SupportAssist for Home PCs Version 3.6 User’s Guide November 2020 Rev.
Notes, cautions, and warnings NOTE: A NOTE indicates important information that helps you make better use of your product. CAUTION: A CAUTION indicates either potential damage to hardware or loss of data and tells you how to avoid the problem. WARNING: A WARNING indicates a potential for property damage, personal injury, or death. © 2020 Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries. All rights reserved. Dell, EMC, and other trademarks are trademarks of Dell Inc. or its subsidiaries.
Contents Chapter 1: Introduction................................................................................................................. 5 Key features..........................................................................................................................................................................5 Document purpose..............................................................................................................................................................
Chapter 6: Optimizing your PC.................................................................................................... 28 Clean files............................................................................................................................................................................ 28 Tune PC performance...................................................................................................................................................... 29 Optimize network...
1 Introduction SupportAssist automates support from Dell by proactively and predictively identifying hardware and software issues on your PC. SupportAssist addresses PC performance and stabilization issues, prevents security threats, monitors and detects hardware failures, and automates the engagement process with Dell Technical support. Depending on your Dell service plan, SupportAssist also automates support request creation for issues that are detected during a scan.
Supported PCs SupportAssist is supported on the following Dell PCs: ● Laptops and desktops: ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ ○ Inspiron XPS Alienware Vostro Latitude Precision OptiPlex NOTE: SupportAssist is not supported on virtual machines. SupportAssist capabilities and Dell service plans SupportAssist proactively and predictively detects and notifies you about hardware and software issues that may occur on your PC.
Table 1. SupportAssist capabilities and Dell service plans (continued) SupportAssist capabilities Description Request onsite assistance for replacing a selfreplaceable part 1 You can request a service technician to visit you to replace a self-replaceable part at your location. Automated support request creation If an issue is detected during a scheduled scan, a support request is automatically created and a Dell Technical Support agent contacts you about the solution.
2 Getting started with SupportAssist for Home PCs SupportAssist is preinstalled on all PCs shipped out of the Dell factory. If SupportAssist is not preinstalled, follow the instructions in this section to install, configure, and use SupportAssist. Minimum PC requirements The following table lists the minimum PC requirements for installing and using SupportAssist: Table 2.
Table 2. Minimum PC requirements (continued) Particulars Requirements ● https://www.dell.com ● https://dl.dell.com ● http://content.dellsupportcenter.com Install SupportAssist Prerequisites ● The PC must meet the minimum PC requirements for installing and using SupportAssist. See Minimum PC requirements on page 8. ● You must have administrator rights on the PC. About this task By default, SupportAssist is installed on all PCs shipped from the Dell factory.
Figure 1. Home page-default view After the scans and optimizations are complete, the following details are displayed on the Home page and the History page: ● Amount of hard drive space reclaimed ● Number of driver updates installed ● Number of viruses or malware removed The following figure displays the summary view of the Home page: Figure 2. Home page—summary view To go to the tiles view, click .
● ● ● ● Clean Files Tune Performance Optimize Network Remove Viruses & Malware NOTE: If you do not have administrator rights on the PC, only the Scan Hardware tile is enabled. The following figure displays the tiles view of the Home page: Figure 3. Home page—tiles view NOTE: Figures 1, 2, and 3 are for illustrative purpose only. Individual features such as header color, buttons, and so on, are different on Alienware PCs.
Change language setting About this task SupportAssist is available in 25 languages. By default, SupportAssist is set to the same language as that of the operating system. You can change the language according to your preference. Steps 1. On the top-right corner of the SupportAssist user interface, click the settings icon and click Select language. The list of languages is displayed. 2. Select your preferred language. 3. Click Yes to restart SupportAssist in the selected language.
● If the shipping details are invalid, a message is displayed to update the details. Click Update and Finish to update the details. ● If the shipping details are valid, the first name and last name are displayed on the top-right corner of the SupportAssist user interface. Create Dell My Account Prerequisites You must have administrator rights on the PC. Steps 1.
Use different SupportAssist profile Prerequisites You must have administrator rights on the PC. Steps 1. On the top-right corner of the SupportAssist user interface, click the username and click Use a different profile. 2. Click Continue. NOTE: When you click Continue, SupportAssist deactivates the current profile and removes access to the saved contact information and shipping details.
About this task SupportAssist automatically scans your PC for driver updates, hardware issues, and the required optimizations. You can select the preferred time, frequency, and day when you want SupportAssist to scan your PC. Steps 1. On the top-right corner of the SupportAssist user interface, click the settings icon, click Settings, and then click Schedule scans and Optimizations. 2. Enable automatic PC scans and optimizations. 3. Select the time, frequency, and day when you want to run the scan.
Table 4. Notifications on the SupportAssist user interface (continued) When the notification is displayed Action ● Click Remind Me Later to view the notification when you reopen SupportAssist after 24 hours. ● Click Never Remind Me to stop SupportAssist from displaying the notification again. Dell technical support is still working on a support request that ● Click Check status online to view the status of the is created for your PC. support request online. ● Click Dismiss to hide the notification.
