Start a Conversation

Unsolved

Closed

1 Rookie

 • 

70 Posts

3241

March 5th, 2023 06:00

Dell Update Windows Universal Application 4.8 update

XPS 8940

XPS 8940

The Support Assist App has been trying (and failing) to install the update to the Dell Update Windows Universal Application (to version 4.8) since January (every other driver check) on my XPS8940 running Windows 10 Pro/64. Today I downloaded the update from the Dell Support website and installed it manually and this time the Dell Update Windows Universal Application actually updated to the current version (4.8).

I have no clue why Support Assist couldn't install it, but this is the fix I used (I saw someone was having the same issue with a previous version and they had to download and manually install the new version before the installation would work).

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 5th, 2023 08:00

Hi sewing1243:

Thanks for posting about this. I'm also having a problem updating my Dell Update Windows Universal app to v4.8.0.

I haven't tried running the offline installer (Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_0RCG0_WIN_4.8.0_A00.EXE, rel. 31-Jan-2023) yet but SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 and Dell Update Windows Universal v4.7.1 are both failing to detect the following two updates for my system:

  • Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 (rel. 31-Jan-2023)
  • Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update v5.5.5.16206 (rel. 25-Jan-2023, previously installed on my system on 31-Jan-2023 but rolled back to v5.5.4.16189 on 08-Feb-2023 when SupportAssist self-updated to v3.13.2.14)

My 26-Feb-2023 post in my thread Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update Rolled Back to v5.5.4.16189 notes that SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 and Dell Update Windows Universal v4.7.1 were both able to detect an available update for my Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.22.1 on 22-Feb-2023 so I'm not sure why the two older updates mentioned above still aren't being detected.  My best guess at the moment is that the rollback of my Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update to v5.5.4.16189 on 08-Feb- 2023  while SupportAssist was self-updating to v3.13.2.14 has also messed up the delivery of Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0.

I know of one Alienware user who reported that Dell is trying (and failing) to push out a new SupportAssist v3.13.7.0 update to their machine - see alienware17r4's 14-Feb-2023 post in their thread 17 R4, firmwaretpm.exe stopped working - so perhaps Dell is aware that there's a bug in the current SupportAssist v3.13.2.14. The fact that Dell still hasn't posted release notes for SupportAssist v3.13.2 at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ca/product-support/product/dell-supportassist-pcs-tablets/docs (released in early Feb 2023) also makes me suspect that Dell knows there's a problem with the current SupportAssist v3.13.2.14
-------------
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 v4.5.23.241-1.0.1927 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediation v5.5.5.16458 * Fusion Service v2.2.14.0 * 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

1 Rookie

 • 

70 Posts

March 5th, 2023 09:00

One other thing I noticed before downloading and running the offline installer was that if I attempted to run Dell Update from the Windows Start Menu Dell Update was popping up an error window about its service not running. I just checked a moment ago and Dell update functions normally again. I suspect that something was going wrong with each installation attempt by Support Assist and that was corrupting the App (and leaving it corrupted somewhere between ver 4.7 and 4.8).

7 Posts

March 25th, 2023 09:00

I'm still having issues with this. I installed Dell Update Windows Universal Application 4.8 from SupportAssist. From that point forward every time I launched SupportAssist it would tell me "Task in Progress" and wouldn't work. I uninstalled SupportAssist and loaded Dell Update 4.8 from the support page, restarted, then reinstalled SupportAssist. I'll run SupportAssist and it tells me I still need to install the Dell Update 4.8 which, I'm assuming, is going to start this cycle all over again. Ugh!

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 25th, 2023 13:00


@SoCalme60 wrote:

... I uninstalled SupportAssist and loaded Dell Update 4.8 from the support page, restarted, then reinstalled SupportAssist. I'll run SupportAssist and it tells me I still need to install the Dell Update 4.8 which, I'm assuming, is going to start this cycle all over again...


Hi SoCalme60:

What is your Dell computer model and Windows operating system? When you go to Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features what is the full name and version number of the Dell Update (or Dell Command | Update / Alienware Update) application currently listed there? From my Inspiron 5584 / Win 10 Pro v22H2 laptop, which shows that I now have Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0:

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Control Panel Two Dell Programs DU v4_8_0 22 Mar 2023.png

If Control Panel shows that you already have Dell Update v4.8.0 installed then re-boot your computer and check your Windows services (Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services) and ensure that the three services called Dell Client Management Service, Dell SupportAssist and Dell TechHub all have a status of Running. The Dell Client Management Service shown below is required by both SupportAssist and Dell Update (as well as a few other Dell applications) and this service will sometimes stop running while a Dell application is being updated and then fail to start again after the installer has finished, but a re-boot usually fixes this.

