SupportAssist not working

SupportAssist did run once (and undid the network configuration). The next time, it got stuck forever on "validating" and used up a lot of CPU.

Now, the SupportAssist application won't even open to allow it to be configured. 

Can someone explain what the advantage is if any, in terms of keeping drivers and BIOS updated, between using SupportAssist and using Dell Update, or even going to the Dell Web site to check for new drivers? I would rather do my own clean-up, etc. and not have to clean up after unwanted changes it makes...

Thanks!