SupportAssist 3.11.4 not working

Hi aadvanderpol:

Has the service warranty for your XPS 2-in1 expired yet?

What is the version and build of your Windows 10 OS shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications? Is this the XPS 13 9365 2-in-1 model mentioned in some of your earlier threads, and if so do you have the latest Dell XPS 13 9365 2-in-1 System BIOS v2.22.0 recommended on the support page <here> for the XPS 13 9365 2-in-1? If you aren't sure open a Run dialog box, enter msinfo32 to open your System Information panel, and look for the “BIOS Version/Date” field.

There have been several major changes to the latest SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 and many users have reported problems either installing or running this version. The minimum system requirements  <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell> note that v3.11.4 now requires both "Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 and .NET Core Runtime v5.0.14". Does Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features show that you have a .NET Runtime v5.0.x installed? From my Inspiron 5584:

Dell employee @jbilinski also posted on 28-Jun-2022 in Admiral1989's SupportAssist - Installation Failed Message that "Dell TechHub replaces Dell Hardware Scan service and is needed to run the Hardware Scan panel" in SupportAssist v3.11.4.29. When you go to Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services do you see a service called Dell TechHub and is the Status of that service "Running"? Note that I normally disable the services for both Dell Support Assist and Dell Support Assist Remediation so that neither of these programs start automatically at boot-up. I normally use Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x to check for Dell software and driver updates and use Macrium Reflect Free imaging software to create recovery media (a bootable USB) and the occasional full disk image in case I need to perform an emergency recovery and restore my entire system to an earlier date.

Do the ePSA (enhanced Pre-boot System Assessment) hardware diagnostics that are embedded in your Dell BIOS run correctly? For most Dell computers models you reach the ePSA diagnostics by re-booting and repeatedly tapping the F12 key when the Dell logo appears to enter the One Time Boot Menu, and this is the same F12 method described <here> in the XPS 13 Convertible Service Manual. See the short Dell Support YouTube video Performing ePSA Diagnostics for more information.
-----------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1826 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19400.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.11.202-1.0.1716 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.3.9
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Thx. I Do have BIOS 2.22.0 (installed last week), NET frame is 4.8, runtime 5.0.17. Dell Techhub is running. Also now you mention, "Dell update" also is not starting....,  ePSA i need to still check.
I will adapt the supportAssist + remediation to not automatically start. I did by the way stopping these services in the task manager. Starting up support assist result not in working services. 

I guess i will un install these services and try again. What also bothers me (more important) that Dell update is not working either.  I Receive the mails from support if new drivers are available so i can proceed anyway.

See proves:

Hi aadvanderpol:

You haven't answered some of my questions (e.g., if your Dell computer model is a XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, the version and build of your Win 10 OS, whether your service warranty has expired yet, etc.) so it's difficult to suggest the best path forward.

I suggest you read Ling Kwa's 29-Jun-2022 Dell Support Assist and Dell Update failed - Inspiron 3881 desktop with Win 11-21H2 before you start making too many changes to your system. This user has an Inspiron 3881 with a Win 11 OS (rolled back to a stable v21H2 build after installation of a Windows Insider Preview build of v22H2 caused problems) and they also had problems with both SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 and Dell Update v4.5.0. I am still not entirely sure what solved their problems, but they appeared to be triggered by either a corrupted BIOS that had to be repaired and/or a corrupted Windows user account.

Unlike you, I do not have the full MS .NET Framework 4.8 SDK (the Software Development Kit required for software developers coding .NET Framework applications), just the .NET Framework v4.8 shown at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features | Turn Windows Features On or Off that came with my Win 10 OS. The "Get Drivers and Downloads" and "Scan Hardware" scans run correctly in my SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 as long as my Dell SupportAssist service is running.

I  like using the ASoft .NET Version Detector v21 R1 utility to find the .NET Framework and .NET (Core) Runtimes installed on my system. It’s a portable utility that can be run from any location, and I prefer to unzip the netver.zip file on a removable USB thumb drive and then double-clicked the dotnet.exe file to launch. The interface is a bit cluttered but if you click the Copy button in the lower right corner you can paste the summary into any text editor like Notepad or MS Word. See my 14-Jul-2022 post <here> for a sample report for my Inspiron 5584.

If your Dell SupportAssist service does not start normally at boot-up go to Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services, select Dell SupportAssist, and click "Start the Service" in the top-left corner as shown below. If the Status changes to Running then see if SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 runs correctly.

