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November 28th, 2022 12:00

SupportAssist installation fails

Inspiron 3910

Inspiron 3910

I recently bought a new PC and the Dell SupportAssist program has continually failed to install. Firstly it tells me that it has encountered a problem and needs to restart, which I did several times, to no avail. I also attempted various fixes on these forums, without any luck. I called Dell and was told it wasn't something they could help with, because I bought it elsewhere, so I would have to speak to Curry's PCWorld. They got me to update the firmware, which didn't work, and then do a factory reset. Then the problem was just back to square one. Starting a virtual chat on the Dell website resulted in me uninstalling the program after stopping the services. Then installing the program via the Dell website download brings up the following message: Download failed. We were unable to download .NET framework/Core resource files. This may be due to a lost internet connection. Check your connection and try again." However, there is nothing wrong with my connection. Can someone help resolve this for me please?

The solution offered by Nathalia M doesn't work for me either - see https://www.dell.com/community/SupportAssist-for-PCs/Dell-Support-Assist-fails-to-install/m-p/8288015/highlight/true#M93938

If I choose the .msi file, it says "UI mode not supported."

Then it says:

"InstallShield Wizard Completed. The wizard was interrupted before Dell SupportAssist could be completely installed.

Your system has not been modified. To complete installation at another time, please run setup again.

Click Finish to exit the wizard."

If I choose the .msp file, the error message says "The upgrade patch cannot be installed by the Windows Installer service because the program to be upgraded may be missing, or the upgrade patch may update a different version of the program. Verify that the program to be updated exists on your computer and that you have the correct upgrade patch."

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10 Posts

November 29th, 2022 05:00

By the way, it is Version : 3.10.3 (2021) which comes preloaded with the PC (although the Dell website download doesn't work either, and that is presumably more recent). I await a response from a Dell representative.

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1.3K Posts

November 29th, 2022 05:00

Hi BritishDellUser:

If the suggestions in my previous reply don't help, also let us know if you have any Killer wireless or Ethernet controllers or Killer software installed on your desktop when you post back.  I noticed the support page <here> for your Inspiron 3910 shows that some Inspiron 3910s ship with Killer Bluetooth cards.

See my 30-Aug-2022 post in crimsom's 17 R5, SupportAssist x64 v3.12.5.0 or v3.12.1.180 Installation Invalid about possible problems that the Killer Control Center software can create for SupportAssist.

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2251 * Firefox v107.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19800.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1823 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.0 * 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

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November 29th, 2022 05:00

Hi BritishDellUser:

If Dell employee DELL-Nathalia M's instructions <here> for installing SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 didn't work for you see some of the hints I posted for using these instructions in GrannyFL's thread SupportAssist is Very Sick.

As a first step, go to Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and make sure that you have Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 (NOT v6.0.10 or higher) installed. After you install Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 Windows Update will automatically try to update this .NET Runtime (the KB5020743 update delivered during my November 2022 Patch Tuesday updates installed MS .NET Runtime 6.0.11 on my Inspiron 5584 as shown below) so once the old .NET Runtime v6.0.9 is installed you will need to temporarily pause your Windows Update to ensure you stay at v6.0.9.  Post back if you need help with this.

Win 10 Pro v21H2 Control Panel MS NET Runtimes Installed 15 Nov 2022.png

Once you are sure you have Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 installed, instead of using the .msi installer try using the SupportAssistInstaller.exe installer available on the SupportAssist for Home PCs download page. Download a fresh copy of SupportAssistInstaller.exe and save it to your desktop, right-click the .exe file, and choose "Run as Administrator".

If none of this helps let us know your Windows operating system [if Win 10 or Win 11 please include the edition (e.g., Home, Pro, etc.), version, and OS build number shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications] and your BIOS version [enter msinfo32 in a Run dialog box (Windows + R keys) to open your System Information panel and look for the field named "BIOS Date/Version"], and what error message you see when you ran the SupportAssistInstaller.exe installer.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2251 * Firefox v107.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19800.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1823 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.0 * 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


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November 29th, 2022 08:00

Hi Imacri, thank you for your reply. I checked I had Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9. I believe that "Receive updates for other Microsoft products" turned off in Windows Update, the system will not update this software. The option was already toggled off on my system.

