SupportAssist Failed Critical Update Installments

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@pwatts2 wrote:

... I am running a new XPS tower with Windows 11 Pro and SupportAssist 3.10.0. It keeps failing to install critical and recommended updates as shown in the picture below...

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Hi pwatts2:

Just a thought, but if you check for a SupportAssist update at Options (gear icon) | About as shown below is it able to install the latest v3.10.4 (rel.  22-Nov-2021)?  According to the release notes <here> SupportAssist v3.10.2 (rel. 11-Aug-2021) was the first SupportAssist version that was compatible with Win 11.  Note that user manuals and release notes for current and past versions of SupportAssist can be found at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ca/product-support/product/dell-supportassist-pcs-tablets/docs.

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@Dell-BradLwrote:
...The solution was to manually download the drivers from the Dell Support site If anyone else has this issue, please visit the site and enter your Service Tag/model to manually download the latest drivers for your system.

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Hi @Dell-BradL:

Is that suggestion a temporary workaround, or is there a known issue with the latest SupportAssist v3.10.4 where available updates will fail to install automatically on some Win 10 and/or Win 11 systems?
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1586 * Firefox v98.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2202.4-1.1.19000.8 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.6.180-1.0.1634 * Dell SupportAssist v3.10.4.18 * Dell * Dell Update for Windows 10 Universal v4.4.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Hi @lmacri I have just checked and in part of trying to sort this out I had downloaded the updated version (3.10.4.18) and still had the same problem prior to resorting to a manual download as directed by Dell. I don't think that the latest version includes links to manual downloads when SupportAssist fails. It would be a useful feature in future updates.

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@pwatts2 wrote:

... I have just checked and in part of trying to sort this out I had downloaded the updated version (3.10.4.18) and still had the same problem prior to resorting to a manual download as directed by Dell. I don't think that the latest version includes links to manual downloads when SupportAssist fails ...

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Hi pwatts2:

What is the model of your XPS desktop? I don't see your problem on my Win 10 Inspiron laptop, but your higher-end Win 11 XPS machine might have specialized hardware /or software (e.g., Killer network card, Alienware software, etc.) that's causing a glitch with SupportAssist.

If the problem returns the next time SupportAssist finds an available update for your computer, check to see if you have a program called Dell Update or Alienware Update installed on your computer. If it isn't installed yet, go to https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=products and enter your unique Service Tag. This should open the support page for your XPS model, and when you click on the Drivers & Downloads tab you should see a list of software that is specific to your Service Tag / system configuration. If you see a listing for a Dell/Alienware Update Application and/or Dell/Alienware Update Windows Universal Application you might want to install one of those programs to see if it is able to download and install updates for your system correctly. Note that the Windows Universal Application (UWP) version of Dell/Alienware Update is designed for Win 10 and Win 11 operating systems and I find the UWP version works better on my Win 10 machine than the old-style W32 application that is compatible with Win 7 and higher.

Further to your comment about a link to offline installer for manual installation, one thing I like about using Dell Update is that each available update has a button you can click prior to installation to browse to the "Full Update Reference". If there are release notes available for the update I will be prompted to enter my Service Tag, and this opens the release notes for the correct version that matches my Service Tag (i.e., the same version listed on the support page <here> for my Inspiron 5584). Those release notes will have a blue Download button and instructions for manual installation of the full offline installer if I prefer to do the installation myself instead of using Dell Update.

I've also found that a clean reinstall of SupportAssist can sometimes fix odd behaviour and glitches with this software - see Dell employee DELL-Chris M's SA Uninstall / Reinstall for instructions. Those instructions require you to ensure you have the latest BIOS and Intel Chipset Device Software driver installed first, and that you uninstall all SupportAssist-related software (including the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update, Dell SupportAssist Remediation, etc, if installed) before reinstalling SupportAssist. Instead of uninstalling these programs from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features I usually go one step further and uninstall with Revo Uninstaller Free in Aggressive mode to clean up stray files and registry entries that are often left behind by the built-in uninstaller.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1586 * Firefox v98.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2202.4-1.1.19000.8 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.6.180-1.0.1634 * Dell SupportAssist v3.10.4.18 * Dell * Dell Update for Windows 10 Universal v4.4.0 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6635 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.3.8
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

This is a good suggestion, I can try to relay the feedback on this. 

This is just a workaround if the driver updates failed/were showing up incorrectly in SupportAssist. I am not aware of any known issues on this though. 

It now seems less than unusual for SuppoortAssist to not notice SOME critical updates.  It's now June 2023 and this is still happening, in this case with a critical bios update.  And when you scan on the download site, it shows the critical bios update but does not flag it for installation.  Yes, you can do it manually, but that misses the point.

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@pbug56 wrote:

It now seems less than unusual for SuppoortAssist to not notice SOME critical updates ...

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Hi pbug56:

Just a thought, but when updates (including critical BIOS updates) are posted on the support page <here> for my Inspiron 5584 it sometimes takes about 7 to 10 days before they are detected by my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x app, and when I was still using SupportAssist v3.x to check for available updates I noticed the same 7 to 10 day time lag.

Are you affected by the problem being discussed in this thread where SupportAssist actually detects available updates but then fails to download and install the updates after the Install button is clicked (see the image in pwatts2's original post <above>)?  If so let us know your Dell computer model, Windows operating system (please include the version and OS build number shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications) and your current SupportAssist version.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3086 * Firefox v114.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23050.5-1.1.23050.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.31.270-1.0.2047 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.9.0 * My Dell v2.2.4.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620