Video editing is resource intensive, and for lengthy or complex projects a gaming-class PC is often recommended. An I5/7 or comparable.
For video, something akin to Nvidia's GTX 1060 or, better still, RTX 3060 would be reasonable choices, dependent upon the nature of the projects.
Use the 64-bit VP version. The latest is here. For one-time licensed users upgrades are free for up to six months from purchase date. After that, VP will continue to fully function but a fee is required in order to register the newest. Retain your old install file and registration info. If there's an issue, you can always revert.
If editing bogs down consider splitting the project into segments, exporting each, and later assembling the exported parts into the final.
In any case, Save Project File AS routinely, giving it a unique # or name, so as not to overwrite prior saves. Using Save Project Files (no AS) will overwrite. From the HOME tab, the AS choice is available by clicking the caret to the right of the Save Project button on the toolbar. That way you're protected, and shouldn't lose anything.
As a further protection occasionally reload the latest Save, to confirm that it is restoring the project to the state it was in when the save was initiated.