This is how it looks in my Control Panel:

Programs Screenshot 2022-11-29 153118.png


As a first step, go to Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features and make sure that you have Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 (NOT v6.0.10 or higher) installed. After you install Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 Windows Update will automatically try to update this .NET Runtime (the KB5020743 update delivered during my November 2022 Patch Tuesday updates installed MS .NET Runtime 6.0.11 on my Inspiron 5584 as shown below) so once the old .NET Runtime v6.0.9 is installed you will need to temporarily pause your Windows Update to ensure you stay at v6.0.9.  Post back if you need help with this.

Win 10 Pro v21H2 Control Panel MS NET Runtimes Installed 15 Nov 2022.png

Once you are sure you have Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9 installed, instead of using the .msi installer try using the SupportAssistInstaller.exe installer available on the SupportAssist for Home PCs download page. Download a fresh copy of SupportAssistInstaller.exe and save it to your desktop, right-click the .exe file, and choose "Run as Administrator".


This did not work. See error message below:

Download failed Screenshot 2022-11-29 153626.png


If none of this helps let us know your Windows operating system [if Win 10 or Win 11 please include the edition (e.g., Home, Pro, etc.), version, and OS build number shown at Settings | System | About | Windows Specifications] and your BIOS version [enter msinfo32 in a Run dialog box (Windows + R keys) to open your System Information panel and look for the field named "BIOS Date/Version"], and what error message you see when you ran the SupportAssistInstaller.exe installer.

My system details:

Edition Windows 11 Home
Version 22H2
Installed on ‎29/‎11/‎2022
OS build 22621.819
Experience Windows Feature Experience Pack 1000.22636.1000.0



BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.7.3, 27/10/2022

Under System Information > System Summary > Software Environment > Windows Error Reporting, there are no reports from when I tried to run the SupportAssistInstaller.exe file just now.

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November 29th, 2022 08:00


@lmacri wrote:

Hi BritishDellUser:

If the suggestions in my previous reply don't help, also let us know if you have any Killer wireless or Ethernet controllers or Killer software installed on your desktop when you post back.  I noticed the support page <here> for your Inspiron 3910 shows that some Inspiron 3910s ship with Killer Bluetooth cards.

See my 30-Aug-2022 post in crimsom's 17 R5, SupportAssist x64 v3.12.5.0 or v3.12.1.180 Installation Invalid about possible problems that the Killer Control Center software can create for SupportAssist.

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2251 * Firefox v107.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19800.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1823 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.0 * 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


How do I check that? There doesn't seem to be an app of that name on my PC. Nothing comes up under that name in Programs and Features.

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1.3K Posts

November 29th, 2022 15:00

Hi BritishDellUser:

Thanks for the screenshots. They were very helpful.

You might want to read through Ulodesk's 03-Nov-2022 thread titled seric . Ulodesk had the same “Unable to download .Netframework/Core resource file” error on their Inspiron 3515 Win 11 Home v21H2 laptop. Any chance you also have an AMD Ryzen CPU? Unfortunately, Ulodesk didn't report back to let us know if they were ever able to install SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 on their system.

The minimum system requirements listed in the release notes <here> for SupportAssist v3.12.3 state that you must have at least Microsoft .NET Framework v4.7.2 as well as Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.9. If you aren't sure what MS .NET Framework is installed on your system see my post <here> in Ulodesk's thread for instructions on how to find your current .NET Framework version. I think Win 11 has MS. NET Framework v4.8 installed and enabled by default, which should meet the minimum system requirements.

This is a bit of a long shot, but I noticed you have McAfee LiveSafe installed. My Inspiron 5584 came with a 1-year trial of McAfee LiveSafe that was installed at the factory, but I uninstalled it using the McAfee Consumer Product Removal (MCPR) tool after a few months and started using Microsoft Defender as my antivirus. Have you tried running the SupportAsssistInstaller.exe installer with your McAfee real-time protection and/or firewall disabled, just in case it's blocking a connection to the Dell servers?