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Services Dell Client Management Service Only Running After SA Uninstall 22 Mar 2023.png

I was finally able to get my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 to self-update to v4.8.0 a few days ago, but I had to uninstall all SupportAssist-related programs [i.e., SupportAssist v3.13.2.14, Dell SupportAssist Remediation v5.5.5.16458 (a.k.a Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools / System Repair) and Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin v5.5.4.16189] first as instructed in Dell employee DELL-Chris M's SA Uninstall / Reinstall . In my experience, simply uninstalling Dell SupportAssist from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and reinstalling with a fresh copy of SupportAssistInstaller.exe rarely fixes problems with this application, and I've found that DELL-Chris M's instructions for a clean reinstall will often fix a stubborn SupportAssist glitch. Note that while I was following DELL-Chris M's instructions I used Revo Uninstaller Free in Advanced (aggressive) mode to uninstall these SupportAssist-related programs in order to remove orphaned registry entries and files that are often left behind by the "regular" Dell uninstallers.  After those SupportAssist-related programs were uninstalled I re-booted and launched Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 and it was finally able to detect and install the v4.8.0 update.

Dell Update v4_7_1 Two Updates Available After SA Uninstall Dell Update v4_8_0 EDITED 22 Mar 2023.png

See my 22-Mar-2023 post in my thread Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update Rolled Back to v5.5.4.16189 for further details. As noted in that post, I've decided not to reinstall SupportAssist, the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools or the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin and I plan to use alternate software (i.e., Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x for checking for Dell software and driver updates, Dell's F12 ePSA diagnostics and my built-in Win 10 troubleshooters for hardware scans, and Macrium Reflect Free for full disk imaging and emergency recovery) to replace these programs.
-------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2301.6-1.1.20100.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.25.256-1.0.1957 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.4.2
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

7 Posts

March 25th, 2023 14:00

Hi Imacri,

 

Thank you for the response. I've got the Inspiron 16 Plus 7620 with Windows 11. 

In Control Panel I'm still showing as having version 4.7.1 of Dell Update for Windows Universal. This is despite trying to update to 4.8 from the support page after I had removed SupportAssist. I did find Chris M's post related to this and followed his instructions for removing and reinstalling SupportAssist after I tried the manual update for 4.8 on the support page. I didn't have a few of the other apps he suggested removing, i.e Dell SupportAssist Agent, Dell SupportAssist Update Plugin, etc. I did have Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update. That one wasn't on his list so I left it in place. 

I will follow what you mentioned and give it another try.

Thank you again for your assistance. Very much appreciated.

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 25th, 2023 19:00


@SoCalme60 wrote:
...In Control Panel I'm still showing as having version 4.7.1 of Dell Update for Windows Universal. This is despite trying to update to 4.8 from the support page after I had removed SupportAssist. I did find Chris M's post related to this and followed his instructions for removing and reinstalling SupportAssist after I tried the manual update for 4.8 on the support page....I will follow what you mentioned and give it another try....

Hi SoCalme60:

There might be a simpler solution for you that doesn't require another uninstall of SupportAssist. If the old Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 (rel. 24-Nov-2022) is still installed then the first thing I would suggest is that you uninstall that old v4.7.1 edition from Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features as instructed in the Dell Update Version 4.x User's Guide.  If you're familiar with Revo Uninstaller Free then using this tool in Advanced (aggressive) mode to perform the uninstall would be preferable but probably not critical.

Then re-boot and try re-installing with a fresh copy of the v4.8.0 installer (Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_0RCG0_WIN_4.8.0_A00.EXE, rel 31-Jan-2023) downloaded from the support page <here> for your Inspiron 16 Plus 7620. Save that .EXE installer to your desktop, right-click on the file, and choose "Run as Administrator" to run the installer.  If that doesn't work then post back and let us know what happened.