Table 5. Taskbar or Windows Action Center notifications (continued) When the notification is displayed Action Service plan of the PC is about to expire, or has expired. Click the notification to open SupportAssist. A link to renew the service plan is displayed on the SupportAssist user interface. Status of the support request that is created for your PC was recently updated. NOTE: The notification is not displayed when the support request is closed.
2. Clear the I want to receive notifications about hardware and software issues, driver updates, Support Requests, and other alerts for my PC check box and click Save. The Home page is displayed. Uninstall SupportAssist Prerequisites The SupportAssist user interface must not be open on the PC. Steps 1. Click Start, go to Control panel > Programs, and then click Programs and Features. The Uninstall or change a program page is displayed. 2. Right-click Dell SupportAssist, and click Uninstall. 3.
3 Dell Migrate overview Dell Migrate is a service that enables you to securely migrate your personal files and settings to your Dell PC from any other PC running Windows operating system. NOTE: The Dell Migrate service is available only for Inspiron, XPS, and Alienware PCs in U.S. In this document, the term source PC refers to the PC from which you want to migrate your files and settings. The term target PC refers to the PC to which you want to migrate your files and settings.
Migrate data from source to target PC Prerequisites Ensure the following: ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● The operating system that is installed on the source PC is Windows 8 or later. The operating system that is installed on the target PC is Windows 10. The source and target PCs are connected to an electrical outlet. You are logged in to source and target PCs as an administrator. The source and target PCs are connected to the same local network. Sufficient disk space is available on the target PC.
6. Perform one of the following steps: ● If all your files and settings were migrated successfully, click OK. ● If some of your files or settings were not migrated, click Show skipped files to view the details or click Retry to migrate your files or settings again. 7. Optionally, click to view the migration summary or click to provide your feedback to Dell. NOTE: For any assistance on migrating your files and settings using Dell Migrate, contact Dell technical support.
4 Drivers and downloads overview Updating the drivers helps improve PC performance and patch security risks. By default, SupportAssist scans your PC every week to detect updates available for drivers and Dell applications that are installed on your PC. If required, you can configure the frequency in which SupportAssist performs the scan. See Scheduled scans and optimizations on page 14. NOTE: In this document, the term driver refers to BIOS, drivers, firmware, and Dell applications installed on your PC.
restore point to uninstall the driver update and return the PC to its previous state. At a given time period, SupportAssist can retain only three restore points. If a new restore point must be created, the oldest restore point is automatically removed. By default, SupportAssist is authorized to temporarily suspend data encryption to install some updates on a BitLocker enabled system. To disable this authorization, go to Settings > Privacy, and then clear the appropriate permission.
Get Drivers and Downloads tile notifications The following table describes the different status notifications that are displayed on the Get Drivers & Downloads tile: Table 8. Get Drivers & Downloads tile notifications Update icon Tile icon No icon is displayed. 24 Drivers and downloads overview Update type Description Optional or no update available No update is available or an optional update is available. Recommended Only recommended type of updates are available.
5 Scanning PC hardware Running a hardware scan enables you to detect hardware issues on your PC. By default, SupportAssist scans your PC hardware once a month to detect hardware issues. You can also manually perform the following to identify a hardware issue: ● Scan a specific hardware component ● Run a quick hardware scan ● Run a stress test NOTE: If SupportAssist is minimized and an issue is detected during a scan, a notification is displayed on the Scan Hardware tile.
Steps 1. Open SupportAssist and click . 2. On the Scan Hardware tile, click Run. Results ● If no issue is detected, an appropriate notification is displayed on the tile. ● If an issue is detected and it requires creating a support request, the optimization tiles are disabled and the issue details page is displayed. For instructions to create a support request, see Create support request for issue detected by a scan on page 34.
Table 9. Scan Hardware tile notifications (continued) Status icon PC icon Status Description optimization tiles are disabled. Click Skip to enable the tiles. Critical NOTE: If a critical hardware issue is detected, the PC optimization tiles are disabled until you create a support request. A hardware issue has been detected in the memory module or hard drives.
6 Optimizing your PC SupportAssist helps you optimize your PC by running a series of diagnostics to identify modifications to files and settings of your PC. SupportAssist optimizations improve your PC speed, storage space availability, and PC stability by: ● ● ● ● Cleaning temporary files Tuning PC performance Optimizing network Removing viruses, malware, and potentially unwanted programs (PUPs) The following figure displays the Tune Performance tile for PC optimization: Figure 5.
Tune PC performance About this task SupportAssist adjusts the power settings, registry, and memory allocation to maximize your PC processing speed. Steps 1. Open SupportAssist and click . 2. On the Tune Performance tile, click Run. During the optimization, the name of task that is running is displayed above the tiles and the progress of scan is displayed on the tile. CAUTION: If you cancel the optimization while it is in progress, the changes that were performed are not reversed.
CAUTION: If you cancel the optimization while it is in progress, the changes that were performed are not reversed. Results ● The number of viruses and malware removed are displayed on the Remove Viruses & Malware tile, Home page, and on the History page. ● If PUPs are detected on the PC, the number of PUPs detected is displayed on the Remove Viruses & Malware tile. For instructions to remove PUPs, see Remove potentially unwanted programs on page 30.