There are a few other suggestion in Ulodesk's thread you might want to try (e.g., disabling the Fast Startup power option, using Dell employee DELL-Chris M's alternate instructions for a clean reinstall of SupportAssist, etc.), but be sure to read my 07-Nov-2022 post <here> in that thread about the Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.x. I see you already have the latest v4.7.1 of this app installed on your Inspiron 3910, and if this app runs correctly you might want to use Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 to check for Dell software and driver updates and just forget about SupportAssist for now until a new (and hopefully less buggy) installer is released.


If you have a Killer network adapter it would likely be listed in your Windows Device Manager [Control Panel | Hardware and Sound | Device Manager, or open a Run dialog box (Windows key + R key) and enter devmgmt.msc] under the Network Adapters section, but if you search for "Killer" from the Search box on your taskbar and it doesn't find any installed Killer software then you shouldn't have to worry about this.
____________________________________

Just an aside, but if you were able to initiate a chat with Dell customer support then that suggests that you have a valid service plan, so I'm not sure why their phone support would tell you they couldn't help. Go to the Overview tab <here> on the support page of your Inspiron 3910 and enter your unique Service Tag - if your service warranty is still valid the banner at the top of the page should tell you the date your warranty expires. If SupportAssist isn't working you won't be able to start a support request from the "Get Support" tab of the SupportAssist interface, but you should be able to start a support request online at https://www.dell.com/support/incidents-online/contactus as long as your service plan hasn't expired (see the support article How to Create a Support Request Online for Your Eligible, In-warranty Dell Product).
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v21H2 build 19044.2251 * Firefox v107.0.0 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19800.4 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1823 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.12.3.5 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.0 * 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

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December 7th, 2022 17:00

Hi there. I have now finally managed to get it to work.

To answer some of your points:

I don't think I have an AMD Ryzen CPU.

I think I tried to uninstall the firewall software that came with the new PC, but it didn't help.

So anyway, last week I reported the problem to Currys PC World again, and they booked the PC in for a repair (which surprised me, given another of their assistants had told me the software wasn't necessary). I got the PC back today and the Repair Report said that the issue I reported was caused by outdated firmware. When I turned it on, the SupportAssist program opened without problems. It looked like a newer version of the software was present. I wanted to do a Factory Reset so I could start afresh.  Unfortunately, this did lead to similar problems as experienced before, mainly that the program said there had been a problem, so I should restart and try again later, or words to that effect. The first time I did a FR, I installed the new Windows Updates and the new version of Runtime. Dell SA opened but asked if I wanted to install the updated version. That didn't work. On one of these attempts, the program just got stuck at the installation process, "hanging" at the bit which says it might take a few minutes depending on the speed of your PC.

What seemed to work was when I decided to do a FR and this time install Dell SA before any of the Windows Updates. I also chose not to update Dell SA when I opened it. That way, it was able to install the missing drivers etc., except one related to Dell SA. From memory, I think I ran the SupportAssistInstaller.exe download file as an administrator, and that then worked. I was able to register an account in the program. I then installed the Windows Updates, and updated the Runtime software. Dell SA still worked after that, thankfully.

I wonder if it might have been helped by the outdated firmware and the Currys repair. But what seemed to work is avoiding any Windows Updates that are ready to install on the new PC until after installing Dell SA. The Dell SA download file may work better on such systems than the pre-loaded Dell SA software (which is a bit older). The Dell SA download may also work better than updating the program when asked, at least at the moment. It certainly has been a pain though, and I hope these issues don't persist.

And yes, the Dell Support site says:

Support Services:  Basic ⦁ Expires 27 OCT 2023

So they should really have been able to help me at Dell.

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December 8th, 2022 09:00

...and further to my previous reply, I'm not great fan of SupportAssist - it's too buggy, consumes too many system resources, and the "system optimization" scans 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 have disabled my Dell SupportAssist and Dell TechHub services so that SupportAssist v3.x can't launch automatically on my Inspiron 5584 at boot-up (see image below), and I've started using Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x to check for Dell software and driver updates. If I ever need to run a hardware scan I can still run Dell's F12 ePSA (enhanced Pre-boot System Assessment) hardware diagnostics from my BIOS, and my Windows 10 OS also has its own built-in hardware diagnostics at Settings | Update & Security | Troubleshoot | Additional Troubleshooters. Note that I've also disabled Dell SupportAssist Remediation service (also known as Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery / System Repair) and now use Macrium Reflect Free imaging software in case I ever need to perform an emergency recovery, but that's a whole other discussion - see my 28-Jul-2021 post in Desmodus1984's Inspiron 5570 - SupportAssist OS Recovery Tools Downloads But Not Installing. At some point I'll likely go ahead and uninstall both SupportAssist and SupportAssist Remediation.

