SupportAssist gives: An unexpected error occurred

Hi Imacri,

I've actually seen you post that exact message multiple times already in other threads while I was troubleshooting on my own. I've already been over all troubleshooting steps on my own (both my own usual steps and others I found online including some of your info you have posted multiple times with others). I have over 30yrs experience with computers. If I could have solved it myself I would have, so I posted here because nothing seems to make a difference and at this point it appears it's clearly a software issue.

I'm on my desktop PC right now and do not have the laptop turned on tonight. I'm waiting on a cooling pad to arrive tomorrow because it puts out a more heat than the desktop PC does and I'd rather not have it overheat so soon after getting it already. It is running the exact same version of Windows as this, Win 10 Home (21H2), fully up to date as of a few days ago (although new updates should be out today or tomorrow now) with all Windows Updates available for the laptop.

Yes the Killer program is installed, it appears to be a bandwidth monitor or something maybe? I saw it doing absolutely nothing however and I already have a bandwidth monitor and because it was booting at startup I disabled that so boot time is a bit faster. AWCC is installed however that arrived broken as well and I posted this in another thread where others stated similar issues for that program. As a side note the Killer program, whatever it's purpose, did not appear to be the Pro version.

I want to add something I did forget to mention in my previous post however. Before the Windows Updates were done, SupportAssist did appear to be looking for drivers at first. After the Windows Updates ran (as well as multiple other updates, including one being an update for SA), SupportAssist stopped working. (AWCC on the other hand has not worked from Day 1).

To touch on the AWCC issue since I figure it may come up as well, the program is opened and it shows nothing but an infinite loading circle. A Windows popup for the program comes up and does say it can take up to 30sec or more to get ready. It does nothing still after 20+ minutes. Suggestions for that included uninstalling and reinstalling which created more issues. It would not download the AWCC, it downloaded and installed the "AWCC Package Manager" instead which gives the option to Add Packages, Repair or Remove.  Adding appears to have ran through and completed and restarting the computer does nothing. There was no AWCC installed still. Repair did nothing, it shows an 'interrupt' error (no code) and then says it's waiting for a restart. Restarting does nothing, same error. I only managed to get the AWCC program itself back on though the Windows Store actually because the Dell download flat out will not work. So I'm back to square one. The program has it's infinite loading circle. Nothing in Event viewer or any logs I've looked through, no errors, just infinite loading circle.

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@Atryeu1wrote:
....I have over 30yrs experience with computers. If I could have solved it myself I would have, so I posted here because nothing seems to make a difference and at this point it appears it's clearly a software issue.....

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Hi Atryeu1:

As I previously noted, Dell is in the process of rolling out SupportAssist v3.12.1.180, so if the Dell Update Windows Universal Application v4.6.0 listed <here> on the support page for the Dell G15 5515 Ryzen Edition runs correctly on your system then you might be able use this utility to check for Dell software and driver updates while you're waiting for SupportAssist v3.12.1.180. The buggy SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 went into wide release around 23-Jun-2022 so they must have some idea by now why so many users (especially those with Win 11 and/or higher Dell models like Alienware, XPS, etc.) are having issues with v3.11.4.29.

You said your Dell G15 5515 Ryzen Edition laptop is less than a week old so I assume your service warranty hasn't expired. Dell employees rarely post publicly in this forum to offer assistance so if you can't submit a support request via the Get Support tab of SupportAssist you can initiate an online support request at https://www.dell.com/support/incidents-online/contactus as instructed in the support article How to Create a Support Request Online for Dell EMC. I personally didn't find Dell customer support to be of much help before my service warranty expired (they will typically recommend a clean install for SupportAssist problems - for future reference see my 21-Jul-2022 post in GlobalEngineer's SupportAssist Fails to Launch for instructions since you've said you won't perform another reinstall) but if you submit diagnostic logs to Dell that might at least help the software developers with their debugging.

My Inspiron laptop does not come with Alienware utilities like the Alienware Command Center (AWCC) so you will either have to wait for someone else to jump into this thread to provide feedback or wait for someone to reply to your recent post in Xiaomai0516's 08-Sep-2021 thread Command Center AlienFX issue on G15 5511 in the Inspiron / D Series Laptops board.  I didn't read all the suggested workarounds in that thread, but you might also be interested in Ryan888K's  04-Sep-2022 post in Inspiron G15 5510, Windows 11, AWCC Not Working? where they noted that AWCC will not run correctly on their system unless they disable Memory Integrity (located at Settings | Update & Security | Windows Security | Device Security | Core Isolation | Core Isolation Details on my Win 10 Pro machine). Perhaps there' is something specific about one of the security features built into your AMD Ryzen CPU or TPM module (e.g., Kernel DMA Protection, etc.) that is preventing both SupportAssist and AWCC from launching on your system. If you're interested in pursuing this I recently posted some images from the System Information panel of my own Inspiron 5584 (which runs SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 correctly) in post # 2474528 of the AskWoody topic Why is Bitlocker Waiting for Activation?.  There are a few Dell users posting in that AskWoody thread about odd behavior they noticed on their systems after a recent BIOS update.
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Just an aside, but here are the locations of some SupportAssist logs I sometimes check when I'm troubleshooting. I have a Win 10 Pro OS and currently use SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 so I don't know if your logs are saved to the same location on your system:

• C:\ProgramData\SupportAssist\Client\Agent\logs\ApplicationLogs\SupportAssistAgent.log
• C:\ProgramData\Dell\UpdateService\UpdatePackage\log (individual .txt logs for update packages installed by SupportAssist)
• C:\ProgramData\Dell\UpdateService\Log\Activity.log
• C:\ProgramData\Dell\UpdateService\Log\Service.log
• C:\ProgramData\Dell\SupportAssist\Agent\Logs [look in protected subfolders \Application for SupportAssistAgent.log and \Installer for Installer.log - I use TreeSize Free (running with Administrator rights) to browse to these protected logs]

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2207.7-1.1.19600.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * 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 * TreeSize Free Portable v.4.6.0..504
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Forgive me for the late response but I grew too stressed and had to take it easy due to health issues for a few days.  Still no update or resolution for SupportAssist however I did solve the AWCC issue finally tonight. The Event Viewer was showing an error at the time Windows boots rather than when the program boots so it was easily missed. The error pointed towards MS as the cause and I eventually found a post from another member here with a slightly different issue however it was also the cause of mine. Apparently Visual C++ Runtime was out of date and not included in the Windows Updates or any other updates ran on here initially. After downloading and installing the latest version the program opened instantly so I have my temperature view and fan controls available to me now finally

Hopefully SupportAssist will get it's update out soon to resolve that as well and that just leaves me with one more unknown MS error in the Event Viewer that shows up at each boot. There at least was some progress so I can end my night on a happy note for a change!

This is a known problem that several are having. My advice is to leave SA and let it automatically update when dell have manage to solve this problem. When that happens it should automatically update in the background. When that happens is yet to see. Don't hold your breath.

Dell SupportAssist checks the health of the software and hardware of your Dell PC. If it finds any problems with your Dell computer, it will send a report to Dell. Thus, it’s a disaster when the “SupportAssist not working” appears. However, don’t worry since you can follow the methods below to fix it.

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

Step 1: Open File Explorer and open the Program Files Folder in Local Disk C.

Step 2: Select the Dell folder and open the SupportAssistAgent folder.

open the SupportAssistAgent folder
Step 3: Locate the bin folder and double-click it to open the Resource folder.

Step 4: Find the New-Dell-Logo-White-Small file and right-click it to choose the Rename option.

Step 5: 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.

check for updates
After installing the latest Windows updates, restart your computer and check if the “Dell SupportAssist not working” error gets fixed.

[SOLVED] Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates
[SOLVED] Windows Update Cannot Currently Check for Updates
Troubled by the issue Windows Updates cannot currently check for updates? This post shows 4 solutions to fix Windows update failed problem.

READ MORE
Method 3: Reinstall Dell SupportAssist
You can try uninstalling Support Assist and then reinstall it to fix the “SupportAssist not working” issue. To do this, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Open the Settings application and open the Apps part.

Step 2: Now, find Dell SupportAssist and uninstall it.

Step 3: Once the uninstall is completed, restart the system and then reinstall the latest version of Dell SupportAssist from the Internet.

Then, check to see if the “Dell SupportAssist not working” error has been fixed.

Regards,

Rachel Gomez

RachelGomez, my system is already as fully up to date as it can get and this is apparently confirmed to be a Dell issue and not on my end. Many others are having the same issue, please read the previous posts as it is stated multiple times as the likely cause. Also please note that I clearly stated already reinstalling SupportAssist in my initial post and it did not work. I also stated I was already up to date with everything I could update.   I also already know what SupportAssist is. This is my 3rd Dell PC over the years and I'm not new to the program.

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@RachelGomez wrote:

Method 1: Rename the New-Dell-Logo-White-Small File ...

   Step 3: Locate the bin folder and double-click it to open the Resource folder.
   Step 4: Find the New-Dell-Logo-White-Small file and right-click it to choose the Rename option.
   Step 5: Input New-Dell-Logo-White and save the name....

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Hi RachelGomez:

Where did you find those instructions and how old are they? My current SupportAssist v3.11.4.9 seems to be working correctly and there is no file called New-Dell-Logo-White-Small in C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin\Resource (or any other subfolder in C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\)...

... although I did find a file with the "correct" name called New-Dell-Logo-White.png in a different folder at C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin\FrameworkAgents\Resource.