Keep in mind that Dell Update for Windows Universal has two components - the main ~ 25 MB Dell Update for Windows Universal program and a smaller ~ 100 KB companion Dell Update APPx module that is only listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features on my Win 10 machine [for Win 11, I believe Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps are managed at Settings | Apps | Installed Apps]. If I understand correctly these small APPx modules contain files and credentials required to install and run some UWP apps. After you uninstall the main Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 program make sure that this small APPx module has also been removed.

From my Inspiron 5584 / Win 10 Pro v22H2 laptop, which currently has the main Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 (i.e., the same application listed at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features) ...

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Settings Apps and Features Dell Update For Windows Universal v4_8_0 25 Mar 2023.png

... as well as a smaller ~ 100 KB APPx module called Dell Update v4.8.20.0.

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Settings Apps and Features Dell Update v4_8_20 APPx Module 25 Mar 2023.png

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Settings Apps and Features Dell Update v4_8_20 APPx Module Advanced Settings 25 Mar 2023.png

________________________________________

ASIDE: If I search for "supportassist" at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features I can see that SupportAssist has one of these companion APPx modules as well - see my 02-Feb-2022 post in HeyTony's Brand New XPS17 Issues With Locking Up, Blue Screen and Update of SupportAssist , as well as Dell employee NikhilKiroula's 16-Aug-2021 post in What is the Current Version of SupportAssist.
-------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2301.6-1.1.20100.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.25.256-1.0.1957 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0 * Revo Uninstaller Free Portable v2.4.2
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

1 Rookie

 • 

21 Posts

March 28th, 2023 12:00

Hi, I have always had issues updating Dell Update from within Support Assist. After downloading and restarting, the Dell Client Management Service is disabled and the Dell Update application is still not updated no matter how long we wait.

The only solution is to uninstall Dell Update and download and install the latest version manually. The version previous version, which was installed was 4.6.0 and the latest version, 4.8.0 wasn't offered so I had to use the Service Tag from another pc we have to find the download for 4.8.0. I understand that Dell Update has been changed to Dell Update For Windows Universal so I'm guessing that the Dell Update Application is compatible with all Dell laptops? Manual install for me is the only way to install Dell Update.

Mitch

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 28th, 2023 14:00


@Mitch1924 wrote:
... I understand that Dell Update has been changed to Dell Update For Windows Universal so I'm guessing that the Dell Update Application is compatible with all Dell laptops? Manual install for me is the only way to install Dell Update.

Hi Mitch1924:

What is your Dell computer model and Windows OS? If Win 10 or Win 11 please include the edition (Home, Professional, etc.), version (e.g., v21H2, v22H2, etc.) and OS build number shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications.

The Dell Update product recommended for your computer (e.g., Dell Update, Dell Command | Update, Alienware Update, etc.) can vary depending on your model and operating system. Go to https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-us?app=products, enter your private Service Tag, and then check the Drivers & Downloads tab of your support page to see the recommended edition and version.
________________________________

I should mention that Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 is behaving quite differently on my Inspiron 5584 than previous versions of this app. The v4.8.0 release notes <here> say...

  • Improved self-update workflow
  • Enhanced the toast notification mechanism during driver installations.

... and after my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 self-updated to v4.8.0 I immediately began seeing annoying pop-up notifications in the Windows Notifications area at the far right of my taskbar nagging me to install a pending update (in my case a Realtek Memory Card Reader driver from 2019 that I don't want to install), as well as a process for DellUpdate.exe that was running constantly in the background on the Processes tab of Task Manager.

Dell Update v4_8_0 One Updates Available Close and Remind Me Later 24 Mar 2023.png

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Dell Update v4_8_0 Notification Remind Later Settings 24 Mar 2023.png

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Task Manager Processes Dell Update _exe 23 Mar 2023.png

I turned off notifications for Dell Update (Settings | System | Notifications & Actions | Dell Update | OFF) and so far that seems to have stopped the constant notifications that were nagging me to install my Realtek driver.

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Settings System Notifications Dell Update v4_8_0 OFF 26 Mar 2023.png

However, I suspect that disabling the Dell Update app at Settings | Privacy | Background Apps | Choose Which Apps Can Run in the Background | Dell Update | OFF to prevent DellUpdate.exe from running in the background will prevent the Microsoft Store from automatically delivering future updates for the Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x APPx UWP module.  I have that setting turned OFF for now and Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 still runs correctly if I launch it manually from my Start menu, so I'm going to wait and see if this causes a problem the next time a program update (e.g., v4.8.1 or v4.9.0) is released.