Win 10 Pro v21H2 Services All Dell Serivces Three SA Services Disabled 26 Sep 2022.png

If you want to continue using SupportAssist v3.x I'd suggest you turn off all background scans at Options (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Scan Your System and Drivers and just run the occasional "Get Drivers & Downloads" and/or "Scan Hardware" scans manually from the Home tab.

Dell SupportAssist v3_11_4  Disable Automatic Scans and Notifications 08 Sep 2022.png

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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2251 * Firefox v107.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1838 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 *  Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediaton v5.5.5.16206 * 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

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December 8th, 2022 09:00

Hi BritishDellUser:

Thanks for letting us know that your SupportAssist app is working correctly after your service repair at Currys PC World. Post back if you have any further issues, but in the mean time I'd like to add some additional comments about some of your observations.


@BritishDellUser wrote:

... I think I tried to uninstall the firewall software that came with the new PC, but it didn't help.


If you ever want to test how internet connection behaves without your McAfee Live Firewall running in real-time you can temporarily disable it without having to uninstall it. I believe the instructions in the section titled "I Have the New Windows Interface" of the McAfee support article Manage McAfee Firewall On Your PC or Mac (i.e., My Protection tab | Protect your PC | Firewall | Turn Off) should work.

I just noticed that your 29-Nov-2022 image <above> showed that your had Rivet's SmartByte Drivers and Services v3.1.995 installed on your system prior to your repair at Currys PC World. This utility is also called Dell SmartByte and the release notes for the newer Dell SmartByte v3.1.1000 app (rel. 26-Sep-2022) recommended on the support page <here> for your Inspiron 3910 states that "SmartByte is an application that automatically detects the browsing or video streaming activity and prioritizes the available Internet connection for the activity." If you ever have another "download failed" error or issues with your internet connection I would suggest that you either disable or uninstall this software, which many Dell users, including myself, have already done. See my the 06-Nov-2021 thread SmartByte v3.1.995 Bug? Disabling CinemaStream Causes High CPU by SmartByte Telemetry Service as well as the 06-Oct-2021 BleepingComputer article Microsoft Finds Windows 11 Issues with SmartByte Networking Software for more information.


...  I got the PC back today and the Repair Report said that the issue I reported was caused by outdated firmware.

That seems a bit odd. Did they what firmware was outdated?  The word "firmware" usually (but not always) refers to your BIOS firmware. You said in 29-Nov-2022 post <above> that your BIOS was listed as "BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.7.3, 27/10/2022" in your System Information panel, which is the same Dell Inspiron 3910 System BIOS v1.7.3 (rel. 11-Nov-2022) that is currently recommended on the support page <here> for your Dell Inspiron 3910.

Going forward, if SupportAssist v3.x or Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x detect an available BIOS update I would suggest that you decline the update and install all your BIOS Updates manually. See the 03-Dec-2022 warning and instructions I posted in RotcivZednanreh's Dell G3 3579 3 Amber and 1 White Battery Code and Won't Turn On.

However, that won't prevent Windows Update from installing BIOS updates on your laptop. Since you have the Home edition of Windows 11 v22H2 it’s sometimes difficult to control what updates are delivered to your system by Windows Update and when they’re installed. If you ever need to prevent a problematic update from being installed by Windows Update see the article at https://blockapatch.com/ by Susan Bradley, a Microsoft Security MVP and the CEO of the AskWoody.com site, about utilities like WuMgr that you can use to manager your Windows Updates. Susan has also posted a companion YouTube video at Three Tools to Block Windows UpdatesNote that I have a Win 10 Professional OS so I use my Local Group Policy Editor (GPEdit.msc) to manage how my Windows Update behaves.


.. So anyway, last week I reported the problem to Currys PC World again, and they booked the PC in for a repair (which surprised me, given another of their assistants had told me the software wasn't necessary)....