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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 v4.5.14.210-1.0.1772 * 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

I can't edit my post it seems so I'll add to it here. I'm not trying to create an issue or anything of this but to RachelGomez, I literally just came across your exact same username on other help forums elsewhere (tied to other unrelated computer issues) doing the same thing you are doing here. You are not reading any of the information in any of the posts and going by the subject line alone with your responses here and the other forums I just discovered you at. There you also are reviving threads from several years or more back by reading only the subject lines and not the actual information people are providing. If you really wish to help others with their issues please actually read the content of people's posts and not just the subjects and you shouldn't be reviving threads that are years old with unhelpful posts like that, here or elsewhere

Again, Not trying to cause an issue here, but I have very little patience when it comes to responses like that (as in a person not reading a single bit of the information provided and telling others to do exactly what they already stated they tried before reaching out) which is why I rarely bother seeking help outside of my own troubleshooting and you seem to be doing it in many places online over the last few days including here. I know it frustrates me seeing a response showing you did not read a single thing I wrote likely other than the subject and I'm sure others feel the same of such posts.

In other news I saw a hit today come up on this PC for a SupportAssist file being updated, supportassistprereginstaller.exe  to be exact although the version it went from and the version it went to still don't match the actual SupportAssist program being used so not sure if it's a good sign it's coming soon or not? It upgraded FROM version 3.12.1.181 TO version 3.12.2.40    However SupportAssist itself is still at the 3.11.x version with no sign of an update available yet.

Hi Imacri, I appreciate the heads up earlier! I booted the laptop up this evening and there was the update for me as well and I was able to successfully run the driver/update check and it picked up my final updates I was missing still! I ran a Hardware Scan as well and can confirm it appears to be working now with no 'unexpected error' messages so hopefully this is the 2nd issue fixed finally now as well! I appreciate the responses and the heads up about the update finally releasing, thank you I'll mark your final post as the solution as it's hopefully fixed now.

I'd like to ask, you are not good by chance at deciphering Windows error log messages are you? Those still have me stuck. One (for AWCC) shows a faulting module of a Windows system file but the program is running okay when I load it. That error shows in the logs each time the laptop boots. There is another for another installed program on the laptop that comes up at boot time that seems to be an issue with itself but I'm struggling with both to find any helpful information online about either. The 3rd error has me at a loss as well but I can clearly see the issue, just no idea how to resolve it. In that case it's checking some MS file on the Azure site it seems that doesn't exist at the link it's attempting to access -_-  I'm stuck with those log errors and no ideas still how to go about them. If you have any experience with that I'd love to have you take a look, otherwise I'll continue my search for those elsewhere since they are not technically related to Dell (other than AWCC).

Thanks again for the help with SupportAssist, it was appreciated and I'm glad it was just the program itself being buggy and not another big issue to have to solve on my end.

I'm having this problem with v.3.13.2.14.  It last ran February 11 but since gives me an error.  I have done all the things suggested on this thread, but to no positive results.  I have uninstalled/reinstalled twice.  All Services are set to automatic/running.

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@sandray1611 wrote:

I'm having this problem with v.3.13.2.14.  It last ran February 11 but since gives me an error.  I have done all the things suggested on this thread, but to no positive results...

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Hi sandray1611:

This is an old thread from Sept 2022 about problems with SupportAssist v3.11.4.29, which had different minimum system requirements than the current version of SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 (released Feb 2023) - for example,the release notes show that SupportAssist v3.13.0 now requires Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 or higher.

This old thread has already been marked as solved, so it would be helpful if you could start a new topic and let us know your Dell computer model, Windows operating system [if Win 10 or Win 11 please include the edition (e.g., Home Pro, etc.), version and OS build number shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications], and what errors or warnings you see when you try to run SupportAssist v3.13.2.14.

Also let us know if Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 or higher is installed on your system at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features. From my Inspiron 5584 / Win 10 Pro v22H2 laptop, which shows that shows I currently have Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.14:

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2604 * Firefox v110.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2301.6-1.1.200000.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.24.248-1.0.1944 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * 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

@RachelGomez​

As another one of the many, many users experiencing this problem, may I add that no file named "New-Dell-Logo-White-Small" exists on my computer. I suspect I'm not the only one for whom this is true.

Nothing worked for me until I installed the Alienware Update Application v4.6.0 from the Dell drivers website.

My System:
Alienware M17 R3
Windows 10 x64 Pro
Dell SupportAssist v3.14.0.91
AW Command Center v5.4.35.0
.NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.22 x86
.NET Desktop Runtime 6.0.22 x64
.NET Desktop Runtime 7.0.11 x86
.NET Desktop Runtime 7.0.11 x64
VC++ Redistributable 2015-2022 x86
VC++ Redistributable 2015-2022 x64

P.S. Must make sure the Dell Client Management Service is running in the Windows background.
btw, if fails to start then do a YouTube search for "How to Actually Fix Dell SupportAssist Update".