You can try selecting the coordinate system from the part being placed using the Search Tool (Ctrl+F) and search for the coordinate system in that part, as, like you said, the part is not in the Model Tree yet. As far as why the system freezes, it might be a graphic card compatibility and maybe that's why selecting from the screen causes freezing. You can check and see if your graphic card is PTC-certified or you can try reinstall the card driver. PTC site has a PDF for the system requirements/supported hardware for each version of Pro/E.