Dell SupportAssist Crashes, cannot uninstall it.

I have the same problem, and went through the same sequence of steps.

I have a Dell XPS 13 (9333). Windows 10 Home x64 edition.

I have Dell Support Assist 2.2.1.23 installed.

I tried to uninstall Dell Support Assist and got this error:

Error 2753. The File 'WickInstaller.5CE21306_A484_4807_29446153A569' is not marked for installation

One other thing I noticed:

I had a look in Event Viewer and the following errors were generated by Dell Support Assist on my system when it tried to run itself today:

Event 1000, Application Error
Faulting application name: SupportAssistUI.exe, version: 2.2.1.23, time stamp: 0x5b16a70f
Faulting module name: unknown, version: 0.0.0.0, time stamp: 0x00000000
Exception code: 0xc0000005
Fault offset: 0x0627ece3
Faulting process ID: 0x3348
Faulting application start time: 0x01d40defbaa97c6d
Faulting application path: C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin\SupportAssistUI.exe
Faulting module path: unknown
Report ID: fa9d66ee-b8c3-4ec0-b5ff-1f0be84d4098
Faulting package full name:
Faulting package-relative application ID:

Event 1026, .NET Runtime
Application: SupportAssistUI.exe
Framework Version: v4.0.30319
Description: The process was terminated due to an unhandled exception.
Exception Info: System.NullReferenceException
at Dell.Services.SupportAssist.SupportAssistUI.MainWindow.UpdateWindowActionState()
at Dell.Services.SupportAssist.SupportAssistUI.MainWindow.OnMainWindowActivated(System.Object, System.EventArgs)
at System.Windows.Window.OnActivated(System.EventArgs)
at System.Windows.Window.HandleActivate(Boolean)
at System.Windows.Window.WmActivate(IntPtr)
at System.Windows.Window.WindowFilterMessage(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
at System.Windows.Interop.HwndSource.PublicHooksFilterMessage(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
at MS.Win32.HwndWrapper.WndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr, Boolean ByRef)
at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.DispatcherCallbackOperation(System.Object)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.InternalRealCall(System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
at System.Windows.Threading.ExceptionWrapper.TryCatchWhen(System.Object, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32, System.Delegate)
at System.Windows.Threading.Dispatcher.LegacyInvokeImpl(System.Windows.Threading.DispatcherPriority, System.TimeSpan, System.Delegate, System.Object, Int32)
at MS.Win32.HwndSubclass.SubclassWndProc(IntPtr, Int32, IntPtr, IntPtr)

I also have same problem while uninstalling Dell SupportAssists. So pl. reply with the solution of this problem as soon as possible.

Same problem here

Hi,

I finally managed to get mine to uninstall,and I thought I'd post my method in case it works for you. I found that the problem was caused by the SupportAssist utility running on startup.

To solve this, I restarted my PC. This means that the utility will not be running. (If you still have a problem try looking at the task manager's "startup" tab and disabling the SupportAssist utility if it is listed.

Then as soon as the PC has restarted, go to the Control Panel or "Apps and features" menu to uninstall it.

If that still doesn't work (And you are on windows 10), there is an option listed in the "Apps and features" menu which may help. Scroll down the program list and find the SupportAssist program (If there are two, click the one with the blue wrench logo) and then click on it. Scroll down and you should find a "Terminate" option. This should stop any processes by this app from running. Try uninstalling it again from the apps and features menu.

If this doesn't solve your problem I apologise, I am not a computer expert and am just explaining the steps I went through to solve my issue as I understand how frustrating it can be.

I hope this helps,

-Nathaniel

Unfortunately Nathaniel's method didn't work for me.

I made sure that SupportAssistAgent.exe wasn't running (there is a program called Autoruns which you can use to stop programs from starting on reboot), and also stopped the Dell SupportAssist service.

I then uninstalled Dell SupportAssist from 'Apps and features', but I don't believe it actually uninstalled anything (although it has now disappeared as an option from 'Apps and features').

Trying to install via SupportAssistInstaller.exe still gives the 'already installed' message (i.e. it detects the current version). I think my only option is to wait for a newer version of Dell SupportAssist which will install over the current version.

I'm really sorry to hear that... It would just be nice to get some professional input on this forum. Have you tried getting hold of an older copy to see if that works? Again its a stab in the dark but since no-one seems to really pay attention to the community forums I'm afraid it's all I can offer.

Sorry about that,

Nathaniel

OK, I found a workaround (not a very good one as it's not really a good idea to manually change things in the registry). Anyway...

Using the registry editor (C:\Windows\regedit.exe):

In the registry I renamed the following folder

from:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dell\SupportAssistAgent

to:
Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dell\SupportAssistAgent_old

(renaming rather than deleting meant that I had a saved copy of the folder)

I believe the reason why this works is because of this key:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\Version

Version contains the value '2.2.1.23'.

I probably could have just changed that value to something like '1.1.1.1' (i.e. anything earlier than '2.2.1.23').

The installer must use that key to detect the software version.

Once that was renamed and the installer (SupportAssistInstaller.exe) didn't find that value, it went ahead and installed 2.2.1.23.

Oh my god I really expect the expert from Dell to help us. This also stressed me out

This MS utility I found in another thread uninstalled it for me:-

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed

Use this tool " Microsoft Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter". It will troubleshoot problems which restrict the uninstallation process of the Dell SupportAssist Software.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed-or-removed

Hi All,

Apologies for the delay in replying to this thread. The forums notifications were broken and we had a lot of issues reported through the formal process causing a delay in responding to this thread.

For future reference, If you are not able to get a response on the Community Forum, I would recommend contacting Dell Tech Support by dialing the 1800 ( Toll Free) number or sending an email to them. If they are not able to resolve your problem they will contact us for help but at least the problem will be tracked and will guarantee a time bound response.

Secondly, I would like to discourage everyone from changing registry entries unless recommended by a Dell Engineer through a formal process. Doing it wrong can cause a complete system failure. Always contact Dell Tech Support for any issues.

Talking about the issue at hand, please find the steps below to clean uninstall SupportAssist. After a clean uninstall please install latest version of SupportAssist. Dell SupportAssist actively monitors the health of your systems and reports any issues to you and Dell. You will be losing out on this functionality on a system without Dell SupportAssist.

•  Download SupportAssistx64-2.2.1.23.msp
• Open cmd prompt > Run as Administrator
• Execute command - msiexec /p /qn

• Wait for some time (around 5 minutes) – it will copy all “missing” files / folders. [ensure “C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\PCDr\Installer” exists now]
• Open “Control Panel\Programs\Programs and Features”
• Uninstall ‘Dell SupportAssist’
• Download and install the latest version of Dell SupportAssist

Regards
Aniruddha S [Dell]

Download SupportAssistx64-2.2.1.23.msp is a dead link. Inexcusable!!!

This solution can help;

Same problem here.  Try this: download the windows fix tool through:

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed...

Run and follow the steps to uninstall the support assist.  Then download the latest version.  Works for me.

Use this tool " Microsoft Install and Uninstall Troubleshooter". It will troubleshoot problems which restrict the uninstallation process of the Dell SupportAssist Software.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-in/help/17588/fix-problems-that-block-programs-from-being-installed...

This worked!  Thanks.