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fyreflow

8 Posts

719

January 1st, 2022 05:00

"Dell Command | Update" shows incorrect CPU in System Information?

Cross-post from the "SupportAssist Enterprise" section (sorry!), because in retrospect, that appears to be the wrong place for this - please feel free to delete the original. Also, apologies if this is still in the wrong section, but it was the closest match I could find for the "Dell Command" set of applications.  Some searching indicates that these set of applications are intended for enterprise-level management of company PCs, but I have somehow ended up with it on my personal notebook (Latitude E6540).

In trying to decide whether I need both "Dell Command | Update v 4.1.0" and SupportAssist (and I seem to also have both "Dell SupportAssist" and plain "SupportAssist" installed), I noticed that Command | Update lists "Intel Xeon" in its System Information summary.  That seems quite different from the Intel Core i7-4810MQ that is installed.  

Highlights from the XML export:

 




    Driver
    Intel(R) Xeon(R) processor E3 - 1200 v3/4th Gen Core processor DRAM Controller - 0C04
    10.1.18121.8164
    0C04
  
  
    Driver
    Intel(R) Xeon(R) processor E3 - 1200 v3/4th Gen Core processor PCI Express x16 Controller - 0C01
    10.1.18121.8164
    0C01

 

I can also post the full output, if needed.

So is this a problem?  Or are these just generic drivers that covers a range of CPUs (and is the best option available)?

My other question would be whether I should keep Dell Command | Update, or just remove it and use SupportAssist exclusively.  Or the opposite?

Finally, if SupportAssist is the one to keep - which one of the two versions? (Or just remove and reinstall periodically when needed?)  I really dislike active services bloat.

  • Dell SupportAssist v3.10.4.18
  • SupportAssist v3.10.7.0

P.S. "DDVDataCollector" is the pits. I don't know what it does, and why it does it (and no-one seems willing to answer this!) but I know that it seems unneccessarily resource-hungry, and that Windows does not like it.  You'd think that if it was legitimate, Dell would have arranged with Microsoft for an exception to be included in Windows Defender by now.  Hence my urge to just eliminate SupportAssist entirely unless I have cause to use it.

image.png

 

miguelitoo

82 Posts

May 18th, 2022 09:00

Click start and type services.msc hit enter.

Look for:

Dell Data Vault Service API / DDVCollectorSvcApi
Dell Data Vault Processor / DDVRulesProcessor
Dell Data Vault Collector / DDVDataCollector

You want to end them AND set the starttype to "Deactivated" in their Properties (right click one after another and choose Properties). Restart and check in task manager -> services tab, if they appear as deactivated. That should do it. 

lmacri

3 Apprentice

 • 

1.1K Posts

May 18th, 2022 14:00

Hi fyreflow:

What is your Windows operating system (if Win 10 or 11 please include the version and build shown at Settings | SYstem | About | Windows Specifications)? Did your Latitude E6540 originally ship with an Intel Core i7-4810MQ, and does Start | Windows Administrative Tools | System Information list the Intel Core i7-4810MQ under "Processor"?

My Inspiron 5585 uses Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.5.0 (rel. 25-Mar-2022, not the older Dell Command | Update v4.1.0 listed <here> on the support page for your Latitude E6540) but I assume they have similar functions. My Dell Update v4.5.0 only checks for available updates, while Dell SupportAssist has additional features (e.g., hardware scans, scheduled background file cleaning and system optimization scans, initiation of support requests and remote access sessions if your service warranty has not expired, etc.). Release notes and user guides for SupportAssist can be found at https://www.dell.com/support/home/en-ca/product-support/product/dell-supportassist-pcs-tablets/docs.

If Dell SupportAssist v3.x is installed then it's normal to have two different apps related to SupportAssist at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features with different version numbers. See the images I posted on 24-Apr-2022 in crimsom's 17 R5, SupportAssist v3.10.4 Blue Screen as well as Dell employee NikhilKiroula's 18-Aug-2021 explanation in rinconman285's What is the Current Version of SupportAssist.

Also note that the System Information link in my Dell Update v4.5.0 app does not list my CPU but does list a driver v10.1.17903.8106 installed for my I/O LPC Controller (Device 9D84; listed in Device Manager under "System Devices") that matches my Intel 8th Gen CPU.

Dell Update v4_5_0 System Information I_O LPC Controller for 8th Gen Core CPU 18 May 2022.png

I personally find SupportAssist is a resource hog and prone to serious bugs, and I do not like the over-aggressive disk cleaner and registry cleaner.  I currently have the Dell SupportAssist service and Dell SupportAssist Remediation service disabled at Start | Windows Administrative Tools | Services so these programs don't start at boot-up (see my 30-Apr-2022 post in r72019's SupportAssist PC-Doctor Module, 100% CPU and RAM Usage! for further details), but if you don't like using Dell | Command Update there are also several SupportAssist settings at Options (gear icon) | Settings that you can DISABLE to decrease its use of system resources, such as:

  • Automate Scans and Optimizations | Scan Your System and Drivers At: , which will prevent automatic update checks and system optimization scans from running in the background,
  • System Repair | System Repair is Turned On, which will prevent Dell SupportAssist Remediation (a.k.a. Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery), if installed, from saving a Dell system repair point (snapshot) in a hidden folder at C:\ProgramData\Dell\SARemediation\SystemRepair\ folder each time your system is re-booted that can be used to repair your computer if it fails to boot up correctly. See the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User’s Guide for more information about other functions included with this recovery environment.
  • Privacy | I Authorize Dell to Collect my Service Tag and System Usage Details Mentioned Above, which should prevent SupportAssist from collecting information "such as your service tag, the hardware model, operating system version, hardware settings and system crashes, installed applications, their settings and usage, and/or (MAC) address, and other data that may uniquely identify your device or system".

Dell SupportAssist v3_10_4 Settings Privacy Data Collection 18 May 2022.png

Dell Data Vault (DDV) is part of SupportAssist and according to the file.net description <here> the DDV "collects information on system health, performance, and environment concerning applications designed by Dell". I assume that disabling Settings | Privacy | I Authorize Dell to Collect my Service Tag and System Usage Details Mentioned Above would decrease the system resources used by DDV, although the DDV services will likely still load at boot-up unless they are disabled as suggested <above> by miguelitoo. Just note that disabling this SupportAssist Privacy setting also prevents the Drivers & Downloads tab <here> of your Latitude E6540 support page from automatically detecting your unique Service Tag, but you can still enter your Service Tag manually on the Overview tab <here> so that software and drivers listed on the Drivers & Downloads tab can be filtered for your original hardware components.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1706 * Firefox v100.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2203.5-1.1.19200.5 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.9.198-1.0.1676 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6758 * Dell SupportAssist v3.10.4.18 * Dell Update for Windows 10 Universal v4.5.0 * Inspiron 5583/5584 BOIS v1.18.0
Dell Inspiron 15 5584, Intel i5-8265U CPU, 8 GB RAM, 256 GB Toshiba KBG40ZNS256G NVMe SSD, Intel UHD Graphics 620


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