Win 10 Pro v22H2 Settings Privacy Background Apps Dell Update v4_8_0 OFF 26 Mar 2023.png
-------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20100.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.25.256-1.0.1957 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

1 Rookie

 • 

21 Posts

March 29th, 2023 04:00

Hi Imacri. This device is a Dell Inspiron 16-5625 laptop, Windows 11 22H2 Home version and is fully updated. The latest version of Dell Update listed in the Drivers and Downloads page for the Service Tag is 4.6.0, which was previously installed. I used the Service Tag of another Dell PC which we have and downloaded and installed 4.8.0 after manually uninstalling the previous version. It seems to be working without any noticeable problems. I would have thought that the "Universal" label would mean that this version would be suitable for all Inspiron devices as it is a "Stand Alone Program"? 

We have many problems in using Support Assist to update the Dell Update application as on restart, the Dell Client Management Service has to be re-enabled, which should be part of the install process and the install process never seems to complete and we are still stuck at the previous version. I now prefer to uninstall the old and manually download and install the new version. 

Thanks again Mitch.

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 29th, 2023 07:00


@Mitch1924 wrote:

... I used the Service Tag of another Dell PC which we have and downloaded and installed 4.8.0 after manually uninstalling the previous version. It seems to be working without any noticeable problems. I would have thought that the "Universal" label would mean that this version would be suitable for all Inspiron devices as it is a "Stand Alone Program"? 

We have many problems in using Support Assist to update the Dell Update application as on restart, the Dell Client Management Service has to be re-enabled, which should be part of the install process and the install process never seems to complete and we are still stuck at the previous version ...


Hi Miitch1924:

In this case I believe "Universal" refers to a Windows Universal Platform (UWP) app.  I'm not an expert on this subject, but if you read my 25-Mar-2023 post <above> you'll see that my latest Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 actually has two components on my Win 10 laptop, the main Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 application listed at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and a small companion Dell Update v4.8.20.0 APPx module that is only listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features. UWP apps are available on the Microsoft Store, and when I launched my Microsoft Store app and captured the image below a few days after Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 self-updated to v4.8.0 on 22-Mar-2023 it showed that that the new Dell Update v4.8.20.0 APPx package was actually delivered via the Microsoft Store.

Microsoft Store Library Dell Update and Snipping Tool Updated EDITED 27 Mar 2023.png

The old Dell Update v4.6.0 application (Dell-Update-Application_RYXN2_WIN_4.6.0_A00.EXE, rel. 24-Aug-2022) listed on the support page <here> for your Inspiron 16 5625 is the old "classic" Win32 installer version of Dell Update that used to be compatible with Win 8.x and higher. That "classic" Dell Update application has now been replaced by a modern Universal Windows Platform (UWP) app for Win 10 and higher. If you expand the "Important Information" section of the release notes <here> for the old Dell Update for Windows Universal Application v4.7.1 (rel. 24-Nov-2022) you will see it says "Dell Update Classic interface is not supported from version 4.7 and later. If you have Dell Update Classic, Dell Update version 4.7 UWP is installed." Unfortunately, that automatic switch from the "classic" Dell Update application to the new Dell Update for Windows Universal UWP app back in November 2022 did not go smoothly on many Win 10 and Win 11 machines.

I don't know why, but the "Compatible Systems" section of the release notes <here> for the current Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 (Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_0RCG0_WIN_4.8.0_A00.EXE, rel. 31-Jan-2023) does not list your Inspiron 16 5625 as a compatible model, and it appears that none of the Inspiron 16 56xx models except the Inspiron 16 5620 are on that list. If your service warranty has not expired yet I'd suggest you open a support ticket with Dell Customer Service and ask them why. I'm guessing it's just an oversight by Dell, but until your Inspiron 16 5625 is added to that list you will likely continue to have problems receiving future updates for Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x via either SupportAssist v3.x or via a self-update from within Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x itself.

