SupportAssist Get Drivers & Downloads not working.

Hi,

I have the same problem, Windows 10, Latitude 5591, SuportAssist v3.11.4.29 , Microsoft .NET (core) Runtime v5.0.17, and Dell TechHub running.

Do you think this could be due to me stopping Windows 10 telemetry ? I am not sure but it is possible this is happening from when I did this.

Thanks in advance for any reply

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@regressist wrote:

... Do you think this could be due to me stopping Windows 10 telemetry ? ...

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Hi regressist:

What is the edition (Home or Pro), version and OS build number of your Windows 10 OS, and what is the exact error message you see when you run SupportAssist v3.11.4.29? Do you use WiFi/wireless or an Ethernet cable to connect to the internet? Is your Dell warranty still valid?

I doubt that turning off your Windows telemetry is causing your problem, but the easiest way to check is to turn your telemetry back on and see if SupportAssist runs correctly. How did you stop your Windows 10 telemetry? Did you change the settings manually or use a utility like O&O Shutup10++, and do you remember which settings you changed? If you've forgotten what changes you made in your Win 10 settings see the MakeUseOf article How to Disable Telemetry on Windows 10 and 11 for a few hints.

Note that I have a Win 10 Pro v21H2 OS and changed Settings | Privacy | Diagnostics & Feedback | Diagnostic Data from the default (Optional Diagnostic Data) to the stricter Required Diagnostic Data and SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 seems to run correctly on my Inspiron 5584. By default, SupportAssist  collects it's own telemetry data [i.e., Options (gear icon) | Settings | Privacy | I Authorize Dell to Collect my Service Tag and System Usage Details Mentioned Above is ENABLED by default] so I'm guessing it's more likely that Dell would rely on its own diagnostic data instead of Microsoft's if this had anything to do with your current error message.

If you connect to the internet using an Ethernet connection, unplug your Ethernet cable and see if SupportAssist runs correctly when you connect via a WiFi/wireless connection. I don't know why this helps but some people have found that SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 can only make a connection to the backend Dell servers when they use a WiFi/wireless connection - see Eugene723's 27-Aug-2022 post in SA Unable to Connect to Internet via LAN , Connects via WiFi and tchauvet86's 06-Sep-2022 post in SupportAssist Not Connected to Internet.
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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
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Hi and thanks for answering,

the msg I get is "System is busy, try after some time."

I have Pro  21H2 (also target to avoid update to 11).

I stopped the telemetry manually.

I use only WiFi.

The warranty has expired quite some time ago

I am not happy on setting again on the telemetry, if you do not have any other suggestion I will try...

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@regressist wrote:
...I am not happy on setting again on the telemetry, if you do not have any other suggestion I will try...

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Hi regressist:

You might want to read through JohnnyRedShirt's 05-Sep-2022 SupportAssist Unable to Get Drivers / Missing Features After Re-installation and see if anything I've suggested there helps.

Dell is currently rolling out a new SupportAssist v3.12.1.180, so you might want to wait for that update to be pushed out to your Latitude 5991 and see what bug fixes it includes.

As I noted in JohnnyRedShirt's thread, I personally don't like SupportAssist - it's too buggy, 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 - see my 12-Jul-2021 comment in ex-jedi's Prevent Automatic Recycle Bin Emptying. I have disabled my Dell SupportAssist and Dell TechHub services so that SupportAssist can't launch automatically on my Inspiron 5584 at boot-up, and I've started using Dell Update v4.x to check for Dell software and driver updates.  The support page <here> for your Latitude 5591 lists a Dell Command | Update Windows Universal Application v4.6.0 (re. 25-Aug-2022) so if you enter your unique Service Tag on that support page and that Dell Command | Update utility is recommended for your system you should be able to use that utility to check for available Dell updates while you're waiting for SupportAssist v3.12.1.180.
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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
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Thank you really a lot for your reply. Before reading your links I think I will wait for the new SupportAssist since I have no time to play behind the pc. I agree with you on the tool, actually I only run for the updates, I never run any other check The option of the Dell Update is very interesting.