Your image shows you have Dell Update v4.4.0 installed. Assuming you have a XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, when you enter your unique Service Tag on the support page <here> , what Dell Update version is recommended on the Drivers & Downloads tab for your specific Service Tag? There are three Dell Update applications on that support page (Dell Command | Update Windows Universal Application v4.5.0, Dell Command | Update Application v4.5.0 and Dell Update/Alienware Update Application v4.3.0 so you need to find the correct application recommended for your Service Tag. Note that I prefer to use the Windows Universal edition (the UWP app for Win 10 / Win 11 only) on my own Inspiron 5584.

If you want to re-install SupportAssist see the instructions in employee DELL-Chris M's SA Uninstall / Reinstall. When I follow those instructions I usually use Revo Uninstaller Free in "Aggressive" mode to uninstall all SupportAssist-related programs (e.g., Dell SupportAssist Remediation, Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update, etc.) to ensure I clean up most of the orphaned files and registry entries left behind by the "regular" uninstaller.

The Dell Tech Support video at Dell SupportAssist Not Installing includes some folders, registry entries and Windows services that might still need to be cleaned up manually after your SupportAssist uninstall. XPS_Man has also posted alternate instructions <here> for a clean reinstall of SupportAssist that uses Microsoft's Program Install and Uninstall troubleshooter for uninstalling your Dell programs.
-----------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1826 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19400.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.11.202-1.0.1716 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.3.9
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Ok i forgot to add these. The following is what you asked.

Its a model  XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, no support/warranty anymore (ended in 2018). I am in IT myself.

Every fortnight its updated. Its windows 10 home, Version 10.0.19044 Build 19044
The minimum system requirements <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell> ("note that v3.11.4 now requires both "Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 and .NET Core Runtime v5.0.14".) i have checked and these are met but already superseded (newer version). So could this be the issue, having a newer version...

If you have suggestions based on these please let me know.

In the mean time i'll try to "wrestle" to you provided links. Thx.

---

@aadvanderpol wrote:

... The minimum system requirements <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell> ("note that v3.11.4 now requires both "Microsoft .NET Framework 4.7.2 and .NET Core Runtime v5.0.14".) i have checked and these are met but already superseded (newer version). So could this be the issue, having a newer version...

---

Hi aadvanderpol:

It sounds like you have the correct .NET versions.

Those are the minimum system requirements so as far as I know that means you meet those specifications as long as you have you have MS .NET Framework v4.7.2 or v4.8.0 and any .NET (Core) Runtime v5.0.x from v5.0.14 to v5.0.17. The only catch is that you should have a .NET (Core) Runtime v5.x listed at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features - if you uninstall .NET (Core) Runtime v5.x and replace it with a newer .NET (Core) Runtime v6.x or v7.x  I don't think SupportAssist will run correctly.  See my 16-Jul-2022 post in DavG94's Dell Support Assist Fails to Install for further information. 

You said in your post <above> that "I will adapt the supportAssist + remediation to not automatically start. I did by the way stopping these services in the task manager." At the moment I'm more concerned that your image showed that your Dell SupportAssist service has a Startup Type of "Automatic (Delayed Start)" but that this service was not running when you checked at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services. If you stop that service at Task Manager | Services then SupportAssist will not run correctly.

And, as I noted in my previous post, your images also appear to show that you have an outdated or incorrect version of Dell Update on your XPS 13 9365 2-in-1.
----------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1826 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19400.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.11.202-1.0.1716 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Methods are given below-

Method 1: Rename Dell File
If you find that SupportAssistant has stopped working, you can try to rename Dell file to fix it. Here is how to do that:

Step 1: Copy and paste the path in your Dell laptop Windows Explorer

Step 2: Find the New-Dell-Logo-White-small file and right-click it to choose the Rename option.

Step 3: Input New-Dell-Logo-White and save the name.

Then, try to run Dell SupportAssist again and check to see if the “Dell SupportAssist not working” issue has been fixed. If not, try the following methods.

Method 2: Update to the Latest Windows System
Then, you can try to update your Windows to the latest version. Windows updates can help you fix a lot of system issues and bugs. When you encounter the Dell SupportAssistant not working error, you can try installing the latest Windows updates. Here is how to do that:

Step 1: Right-click the Start menu and choose Settings.

Step 2: On the Settings window, select Update & Security.

Step 3: Under the Windows Update section, click the Check for updates button to check if there are any new updates. Then Windows will search for available updates. Just follow the on-screen instructions to finish the process.After installing the latest Windows updates, restart your computer and check if the “Dell SupportAssist not working” error gets fixed.