I would agree that SupportAssist is not essential software, especially if Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x can be used to check for available Dell software and drivers. Dell Customer Support would never suggest you uninstall SupportAssist since it's in their best interests to have this software installed so they can use it continually collect telemetry data from your laptop and send it back to Dell for analysis. If you haven't already done so I'd suggest you launch SupportAssist and read the fine print about the types of data that Dell collects from your computer at Options (gear icon) | Settings | Privacy.

I have SupportAssist and Dell SupportAssist Remediation disabled on my Inspiron 5584 so that neither of these programs can launch automatically at boot-up. I'll post a separate reply in a short while about why I don't like using SupportAssist.


...I wanted to do a Factory Reset so I could start afresh.  Unfortunately, this did lead to similar problems as experienced before, mainly that the program said there had been a problem, so I should restart and try again later, or words to that effect. ...What seemed to work was when I decided to do a FR and this time install Dell SA  before any of the Windows Updates....

As a general rule, I would not advise using a reset to factory condition to solve a problem with a third-party software program like SupportAssist, given the radical changes a factory reset will make to the rest of your system. A reset to factory condition is normally used for emergency recovery when your Windows operating system is unable to boot up in normal mode. Your Inspiron 3910 is only a few months old, however, so other than wiping your personal data and custom configuration settings (and possibly rolling your Win 11 OS back to v21H1 and removing optional components required for SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 like Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.x) you probably didn't roll your system back very far this time.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2251 * Firefox v107.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2210.6-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1838 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * * Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediaton v5.5.5.16206 * 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

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December 8th, 2022 10:00

Thanks for the info. As it's a new PC, I don't want to mess around with it too much by installing extra third-party software, so I'll leave Dell SA for now, especially as its a bit outside my comfort zone (although I acknowledge that Dell SA would be considered third-party software by MS). However, I have turned off all background scans at your suggestion. It's worded slightly differently on my version:

Screenshot 2022-12-08 181805.png

I notice you mentioned CCleaner - I did use that program on my old laptop without issues.

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December 8th, 2022 10:00

Thanks for your reply, @lmacri, and the advice.


I just noticed that your 29-Nov-2022 image <above> showed that your had Rivet's SmartByte Drivers and Services v3.1.995 installed on your system prior to your repair at Currys PC World. This utility is also called Dell SmartByte and the release notes for the newer Dell SmartByte v3.1.1000 app (rel. 26-Sep-2022) recommended on the support page <here> for your Inspiron 3910 states that "SmartByte is an application that automatically detects the browsing or video streaming activity and prioritizes the available Internet connection for the activity." If you ever have another "download failed" error or issues with your internet connection I would suggest that you either disable or uninstall this software, which many Dell users, including myself, have already done. See my the 06-Nov-2021 thread SmartByte v3.1.995 Bug? Disabling CinemaStream Causes High CPU by SmartByte Telemetry Service as well as the 06-Oct-2021 BleepingComputer article Microsoft Finds Windows 11 Issues with SmartByte Networking Software for more information.

I noticed that I do indeed have SmartByte.



...  I got the PC back today and the Repair Report said that the issue I reported was caused by outdated firmware.

That seems a bit odd. Did they what firmware was outdated?  The word "firmware" usually (but not always) refers to your BIOS firmware. You said in 29-Nov-2022 post <above> that your BIOS was listed as "BIOS Version/Date Dell Inc. 1.7.3, 27/10/2022" in your System Information panel, which is the same Dell Inspiron 3910 System BIOS v1.7.3 (rel. 11-Nov-2022) that is currently recommended on the support page <here> for your Dell Inspiron 3910.

No, they did not say which firmware was outdated. The report says

What We've Found: The issue you reported was caused by outdated firmware.

What We've Done: To help prevent issues in the future we have updated your firmware. We then ran system tests to ensure your issue has been fully resolved.


Going forward, if SupportAssist v3.x or Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.x detect an available BIOS update I would suggest that you decline the update and install all your BIOS Updates manually. See the 03-Dec-2022 warning and instructions I posted in RotcivZednanreh's Dell G3 3579 3 Amber and 1 White Battery Code and Won't Turn On.