Also see my 25-Mar-2023 comments <above> about the Dell Client Management Service, which is used by both SupportAssist v3.x and Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x.  After my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 app reported it needed to close to finish installing v4.8.0 (see the image below) I noticed that it took several minutes for the Dell Update shortcut to re-appear in my Start menu and for my Dell Client Management Service to start running again (I assume this service had to be stopped by the installer to ensure that old v4.7.1 components were uninstalled cleanly). If SupportAssist is failing to finish installation of your Dell Update for Windows Universal app (perhaps because the installer runs an initial check and can't find your Inspiron 16 5625 on the list of compatible models) then I'm guessing it never reaches the final stage of the installation where the Dell Client Management Service is automatically re-enabled and re-started. That's just poor design on the part of Dell - if the installer fails an initial check it should abort and roll back any changes it made, including a re-start of the Dell Client Management Service, before it exits.

Dell Update v4_7_1 DU v4_8_0 Install Complete Now Closing Warning 22 Mar 2023.png

-------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20100.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.25.256-1.0.1957 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

1 Rookie

 • 

21 Posts

March 29th, 2023 12:00

Hi ImacrI, 

I've contacted Dell and it seems that Dell Update 4.8.0 is universal in that it will work in all Dell devices. The only issue is that the update will take time to be tested on all devices which is why our laptop does not appear on the list.  In the meantime I have reinstalled 4.6.0 as it works. Dell cannot say that 4.8.0 will not have glitches until it has been tested- but it should work.

I also asked about the situation when you install updates manually and later are offered the same update by Support Assist.  I'm told that the update will clear from Support Assist soon after checking for updates, however if an update is listed I'm not sure if you can check as Support Assist says "Update"? Perhaps that changes to "Check for Updates" after a restart?

Mitch.

 

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

March 30th, 2023 08:00


@Mitch1924 wrote:
...I also asked about the situation when you install updates manually and later are offered the same update by Support Assist.  I'm told that the update will clear from Support Assist soon after checking for updates, however if an update is listed I'm not sure if you can check as Support Assist says "Update"? Perhaps that changes to "Check for Updates" after a restart?

Hi Mitch1924:

I no longer use SupportAssist, but if I ran a manual "Get Drivers & Downloads" scan from the Home tab of SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 (rel. Feb 2023) I recall I sometimes had restart my system or wait until the next day to run a new update check. I also recall that the label on the "Run" button for the "Get Drivers & Downloads" panel would sometimes continue to say "Update" if a previous check for updates found an available update that I declined to install (e.g., I never allow SupportAssist v3.x or Dell Update v4.x to install BIOS updates - see my 03-Dec-2022 warning in teetee's Dell G3 3579 3 Amber and 1 White Battery Code and Won't Turn On) or that SupportAssist previously recommended but failed to install (which happened frequently with my Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools v5.x updates).

If you want to continue using SupportAssist v3.x after your Dell service warranty expires there shouldn't be any need to use the Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x app (or in your case, the old unsupported "classic" Dell Update v4.6.0 application), but if both are installed they should both detect the same available updates for your system when you run a check for updates. These update checks should also inventory your current software versions first and be able to detect if you've installed an update manually using a standalone offline .exe installer from the support page <here> for your Inspiron 16 5625.  If your available updates have somehow gotten out of sync on your Inspiron 16 5625 you might want to start a new topic so this thread of sewing1243's doesn't go off-topic and I'll see if I can help you there.
________________________________________

Just an aside, but I don't like SupportAssist v3.x - it's too buggy and consumes too many system resources, and the "system optimization" scans (Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network) are too aggressive and have the potential to do more harm than good (for example, see my 12-Jul-2021 post in ex-jedi's Prevent Automatic Recycle Bin Emptying about the over-aggressive registry cleaner associated with the Tune Performance scan of SupportAssist).

I turned off all automatic background scanning in SupportAssist (Option (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Set Your System to Automatically Run Scans and Performance Optimization | OFF) as shown below a few years ago to stop these scheduled "system optimization" tasks. I then disabled the Dell SupportAssist and Dell TechHub services at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services so SupportAssist couldn't launch automatically at boot-up after SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 (rel. Jun 2022) added a new system requirement for an unsupported and insecure Microsoft .NET Runtime v5.x (thankfully, the current v3.13.2.14 now uses a supported Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.x). Last week I finally gave up and permanently uninstalled SupportAssist and all other SupportAssist-related applications after SupportAssist v3.13.2.14 (rel. Feb 2023) prevented up my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 from self-updating to v4.8.0 (see my 22-Mar-2023 post in my topic Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update Rolled Back to v5.5.4.16189). Going forward I'll only be using Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x to check for available updates for Dell software and drivers, and I now use Macrium Reflect Free disk imaging software instead of Dell SupportAssist Remediation (also called Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery or System Repair) in case I ever need to perform an emergency recovery.