Greeting,

Rachel Gomez

On my phone the reply button seems to work. Up to now SA is installed. The hardware scan  is not working. Since reply button is living its own live , i have made a new topic in SA about the hw scan not working. So for me the topic is not closed yet. Thx for now we made sone progress

---

@lmacri wrote:

... Your image shows you have Dell Update v4.4.0 installed. Assuming you have a XPS 13 9365 2-in-1, when you enter your unique Service Tag on the support page <here> , what Dell Update version is recommended on the Drivers & Downloads tab for your specific Service Tag? There are three Dell Update applications on that support page (Dell Command | Update Windows Universal Application v4.5.0, Dell Command | Update Application v4.5.0 and Dell Update/Alienware Update Application v4.3.0 so you need to find the correct application recommended for your Service Tag. Note that I prefer to use the Windows Universal edition (the UWP app for Win 10 / Win 11 only) on my own Inspiron 5584....

---

Hi aadvanderpol:

See employee DELL-Nathalia M's 07-Jul-2022 reply in filbert's Cannot Reply to Any Posts. Reply Buttons Have Disappeared. Dell is aware of the problem, and as of this morning (23-Jul-2022) the Reply buttons seem to be working for me again. I would advise against creating duplicate posts on the same topic as a workaround - it violates the Forum Code of Conduct and if the Reply buttons aren't working correctly it won't help because other users likely won't be able to post a reply in any of your threads.

Did you test your Dell Update utility as I suggested <above> to see if it runs correctly? There are so many people having problems either installing or running SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 right now that it might be best if you simply wait for Dell to release a newer version that installs correctly and has fewer bugs. If Dell Update runs correctly you can use that utility to check for Dell software and driver updates, and if you ever have a hardware problem you can run your F12 ePSA hardware diagnostics from your BIOS.

My update from SupportAssist v3.10.4.18 to the current v3.11.4.29 went smoothly on my Inspiron 5584 but that might be because Windows Update installed the required .NET Core Runtime v5.0.16 (KB5013354) back in May 2022. However, I don't like using SupportAssist because I find it's too buggy, consumes too many system resources, and the "system optimization" scans (Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network) are too aggressive and have the potential to do more harm than good - see my 12-Jul-2021 comment in ex-jedi's Prevent Automatic Recycle Bin Emptying  about the registry cleaner that runs during the Tune Performance scan for one example. I do use SupportAssist on occasion but I only run manual "Get Drivers and Downloads" and "Scan Hardware" scans from the Home tab, and I've turned off all background automatic scanning (Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Scan Your System and Drivers at: | DISABLED) to ensure the "system optimization" scans can't run.

I currently have both the Dell SupportAssist service and Dell SupportAssist Remediation service at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services DISABLED so that neither of these programs can start at boot-up. Instead, I normally use Dell Update Windows Universal v4.x to check for available updates for my Dell software and drivers, and I use Macrium Reflect Free imaging software to create rescue media (a bootable USB) and the occasional full disk image in case I ever have to perform an emergency recovery and roll back my entire system to an earlier date.
-----------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1826 * Firefox v102.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19400.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.11.202-1.0.1716 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell Update Windows Universal v4.5.0 * Fusion Service v2.0.58 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_MGVT1_WIN_4.6.0_A00.EXE 

this update i found when i uninstalled it, i exchanged it for Dell-Update-Application_RYXN2_WIN_4.6.0_A00.EXE,

restarted pc and support assist was back working normally

---

@stephen28 wrote:

Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_MGVT1_WIN_4.6.0_A00.EXE 

this update i found when i uninstalled it, i exchanged it for Dell-Update-Application_RYXN2_WIN_4.6.0_A00.EXE,

restarted pc and support assist was back working normally

---

Hi stephen28:

I don't know if this is relevant, but the Known Issues section <here> in the SupportAssist v3.11.4 release notes warns that SupportAssist may not work correctly after Dell Update is installed or updated.  See my 17-Aug-2022 post in campfiresmoke's Windows Universal Application 4.6.0 A00 for more information about this bug.

--------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2006 * Firefox v105.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2207.7-1.1.19600.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1767 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6979 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update Windows Universal v4.6.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.20.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

---

@lmacri wrote:
... There are so many people having problems either installing or running SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 right now that it might be best if you simply wait for Dell to release a newer version that installs correctly and has fewer bugs ...

---