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July 18th, 2020 16:00

Can't install SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools

I am using Support Assist on a Dell XPS 15 9570 on Windows 10. I have the latest bios version and the latest windows update as of 7/18/2020. I try to update the SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools via the Dell SupportAssist tool but it keeps failing. Should I try uninstalling and re-installing it? If so, how do I do that on Windows 10?

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1.2K Posts

September 26th, 2021 17:00


@samus1 wrote:

... So are the restore points that "normal" SupportAssist creates before updating drivers also stored as snapshots to the same location that OS Recovery does (C:\ProgramData\Dell\SARemediation\SystemRepair\SnapShots), or are these "normal" Windows restore points? ...



Hi samus1:

Sorry, I can't be certain without more testing but I suspect it uses a system restore point created by Windows (assuming System Protection, which is normally disabled by default on Win 10 machines, is enabled at Settings | System | About | System Protection | System Restore | Configure | Restore Settings | Turn On System Protection).

If you read the section titled "Install Driver Updates" in the online SupportAssist for Home PCs Version 3.10.3 User’s Guide it states that "To enable SupportAssist to create a restore point, you must enable the restore point creation settings in Windows." That sounds to me like you must turn on System Protection in Windows as instructed in the Windows Central article How to Use System Restore on Windows 10 (as I did shortly after purchasing my Inspiron 5584).  To roll back your driver update from the SupportAssist History tab see the instructions in the section titled "Uninstall Driver Updates" of that same SupportAssist User Guide.

SupportAssist v3_10_3 User Guide Install Driver Updates 26 Sep 2021.png

In practice, I'm not certain that SupportAssist always creates a new Windows system restore point on my system before it installs a driver update as I assume it should, but when it does the Windows system restore point is automatically labelled "Dell Client Management Service". The images below were captured on 21-May-2021 after SupportAssist v3.9.0 created a restore point before starting the installation of Dell Update v4.2.0, and would seem to confirm the system restore point was created by Windows, and not Dell SupportAssist Remediation.

Dell Update v4.2.0 Installed by SupportAssist on 21-May-2021 (restore point created)Dell Update v4.2.0 Installed by SupportAssist on 21-May-2021 (restore point created)
SupportAssist History Tab Includes SupportAssist History Tab Includes "Restore System" Link

Windows System Restore Point Created with Label Windows System Restore Point Created with Label "Dell Client Management Service"

No Dell System Restore Point Created in Hidden Folder C:\ProgramData\Dell\SARemediation\SystemRepair\No Dell System Restore Point Created in Hidden Folder C:\ProgramData\Dell\SARemediation\SystemRepair\

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H1 build 19043.1237 * Firefox v92.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2108.7 * MB Premium v4.4.7.134-1.0.1464 * Dell SupportAssist v3.10.3.3 * Dell SupportAssist Remediation v 5.4.3.15135 * Dell Update for Windows 10 v4.3.0 * Macrium Reflect Free v7.3.5854
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G 256 GB NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

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