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Support Assistant
So why is it that I have automatic scans UNCHECKED under settings and today Support Assistant popped up a message that my scan would be starting in 16 seconds? I figured Dell pulled one of their smooth moves and updated the software in the background and just reset the settings to what they wanted instead of what I wanted. But I went into the app and the setting is still UNCHECKED, so why was it going to perform an automatic scan? If there some other setting I need to disable?
If this is how it is going to work, then tell me what I need to remove to get rid of Support Assistant. I also have Dell update. I like it because it tells me when there are drivers that need to updated that I might not know about. But I didn't have Support Assistant installed and it kept nagging me to install it...like every day. Sometimes multiple times a day and there didn't seem to be a way to tell it you weren't interest in certain updates so don't bother me with them. Is there a way to do that or to turn off notifications, so I can just run Dell update when I want to?
I generally like Dell but sometimes I hate their software.
RoHe
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October 1st, 2019 12:00
Always include PC model and version of Windows in your posts.
I'm confused...If you don't have SupportAssist installed how is it offering to run scans?
Are you sure Dell Update isn't running those scans and/or triggering SupportAssist to run them?
You can either disable or uninstall Dell Update and see if you still get nagged about installing SupportAssist. Go to the Startup tab in Task Manager and uncheck Dell Update. Or go to the Windows Add/Remove programs screen and uninstall. You can always download again from the Dell site for free...
Kev914z
56 Posts
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October 1st, 2019 17:00
Sorry I was confusing. I have an XPS 8920. I am running the latest build of Windows 10.
I had Support Assistant installed. It came installed. When Windows updated to this version, it uninstalled Support Assistant for some reason. I left in uninstalled until Dell Update kept bugging me about the Support Assistant updates, so I finally relented. (For a while I would install all the other updates except for the two that pertained to Support Assistant. I would uncheck those, but since there was no way to say that I didn't want them permanently, it would keep popping up a message that I had important updates and it would want to install the Support Assistant updated that I had already declined numerous times.) I figured it would be OK, if I unchecked autoruns and only ran it if I felt I wanted to.
It's been OK for month perhaps, then today all of the sudden it popped up a message that said it was going to run my monthly scan in so many seconds. Today is the day that the monthly scan was suppose to run, but I have Enable automatic scans unchecked so nothing is scheduled. The box is empty. I am not able to clear any of the field below that line. That's how I know it would have run a monthly scan on the first of the month. But since auto scan is unchecked, it shouldn't be running the scan. Or do I just not understand how it works?
Thanks.
Kev914z
56 Posts
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October 1st, 2019 18:00
Hi. Thanks.
You are correct. One of the updates was a security update for Support Assistant.
The only task for the support assistant that I see scheduled if for Dell Support Assistant Agent Autoupdate. It runs every week at 10:30 am. I think that it updates the app. Or maybe that is what pops up the message that I should run the Assistant to keep my pc running at top performance. That message just goes in the windows notification sidebar, so it's not much of an issue. I can disable the task if you think it could be the issue.
RoHe
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October 1st, 2019 18:00
There were SupportAssist updates to fix a security issue and to improve compatibility with Win 10 so maybe that's what were being offering. Since you have Dell Update installed, it may be pushing those updates at you.
Open the Windows Task Scheduler and see if there's a SupportAssist task scheduled, and disable it if it's listed.
You don't really need either SupportAssist or Dell Update. You can -from time to time- go to the Support page and put in your Service Tag. It will show you the list of latest drivers for your PC. You can compare the version numbers listed on the site with the versions listed in Device Manager to see if you need any of them. A bit more work but less annoying...
Using a driver's Release Date or Last Updated date on the Support page can be misleading. Sometimes an older driver's dates change and the dates make it look like that driver is newer than the actual latest version which you've already installed.
RoHe
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43.5K Posts
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October 2nd, 2019 15:00
Can't hurt to disable that task. You can always re-enable it, if you want. And maybe it was telling you to run SupportAssist to get the update.
Have you looked at the Startup tab in Task Manager to see if SupportAssist and/or Dell Update are starting at every boot? You might disable them there too.