How to Disable Dell Support Alerts

Dell Support Alerts are a function of Dell Support Center, which comes preloaded on all Dell computers. The program's purpose is to keep your computer running efficiently by automatically checking for updates to download. The alerts that constantly pop up on the screen, however, may annoy some users. You cannot close the program by right-clicking because there is no "Close" or "Exit" option. To prevent the alerts from appearing, you must disable Dell Support Center.

Disable

Step 1

Click the "Start" button, type "Run" in the search box and hit "Enter." Type "msconfig" in the dialogue box and hit "Enter."

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Step 2

Click on the tab "Services" in the new dialogue box. Find "SupportSoft sprtcmd" in the list and uncheck it.

Step 3

Click on the tab "Startup" to see another list. Find and uncheck "dscactivate" and/or "SupportSoft sprtcmd."

Uninstall

Step 1

Click the "Start" button and access the Control Panel.

Step 2

Open "Add or Remove Programs" if you are using Windows XP. Open "Programs and Features" if you are using Vista or Windows 7.

Step 3

Select Dell Support Center and uninstall it from the computer.

Tip

There have been cases in which the previously mentioned two methods have not worked and Dell Support Center continues to launch. There is no general consensus on the reason why it continues to launch. But there is one guaranteed way to get rid of the support center: Reformat your computer. This will erase everything on your hard drive, including Dell Support Center (and your operating system). For more information on reformatting, see the Resources.

Warning

Make sure you have all of your data backed up before reformatting your computer.