However, that won't prevent Windows Update from installing BIOS updates on your laptop. Since you have the Home edition of Windows 11 v22H2 it’s sometimes difficult to control what updates are delivered to your system by Windows Update and when they’re installed. If you ever need to prevent a problematic update from being installed by Windows Update see the article at https://blockapatch.com/ by Susan Bradley, a Microsoft Security MVP and the CEO of the AskWoody.com site, about utilities like WuMgr that you can use to manager your Windows Updates. Susan has also posted a companion YouTube video at Three Tools to Block Windows UpdatesNote that I have a Win 10 Professional OS so I use my Local Group Policy Editor (GPEdit.msc) to manage how my Windows Update behaves.


I'll bear that in mind. It's a desktop PC rather than a laptop though. Surely Dell's "SupportAssist" program should be helping users, rather than causing more problems. It's unlikely I would know if there was a "problematic update" for Windows available, as my IT knowledge is limited. I think one would need to have a more advanced understanding to use these utilities. Surely, the novice user should just be able to update and install everything recommended by Windows and Dell.




...I wanted to do a Factory Reset so I could start afresh.  Unfortunately, this did lead to similar problems as experienced before, mainly that the program said there had been a problem, so I should restart and try again later, or words to that effect. ...What seemed to work was when I decided to do a FR and this time install Dell SA  before any of the Windows Updates....

As a general rule, I would not advise using a reset to factory condition to solve a problem with a third-party software program like SupportAssist, given the radical changes a factory reset will make to the rest of your system. A reset to factory condition is normally used for emergency recovery when your Windows operating system is unable to boot up in normal mode. Your Inspiron 3910 is only a few months old, however, so other than wiping your personal data and custom configuration settings (and possibly rolling your Win 11 OS back to v21H1 and removing optional components required for SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 like Microsoft .NET Runtime v6.0.x) you probably didn't roll your system back very far this time.


Currys actually advised the Factory Reset as one of the solutions when I first spoke to them. When I did the FR, the system asks me which settings I want to restore. It has a few different options from each time I've done a FR. Is it easy to remove those? I've deleted the restore points from each drive.

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December 8th, 2022 12:00

For some reason the screenshot in my previous post doesn't work, so here it is again. Not that it really matters, as I seem to have turned off the background scans anyway.

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December 9th, 2022 05:00


@BritishDellUser wrote:
... Currys actually advised the Factory Reset as one of the solutions when I first spoke to them. When I did the FR, the system asks me which settings I want to restore. It has a few different options from each time I've done a FR. Is it easy to remove those? I've deleted the restore points from each drive.

Hi BritishDellUser:

Are you sure you performed a factory reset? This will reset your computer back to factory condition using a Dell system image, which means that it will restore the identical operating system and software that was pre-installed on your computer at the factory, remove the apps and drivers you installed after your computer was purchased, and remove your personal files (which can be backed up to an external drive and recovered after the factory reset is finished). I believe you will also loose your user accounts and be asked to perform a Windows Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE) setup to choose your region/language, keyboard layout, create a new user account, etc.

I'm not certain, but based on your description it sounds like you reset your PC from your Windows settings (e.g., Start | Settings | System Recovery | Reset This PC) as described in the ElevenForums tutorial Reset Windows 11 PC. When you reset a Windows 11 PC this way it will reinstall your Windows 11 operating system and remove the apps and drivers you installed after your computer was purchased but your have the option to keep your user accounts and personal files (unless you choose the option to "Remove Everything", which is similar to a factory reset) and restore the apps that Dell installed at the factory.

You mentioned restore points, so it's also possible you performed a system restore using a system restore point saved on your hard drive as described in the ElevenForums tutorial Use System Restore on Windows 11 to roll back your system to a recent point in time.

You might want to refer to the Microsoft support article Recovery Options in Windows (be sure to select the Windows 11 tab) and bookmark that article in your browser for future reference. That article is very useful because it a includes a list of common problems you might encounter on your system and then suggests the best repair or recovery method to try and fix that problem.

To make things even more complicated, many Dell computers also have proprietary software called SupportAssist OS Recovery that can be used for system recovery. If you have this software installed on your Inspiron 3910 desktop it will be listed as "Dell SupportAssist Remediation" at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features, and as "System Repair" in your SupportAssist interface at Options (gear icon) | Settings. The Dell support article Factory Reset, Restore, or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer outlines how Dell computer owners can use this SupportAssist OS Recovery software to reinstall their operating system or restore their system, and detailed instructions are posted in the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User’s Guide.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2251 * Firefox v107.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2211.5-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1838 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediaton v5.5.5.16206 * 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

3 Apprentice

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1.3K Posts

December 9th, 2022 06:00


@BritishDellUser wrote:

... However, I have turned off all background scans at your suggestion. It's worded slightly differently on my version:...