Cheers

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@regressist wrote:

... I only run for the updates, I never run any other check...

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Hi regressist:

You might already know this, but SupportAssist will run automatic "system optimization" scans unless Options (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Scan Your System and Drivers is disabled. When SupportAssist was enabled on my system I had always had automatic scanning (and a few other SupportAssist settings) turned off and only ran the "Get Drivers & Downloads" and "Scan Hardware" scans manually from the Home tab of SupportAssist - I never allowed this utility to run "system optimization" scans like Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network.

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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
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Thanks a lot, you are right, it was automatic, but I hope it does not change anything in the system unless I agree, like in the drivers which I have to agree to install them. I hope I am right on this otehrwise I will set it unchecked

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@regressist wrote:

... it was automatic, but I hope it does not change anything in the system unless I agree, like in the drivers which I have to agree to install them....

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Hi regessist:

If I recall correctly, when you have automatic background scans turned ON [i.e., Options (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Scan Your System and Drivers is enabled] then the scheduled weekly or monthly "Check PC's Performance" scan (which includes Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network) will run to completion and then log a summary of the changes it made to your system on the History tab under Recent Activity. If I'm not mistaken you might also see the Last Run date of these Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network scans updated on the Home tab.

The image below shows that Tune Performance and Optimize Network scans have never run on my Inspiron 5584 since I performed a clean reinstall of SupportAssist and turned OFF automatic background scanning (i.e., there is no Last Run date). I did run one manual Clean Files scan on 07-Jul-2022 because I was testing SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 to see if this scan would still empty the Recycle Bin if it contained over 20 MB of files (which it did) - see my 07-Jul-2022 post to Dell employee jbilinski on page 4 of ex-jedi's Prevent Automatic Recycle Bin Emptying, which included an image of my Recent Activity log showing a summary of what this manual Clean Files scan deleted from my system on 07-Jul-2022.

Unfortunately, when you disable automatic background scans in SupportAssist your only option is to turn off all automatic scanning, including automatic weekly checks for available Dell software and driver updates. See my 22-May-2020 suggestion to Dell employee NikhilKiroula that users should have more control over automatic background scanning in tenor20's SA, Configure to NOT Empty the Recycle Bin?.
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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
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Thanks again,

yes I have scan hw and check pc performance monthly, nevertheless my last scan was in June BUT apart from checking it did not do anything, maybe most of the checks did not detect anything to do but I do not believe that the Clean Files should not have to do anything. Please see the attachment. Are you sure that it does not ask the permission to proceed?. Anyway now I set it manual!

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@regressistwrote:
.... my last scan was in June BUT apart from checking it did not do anything, maybe most of the checks did not detect anything to do but I do not believe that the Clean Files should not have to do anything ....

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Hi regressist:

You might be correct that your background automatic "Check PC's Performance" aren't actually cleaning or optimizing anything on your Latitude  5591. The product comparison chart <here> for Dell's different service plans shows that "Automated removal of viruses and malware " and "Optimizes PC performance automatically" are not available with Basic or Premium Support, and according to the Scheduled Scans and Optimizations section <ADMIN NOTE: Broken link has been removed from this post by Dell>  of the SupportAssist V3.11.4 User Guide it says:

Prerequisites
You must be logged in as an administrator.

About this task
By default, SupportAssist scans your PC to detect hardware issues, driver updates, and the required PC optimizations. The default frequency of the scans depends on your PC service plan. If a critical driver update, hardware issue, or a virus or malware is detected during the scan, a notification is displayed. The type of notification depends on the operating system that is installed on your PC. If your PC has an active ProSupport Plus or Premium Support Plus service plan, SupportAssist automatically optimizes your PC after the scan. You can select the preferred time, frequency, and day when you want SupportAssist to scan your PC.

