17 R5, SupportAssist x64 v3.12.5.0 or v3.12.1.180 installation invalid

Hi crimsom:

Just an FYI that my SupportAssist still reports that v3.11.4.39 is the current version. I'm not sure why your Alienware 17 R5 always seems to find available updates for SupportAssist about a month before my Inspiron 5584, unless you're seeking out .msi installers that are not being offered the via the "usual" self-check method (i.e., when SupportAssist is launched and it runs an initial auto-check for an available SuportAssist update).

How did you find the Properties (i.e., the Target path) of your SupportAssist shortcut? When I right-click on SupportAssist in my Start button program menu or tile and choose More there is no "Open File Location" to open a folder that contains a shortcut that can launch SupportAssist.

Just an FYI I cannot find a file named SupportAssistUI.exe in C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin\, although I did find a file called SupportAssistUI.exe.config.

EDIT: 

Also note that it's normal for your SupportAssist v3.12.1.80 program to have a different version number at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features.  My SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 has two components listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features - the main ~ 290 MB Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 program and the smaller ~ 3.5 MB SupportAssist v3.11.20.0 Appx module.  See NikhilKiroula's 16-Aug-2021 post in rinconman285's What is the Current Version of Support Assist that notes that it is normal for SupportAssist to have both these components.  I suspect that the SupportAssist "shortcut" in my Start menu doesn't have the option to "Open File Location" because SupportAssist behaves more like a UWP app at launch than installed programs like iTunes.exe, firefox.exe, BelarcAdvisor.exe. etc.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19500.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * 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 @lmacri not looking for SupportAssist updates. The invitation just appears. Getting SupportAssist update to function was problematic, took only three hours of remove/install to get it to work.

Dell messed-up the earlier SupportAssist version, took about four days to find the root cause. Not a fan of Dell Technical Support team, and their contractors who cannot write/compile code. 

Ready to update SupportAssist

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@lmacri wrote:

...Just an FYI I cannot find a file named SupportAssistUI.exe in C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\bin\, although I did find a file called SupportAssistUI.exe.config...

.... My SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 has two components listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features - the main ~ 290 MB Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 program and the smaller ~ 3.5 MB SupportAssist v3.11.20.0 Appx module....

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Hi crimsom:

I'm not sure if this is relevant, but I was reading GlobalEngineer's SupportAssist Fails to Launch and the error message shown in their original post seems to suggest that the shortcut should point to a file called SupportAssistClientUI.exe located in the hidden, protected C:\Programs Files\WindowsApps folder.  Note that I currently have SupportAssist v3.11.4.29, which includes the SupportAssist v3.11.20.0 Appx module listed at Settings | Apps | Apps & Features.  Here is a TreeSize Free image of the contents of the C:\Programs Files\WindowsApps\DellInc.DellSupportAssistforPCs_3.11.20.0_x64__htrsf667h5kn2\ folder on my Inspiron 5584:

Just an aside, but GlobalEngineer also posted <here> today that they finally traced their problem back to a corruption of their Windows user account.  After they created a new user account with Administrator rights their SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 launched correctly.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19500.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update Windows Universal v4.6.0 * TreeSize Free Portable v4.5.3.601 * 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

This version of SupportAssist is forever 'Loading PC Optimisation Tools' and an old application has been repaired because when opened, laptop memory still remembers last scan capture. 

Loading PC Optimisation Tools

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@crimsom wrote:

This version of SupportAssist is forever 'Loading PC Optimisation Tools' and an old application has been repaired because when opened, laptop memory still remembers last scan capture. ..

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Hi crimsom:

Are there any errors logged in the SupportAssistAgent.log file located in the hidden folder at C:\ProgramData\SupportAssist\Client\Agent\logs\ApplicationLogs?

Do you have any Killer wireless or Ethernet controllers installed in your Alienware 17 R5? If so, see my 21-May-2022 comments in Oscarcornwall's Dell Supportassist 3.9 Won't Install. I noticed that the support page <here> for your Alienware 17 R5 lists the Killer Control Center, and there were a few reports back in March 2020 where some users would see their SA interface get stuck on "Loading PC Optimization Tools" if Killer Doubleshot Pro was enabled.  Note that there were several users reporting these same "Loading PC Optimization Tools" messages back in March 2020 in Lorimand's SA, Can't Get Past Loading PC Optimization Tools Screen and the problem wasn't fixed for most users until Dell released a bug fix in SA v3.5.0.448 in May 2020.

If you don't have the Killer Control Center installed I posted a few other suggestions in Oscarcornwall's thread about things that might throttle the bandwidth of your internet connection when SupportAssist is launched (e.g., the background installation of a large update like the latest Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools v5.5.4.16189, which Dell Update v4.6.0 just delivered to my Inspiron 5584 on 23-Aug-2022) that you might want to investigate.

Just an FYI that I launched SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 today and it still isn't offering the v3.12.1.180 update to my Inspiron 5584.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19500.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * Dell SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 * Dell Update Windows Universal v4.6.0 * Dell SupportAssist Remediation  v5.5.4.16189 * 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 @lmacri thank you for your continued interest. My OS is Windows 10 Pro x64 version 21H2 and all updates have been installed. All Dell updates have been installed. All other application updates have been installed. 