Hi BritishDellUser:

Sorry, that's my fault. I launched the latest SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 and the wording has changed slightly. I should have said that you can disable automatic background scans at Options (gear icon) | Settings | Automate Scans and Optimizations | Set Your System to Automatically Run Scans and Performance Optimizations.  Here's a new screen shot:

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

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There is a notation in your previous reply saying "<removed for privacy concerns TOS64>" where you image should be. I assume TOS is an abbreviation for "Terms of Service", so I'm guessing that one of the Forum Moderators removed your image of your SupportAssist settings because it was showing private information like your email address or your unique Service Tag that shouldn't be posted publicly - see item # 15 in the Dell Community Code of Conduct. Before I post images in the forum I often have to edit them using the Microsoft Paint app built in to my Windows OS to black out / obscure that type of personal information.
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64-bit Win 10 Pro v22H2 build 19045.2251 * Firefox v107.0.1 * Microsoft Defender v4.18.2211.5-1.1.19900.2 * Malwarebytes Premium v4.5.18.226-1.0.1838 * Macrium Reflect Free v8.0.7175 * Dell SupportAssist v3.13.0.236 * Dell Update for Windows Universal v4.7.1 * Dell SupportAssist Remediaton v5.5.5.16206 * 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

 • 

10 Posts

December 9th, 2022 15:00


@lmacri wrote:

@BritishDellUser wrote:
... Currys actually advised the Factory Reset as one of the solutions when I first spoke to them. When I did the FR, the system asks me which settings I want to restore. It has a few different options from each time I've done a FR. Is it easy to remove those? I've deleted the restore points from each drive.

Hi BritishDellUser:

Are you sure you performed a factory reset? This will reset your computer back to factory condition using a Dell system image, which means that it will restore the identical operating system and software that was pre-installed on your computer at the factory, remove the apps and drivers you installed after your computer was purchased, and remove your personal files (which can be backed up to an external drive and recovered after the factory reset is finished). I believe you will also loose your user accounts and be asked to perform a Windows Out-of-Box-Experience (OOBE) setup to choose your region/language, keyboard layout, create a new user account, etc.

I'm not certain, but based on your description it sounds like you reset your PC from your Windows settings (e.g., Start | Settings | System Recovery | Reset This PC) as described in the ElevenForums tutorial Reset Windows 11 PC. When you reset a Windows 11 PC this way it will reinstall your Windows 11 operating system and remove the apps and drivers you installed after your computer was purchased but your have the option to keep your user accounts and personal files (unless you choose the option to "Remove Everything", which is similar to a factory reset) and restore the apps that Dell installed at the factory.

Yes, it's under System and then Recovery - Reset this PC. That's what Currys advised me to do previously. I think they called it a 'factory reset'. It does involve choosing your region/language/keyboard layout etc., from what I recall.


You might want to refer to the Microsoft support article Recovery Options in Windows (be sure to select the Windows 11 tab) and bookmark that article in your browser for future reference. That article is very useful because it a includes a list of common problems you might encounter on your system and then suggests the best repair or recovery method to try and fix that problem.

 

To make things even more complicated, many Dell computers also have proprietary software called SupportAssist OS Recovery that can be used for system recovery. If you have this software installed on your Inspiron 3910 desktop it will be listed as "Dell SupportAssist Remediation" at Control Panel | Programs | Programs and Features, and as "System Repair" in your SupportAssist interface at Options (gear icon) | Settings. The Dell support article Factory Reset, Restore, or Reinstall Microsoft Windows on a Dell Computer outlines how Dell computer owners can use this SupportAssist OS Recovery software to reinstall their operating system or restore their system, and detailed instructions are posted in the Dell SupportAssist OS Recovery User’s Guide.

I've bookmarked the MS article. I do indeed have Dell SA Remediation. System Repair is turned on in Dell SA.

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