Dell SupportAssist v3_13_0  Settings Automatic Scans Disabled 09 Dec 2022.png

-------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2728 * Firefox v111.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2302.7-1.1.20100.6 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.25.256-1.0.1957 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.8.0 * Dell Inspiron 5583/5584 BIOS v1.21.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

1 Rookie

 • 

21 Posts

March 31st, 2023 05:00

Thanks Imacri,

I don't like Support Assist either as I find it hit and miss in terms of loading and especially not recognising manually installed driver updates and wanting to reinstall existing ones.

We have a couple of years left on our warranty with this machine and tech support will almost require you to have Support Assist up and running on the device if you need assistance. I'll wait until our warranty expires and do a clean install of Windows and leave out the Support Assist application and update manually. I would keep Dell Update as it seems a much smaller and less resource intensive application.

Thanks again,

Mitch.

1 Rookie

 • 

70 Posts

August 13th, 2023 14:03

IT'S BACK!!

Now Dell has issued an update of the Dell Update Windows Universal Application to version 5.0 (there also was apparently a 4.9, but that never got installed on my system) and once again Support Assistant identifies that the software needs updated and offers to install it but the update either never completes or never even try to install.

I went on Dell.com/support and ran the auto detect drivers and software and it said  there wasn't anything to update. So downloaded the update (which was listed for my system) and installed it manually.


I'm guessing when it's updated again I'll have to once again download and install it myself.

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.2K Posts

August 14th, 2023 13:52

@sewing1243​ 

IT'S BACK!!

Now Dell has issued an update of the Dell Update Windows Universal Application to version 5.0 (there also was apparently a 4.9, but that never got installed on my system) and once again Support Assistant identifies that the software needs updated and offers to install it but the update either never completes or never even try to install.

Just an FYI that I ran a check for updates with my Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.9.0 on 04-Aug-2023 and it was able to self-update to the latest v5.0.0.  See the images I posted in my 08-Aug-2023 reply in PatSSSS's Feb 2023 thread Dell Update Windows Universal Application Won't Install.  The full offline installer for v5.0.0 (Dell-Update-Windows-Universal-Application_RVGVG_WIN_5.0.0_A00.EXE) was posted on the support page for my Inspiron 5584 on 31-Jul-2023, but it's not unusual for updates posted on my support page to take 5 or 6 days before they're detected by my Dell Update for Windows Universal app, and I used to notice that same time lag when I used SupportAssist to check for available updates.
 

Also note that I uninstalled all my SupportAssist-related software from my Inspiron 5584 in March 2023, including Dell SupportAssist and Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery and Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update.  See the 22-Mar-2023 post in my thread Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Plugin for Dell Update Rolled Back to v5.5.4.16189 about how the Dell Data Vault (DDV), which is a component of SupportAssist, appeared to prevent my SupportAssist and Dell Update for Windows Universal apps from detecting available updates for Dell Update for Windows Universal.  With this in mind, I don't know if my Dell Update for Windows Universal self-update from v4.9.0 to v5.0.0 would have worked this month if my SupportAssist-related software was still installed.
______________________________________________

There appear to be multiple bugs in the new Dell forum software released a few days ago so apologies in advance if my embedded links don't re-direct to the correct post (I had to manually tweak the URLs so they all start with https://www.dell.com/community/en/conversations/... to get them to work) or if my reply is formatted oddly.  I also didn't receive an email notification when you updated this thread on 13-Aug-2023 (I noticed when I replied to your post today the WYSIWYG editor automatically added an @mention for your username so you would be notified, which won't notify anyone else like @Mitch1924 who is participating in this thread) and it appears I've been unsubscribed from all the threads in this forum I was previously subscribed to.
------------
64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.3324 * Firefox v116.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.23070.1004-1.1.23070.1005 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.34.275-1.0.2102 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7279 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v5.0.0 * My Dell v2.2.4.0 * Fusion Service v2.2.14.0 * 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

No Events found!

Top