CAUTION: If you cancel the optimization while it is in progress, the changes that were performed are not reversed. After the scan is complete, the following are observed: ● If no issue is detected and there are no updates, an appropriate message is displayed on each tile. The amount of hard drive space that is saved, and the number of viruses or malware that is removed is displayed on the home page.
7 Virtual assistant overview Use the virtual assistant from any page to troubleshoot your PC, perform optimizations, or chat with a Dell technical support agent. To troubleshoot an issue, the virtual assistant may prompt you to update your drivers, or run the Clean Files or Tune Performance optimizations. It also provides video tutorials to troubleshoot issues in your PC. If the issue is not resolved, you are seamlessly redirected to a Dell technical support agent.
Figure 7. Driver updates Figure 8.
8 Creating support request SupportAssist helps you proactively and periodically monitor your PC for hardware or software issues. If an issue is detected on your PC, SupportAssist enables you to create a support request with Dell technical support. Depending on the service plan of your PC, SupportAssist may also automatically create a support request for the issue. NOTE: The automatic support request creation capability is not available for PCs with an expired warranty.
NOTE: You can view the details and track the status of the support request on the History page. The tiles view of the Home page is displayed, and the Support Request Open status is displayed on the Scan Hardware tile. Manually create a support request About this task Depending on the service plan of your PC, you can manually create a support request for issues that are not detected by SupportAssist.
Table 10. Issue details page (continued) Information Description Warranty The service plan and its expiry date. Issue The details of the issue for which the support request is created. Solution The recommended solution. I would like onsite support NOTE: This option is available only in certain regions and is displayed only for PCs with an active Premium Support, Premium Support Plus, ProSupport, or ProSupport Plus service plan.
9 Troubleshooting overview The Troubleshooting page enables you to troubleshoot issues with network connectivity and PC performance. It also enables you to scan a specific hardware component or the entire PC for hardware issues and provides links to video tutorials to troubleshoot issues with operating system, PC hardware, software, and Internet connectivity. The troubleshooting links enabled for you depends on your user account type.
10 History overview The History page displays information about the SupportAssist activities and events that were performed in the last 90 days in a chronological order. The activities that are listed include software optimizations, troubleshooting tasks, driver updates, hardware scans, and so on. By default, information about events and activities that are performed during the current week are displayed. You can view the details for a specific day or an entire month.
11 Getting support SupportAssist enables you to contact Dell technical support agents through phone, chat, or social media. The Get Support page lists the help and support options available for your PC. The help and support options that you can access vary based on the service plan of your PC and your region. For information about the help and support options available for various service plans, see SupportAssist capabilities and Dell service plans on page 6.
Table 12. Get Support page (continued) Feature Description Send files to Tech Support Send files to Dell technical support describing the issue on your PC or send files that a technical support agent requests for. NOTE: The maximum size of the file that you can send is 4 MB. For information about sending files to Dell technical support, see Send files to Dell technical support on page 41.
Send files to Dell technical support About this task If requested by a Dell technical support agent, you can send files describing the issue on your PC or any other specific file that is requested by the support agent. You can send a ZIP, RAR, TXT, JPG, JPEG, PNG, GIF, DOCX, DOC, ODT, PDF, XLS, or XLSX file. NOTE: The maximum size of the file that you can send is 4 MB. NOTE: You can send up to three files in a day. If you have multiple files, compress the files to .zip format and send the ZIP file. Steps 1.
3. Select I agree to the terms and conditions and click Finish.
12 Frequently asked questions 1. How can I identify the build number of the operating system that is installed on my PC? Perform the following steps: a. Click Start to open the programs menu. b. Search and open the Run application. c. Enter winver and click OK. The operating system build number is displayed, for example, OS Build 15063.1266. 2. How can I check if SupportAssist is installed on my PC? To verify if SupportAssist is installed, perform the following steps: a.
c. d. e. f. In the right pane, click Dell SupportAssist. In the left pane, click Stop. From the programs menu, search and open the Command Prompt application. Type netstat -a -v | findstr /C:"5700" and press Enter. ● If no application uses the 5700 port, no result is displayed. ● If any other application uses the 5700 port, the port number and LISTENING status are displayed. g. Restart the Dell SupportAssist service. 12. It is taking a long time to open SupportAssist.
20. I am not receiving notifications for driver updates. What should I do? If your service plan has expired, SupportAssist does not display notifications for driver updates available for your PC. You must renew your service plan to receive notifications about driver updates. See Banners on SupportAssist home page. 21. Can I update the BIOS on a BitLocker enabled PC? It is recommended to disable the BitLocker encryption on the PC before updating the BIOS. 22.
13 SupportAssist for Home PCs resources This section provides information about the documentation resources and other useful links that provide more information about SupportAssist for Home PCs. Table 13. SupportAssist for Home PCs resources Contents Resource Go to Minimum requirements, installation, and product features SupportAssist for Home PCs Version 3.
