Hello pgw33,
Good day! I'm John Dev a Windows user like you and I'll be happy to assist you today. I know this has been difficult for you, Rest assured, I'm going to do my best to help you.
Switch out of S mode will enable you to install third-party apps. As long you don't visit any malicious websites and install suspicious apps, you will be fine.
You can check the support article below on How to Switch out of S mode in Windows 11.
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/swi...
Kindly let me know if this helps or if you have any further concerns.
Kind regards,
John DeV
Independent Advisor