I'd suggest you test yourself by temporarily turning automatic scanning back ON and adjust the settings so that all your automatic scans run later today (e.g., at 4:00 PM on Monday, September 12 as shown below - be sure to click the blue SAVE button to apply the new settings) and see what happens. Be sure that you are logged in with an account that has Administrator rights, have more than 20 MB of files in your Recycle Bin, and that your laptop is plugged in before the scan is scheduled to run.

If your Recycle Bin isn't automatically cleaned during your test when it has over 20 MB of deleted files then perhaps this is just another scam by Dell to get you to pay extra for a more expensive service plan. See my 13-May-2020 topic DSA v3.5.0 Bug? - Scheduled Drivers and Downloads Scan Ran Other Scans, where I reported that I could see a Viruses & Malware scan was running with my other automatic background scans if the interface was open at the time, even though I had a Basic one-year service warranty and did not have Dell malware scanning included in my support plan (see my old 21-May-2020 image below). I was a bit annoyed when Dell employee NikhilKiroula acknowledged <here> in that thread that Dell will run automatic run Virus & Malware scans and send the telemetry back to Dell for analysis but won't actually remove detected malware or take any further action if the user only has Basic or Premium support. Perhaps all the automated "Check PC's Performance" scans (including Clean Files / Tune Performance / Optimize Network) are the same and Dell only collects the information for themselves but doesn't actually clean or optimize anything until the user upgrades to a more expensive support plan.

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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
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

Hi,

yes Imacri, I appreciate your comprehensive reply, but I am not keen on doing the test because if it works the wrong way it will start changing stuff in the pc and I don't want it !!   

Let's wait for the new version of the assistant and see if it works... do you know by chance when it will be delivered?

Hi,

yes Imacri, I appreciate your comprehensive reply, but I am not keen on doing the test because if it works the wrong way it will start changing stuff in the pc and I don't want it !!   

Let's wait for the new version of the  assistant and see if it works... do you know by chance when it will be delivered?

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@regressist wrote:

... Let's wait for the new version of the assistant and see if it works... do you know by chance when it will be delivered?

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Hi regressist

Sorry, only Dell knows when SupportAssist v3.12.1.180 is going into wide release. User crimson received v3.12.1.180 on their Alienware 17 R5 around the end of August 2022 (see their 27-Aug-2022 images <here>) and when I ran SUMo yesterday it detected an available v3.12.1.180 update for my current SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 and it's associated Dell Data Vault (DDV) modules (note that I only use SUMo to check for available updates for my third-party software but don't actually allow SUMo or any other software updater utility to download and install updates). As a general rule SupportAssist updates aren't pushed out to my Inspiron 5584 until the official release notes are posted at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ca/product-support/product/dell-supportassist-pcs-tablets/docs.

I'm not sure, but it looks like SupportAssist has already run a check on my system to ensure I meet the minimum system requirements - see my 07-Sep-2022 post in crimsom's 17 R5, SupportAssist x64 v3.12.5.0 or v3.12.1.180 Installation Invalid for comments about the unexpected installation of MS .NET Runtime v6.0.8 on my system on 29-Aug-2022.
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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 * SUMo Free Portable v5.16.0.525
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620

I've found a solution. I had the same problem, and i fix it with this steps:

1. Open Control Panel > Program and Features
2. Find "Dell Update"
3. Right click on it > press on "Restore" or "Reset" (idk in english what is the exatly word)
4. After finish the process, open again SupportAssistant and retry to scan for updates

If the process freezing, press cancel and open SupportAssistant. If SupportAssistant again say "System is busy...bla bla bla", retry to step 3 and 4, even the process of reset doesn't go fine.

I've done three time steps 3 and 4, and the first time the process gone to the end, but SupportAssistant give the same error. The second time the process freezed at the start, i've press the cancel button and i've open SupportAssistant but says again the same error. At the third try the process freezed at 99%, and with the process open (idk if this make some diffecerence, maybe try) i've try to run SupportAssistant and now work