We already know that there are Dell SupportAssist application installation differences between Dell PCs. So can only realistically compare my Alienware 17 R5 against other Alienware 17 R5 of similar build configuration. 

(1) There is no C:\ProgramData\SupportAssist\Client\Agent\logs\ApplicationLogs, there is only C:\ProgramData\SupportAssistDbBackup. 

(2) All Killer applications (not drivers) including Killer Control Center have been removed in the dim and distant past from Programs and Features, in response to Power Management applications, allow the computer to turn off this device to save power. 

(3) SupportAssist v3.12.1.180 eventually installed after numerous attempts, but when opened it always says 'Loading PC Optimisation Tools' as if installing SupportAssist for the first time. 

(4) After numerous installation attempts, and many 'SupportAssist not found' notifications, Alienware 17 R5 Support tab's 'Diagnostics', and 'Drivers & Downloads' started to work. 

Hi crimsom:

I just noticed something odd. MS .NET (Core) Runtime v6.0.8 appears to have been installed on my Inspiron 5584 on 29-Aug-2022 without my knowledge. My Windows Update history shows nothing has been installed by WU since 12-Aug-2022 except my daily Microsoft Defender virus definition updates. The last update installed by SupportAssist or Dell Update was Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools v5.5.4.16189 on 23-Aug-2022 (I've run a few update checks since then but haven't actually started the download/install of an available driver for my Realtek Memory Card Reader).

I've been launching SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 on daily basis for the past week just to see if it will self-update to v3.12.1.180 (which it hasn't). However, my SupportAssist history shows this odd entry for 29-Aug-2022 called Notification - SupportAssist Awareness Campaign that I haven't been able to find any information on. Is it possible that MS .NET (Core) Runtime 6.x is a new system requirement for SupportAssist v3.12.1.180, and that launching SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 on 29-Aug-2022 initiated the installation of MS .NET (Core) Runtime v6.0.8?

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2205.7-1.1.19500.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * 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

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@lmacri wrote:

... I just noticed something odd. MS .NET (Core) Runtime v6.0.8 appears to have been installed on my Inspiron 5584 on 29-Aug-2022 without my knowledge ...

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Hi crimsom:

I was cleaning up some temp files on my hard drive this weekend and CCleaner found the following files in the hidden folder at C:\Users\<myusername>\AppData\Local\Temp\SupportAssistAgent\AutoUpdate that were created on the same day (29-Aug-2022) that MS .NET Runtime v6.0.8 was installed on my Inspiron 5584. I'm guessing that SupportAssistPreReqInstaller.exe was checking to see if I had the prerequisites for the upcoming SupportAssist v13.12.1.180 rollout and installed the (required?) MS .NET Runtime v6.0.8 at that time. Note that the KB4054530 installer highlighted in the image below is an old offline installer for MS .NET Framework 4.7.2, which was already installed on my system.

You mentioned <here> that you manually installed MS .NET Runtime v6.x  on 23-May-2022. Perhaps that's why SupportAssist v3.12.1.180 was delivered to your Alienware 17 R5 so early in the rollout.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.1889 * Firefox v104.0.2 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2207.7-1.1.19500.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1751 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.6867 * 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 @lmacri thanks for keeping in touch. 

My Alienware 17 R5 only has one SupportAssistAgent entry, which is C:\Users\<myusername>\AppData\Local\Temp\SupportAssistAgent\88991902-13ef-4699-b8b0-988d734177b2 and it has the following 06 September 2022 content 

My Alienware 17 R5 has a high specification and seems to get early SupportAssist updates. I do not consider manual installation of MS .NET Runtime v6.x to have instigated early SupportAssist updates. However, now having looked, this 17 R5 does appear to get interim SupportAssistAgent updates to fix the Dell SupportAssist application. 

Hence my earlier "This thread has an unknown solution". 

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@crimsom wrote:

SupportAssist update installation invalid ...now always defaults to installation at "C:\Program Files\Dell\SupportAssistAgent\Bin\SupportAssistUI.exe", and struggles to work. 

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Hi crimsom:

Just thought you might be interested in JavaMoon's 28-Sep-2022 post in SupportAssist - We Ran Into an Unexpected Issue... about a problem they had launching SupportAssist v3.11.4.29 on their Alienware / Win 10 laptop because of a missing registry entry for SupportAssistUI.exe browser emulation mode. I don't think JavaMoon's missing registry entry could be directly related to the glitch you first saw after SupportAssist v3.12.1.180 was pushed out to your Alienware 17 R5 laptop, but JavaMoon's mention of SupportAssistUI.exe reminded me about your buggy shortcut to this executable.

SupportAssist v3.12.1.180 still hasn't been offered to my Inspiron 5584.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2006 * Firefox v105.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2207.7-1.1.19600.3 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.14.210-1.0.1767 * 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