Software installer won't apply changes

Hello everyone. I'm brand new to fedora, so please don't assume I know all the commands
because I'm afraid I really don't know many at all. I started having problem with the software installer. Apparently after I did my first few updates, some of the files couldn't be updated (why would this be?) and since then when I try and add or remove a program, whenever I hit "apply changes" it just sits there like pond water. I know installing via terminal is "better" but I like using software installer to see what's available. Any advice is welcome