet access.

You could go to the Dell website & look through their different options on their laptops & notebooks. I recently bought one that is set up for gaming. I do not play games but it has all of the power that I could ever need. It just happened to have all of the options that I was looking for.

Laptops do not typically randomly move the cursor around for no reason. What you have described is one of the most common annoyances with touchpads and is easily fixable, but many people are baffled about how to do that. Follow the good advice of Richard above and you'll be happy.

The cursor shouldn't move on its own, the touchpad is broken. Can you use it with a USB mouse?

Laptops are not necessarily underpowered compared to a desktop. Well equipped and high power laptops are available. And expensive. Because they have an integrated power supply, a battery and monitor, a laptop with the same specs and performance of a given desktop will be more expensive. Similarly, a laptop that costs the same will be less well equipped.

Are you thinking of getting a laptop because you need a portable "PC"? Otherwise why pay more than you need to?

"Power" and "speed" are misunderstood and very overrated. MS Office will run on any underpowered PC unless what's being done is large, graphic heavy Powerpoint presentations or large spreadsheets with lots of macros. For Photoshop, check and see what the recommended system requirements are. I would think 8GB of RAM would be useful (this is capacity, not speed) and that the processor on any better than low end machine, like something in the mid-range would be just fine.

Terminology - once there were only PCs, desktops and laptops. Then, cheaper barebones machines in smaller and less powerful configurations came along, they were called nettops (mini PCs like Mac mini or the equivalent Windows versions) and netbooks (like Chrome and small laptops made by Lenovo and others).

I'm not sure what a notebook. A small laptop? A large netbook?

Elmer-

It's not necessarily broken if the touchpad is enabled while typing. I had a laptop that was doing this and I could swear I never brushed the touchpad, but as soon as I changed the setting to "disable touchpad while typing" the problem vanished.

Maybe it's semantics, kudzu. A dancing cursor isn't normal behavior. Alisande, the OP, is saying this is happening on a Chromebook. Is the setting you're suggesting available on Chromebooks or is it a Windows setting? (I don't have a Chromebook so I can't look to see).

Either way, I'll stick with saying that it's a malfunction. If your suggestion stops it, then it's a work-around that for whatever reason fixes the problem. If working normally, it shouldn't be required.

Elmer-

Let's hear from the OP on what happens if she tries it. But it is a normal oddity on many PC notebooks simply because some people -- like me-- unknowingly brush the touchpad while typing. If this happens when the OP's just watching the screen and is nowhere near the keyboard or touchpad, then it's a glitch.

Thanks, everyone. Sorry it took me so long to get back to this. I made the change Richard suggested and will report back when I have an opportunity to try it out later today. I must have a super-sensitive touchpad, as I can send the cursor flying simply by waving my hand over it. I've tested this out; sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. The touchscreen on my Google Nexus tablet doesn't necessarily need to be touched in order for an action to take place; my finger just has to get close.

My reasons for considering a laptop are partly ergonomic and partly--well, I guess medical is the best term. I know my current posture at my desk is wretched, and I'm hoping the PT I'm about to embark on will help. The scoliosis I've had to one degree or another my entire life has become a problem in recent years, and all my desk chairs end up becoming as crooked as I am. Despite having had carpal tunnel surgery on my right hand 19 years ago, I was informed by a neurologist last week that I now have carpal tunnel issues in both hands. (This is why I'd like to be able to use a touchpad for most things.) Although I love my two 27" monitors (I use Photoshop and Word on one, the internet on the other), it's just not comfortable to work at my desk anymore.

Then there's the matter of brain waves. I researched my monitor purchases extensively, and these Viewsonics were promised to be flicker-free. But my brain says they're not. Some days I can tolerate more time spent looking at them than others, but other days they trigger an ocular migraine (vision disturbances--the "aura") fairly quickly. This doesn't happen with the Chromebook . . . maybe because the screen is only 12"? I also like that I can sit wherever I want with the Chromebook. I'm a fast typist and wasn't sure I'd ever adjust to its keyboard, but now it's easy--even on my lap.

My Dell Chromebook, BTW, was a Black Friday deal last year. It's not high-end; I think the original price was under $300. I've forgotten what its specs are. I know nothing about online versions of Photoshop and Word, but will read up on this.

I followed Girlnamedgalez's suggestion to check out the Dell website, and that was interesting. I'll go back to it again. The Chromebook is lightweight and pleasant to use, but I need to get back to writing and photo editing. I can't imagine doing the latter without a mouse (although I'm sure some people are skilled at this), and I do have a wireless Logitech mouse sitting in its unopened package.

By the time Black Friday 2019 comes around I should be well prepared (some might say over-prepared!) to make a decision. Again, thanks very much to all for your input.

Take a look at Google docs. It's what the Chromebook universe was intended to use as a stand-in for Microsoft Office. It's quite easy to use and uses compatible file formats for sharing or moving work around.

A Chromebook is likely not usable for Photoshop but should be with most everything else other than custom-purpose software limited to Windows and Apple worlds.

I don't have scoliosis but I have what are probably typical lumbar issues of herniated disks, stenosis, arthritis, etc. for the last 20+ years. I've discarded all the so-called "desk chairs" that promised to be suitable and and have wound up with finding the most comfort from solid wood, unpadded, straight back chairs. They're unattractive from a decorating standpoint but their beauty is how comfortable they are. Maybe that won't work for you but it's been great for me.

Good luck.

Interesting, this discussion. I do use a fairly recent laptop, but can't stand the keyboard, mouse, or screen! My laptop has an HDMI port which I connected to a big flat screen TV, and I have a USB mouse and a USB keyboard, so once I've turned on the computer, I close the lid and push it under the TV, which is sitting on my desk.

But, regarding power, I need a fairly high-powered machine, because I use Photoshop extensively and just got Autocad and loaded it on the laptop. It seems sluggish, although it does meet the minimum requirements of 8 GB memory and an I7 processor. I've been told that I should really have 16 or even 32 GB memory and am trying to figure out if I can add more (HP's help line has been useless!).

It's my opinion that HP is a lousy company to buy IT products from. My company is a large buyer of PCs but HP was dropped from the list about 15 years ago. Too many problems and weird things to deal with, compared to products from other companies. I also had some odd happenings with a home HP PC and decided to move on. I've bought mostly Lenovo stuff since then and have been very happy.

You have what you have. If the model you have can be expanded, someone will be on to how to do that. In the meantime, get a Class 10 SD card and enable Ready Boost. It won't enable more than 4 GB on the SD card but it should help.

Autocad and intensive Photoshop tasks are the types of uses that require the most from the processor and RAM space. Also, as I mentioned before, some large spreadsheets and graphics intensive large Powerpoint files.