Constant updates for your Dell apps are being rolled out, like new features, bug fixes, adjustments, and so on. Commonly, falling behind in updates can result in serious problems. How to keep your apps up-to-date? The Dell Command Update tool can save the day!
Dell Command Update is a software tool that lets you keep your Dell devices updated with the latest drivers, BIOS updates, and software patches. And in this tutorial, you will learn how this tool automatically detects and downloads the latest updates for each device.
Read on and never miss a single update again!
Prerequisites
This tutorial comprises hands-on demonstrations. To follow along, you will need a Dell PC running either Windows 10 or 11, but this tutorial uses a Windows 10 PC.
Installing the Dell Command Update Tool
Keeping your Dell apps updated regularly may sound tedious. Well, not with the Dell Command Update tool, as updating only takes a few clicks.
But before jumping to any updates, you must install the Dell Command Update tool on your system with the following:
1. Open your favorite web browser, and navigate to the Dell Command Update official download page.
2. Next, scroll down to the Available formats section, and click Download to download the installer package.
3. Once downloaded, open the installer package (.exe file), and click Install when you see the following screen.
4. Now, click Next from the InstallShield Wizard welcome screen to continue.
5. Choose the first option, and click Next to accept the End User License Agreement.
6. Choose the first option to participate in the Update Improvement Program and click Next.
This program is crucial in improving how the Dell Command Update tool keeps your Dell apps up-to-date.
7. Now, click Install to start installing the Dell Command Update tool.
8. Once installed, click Finish to close the InstallShield Wizard.
9. Lastly, close the notification message window, and restart your Dell PC.
Reviewing and Installing Updates with the Dell Command Update
With the Dell Command Update tool installed, ensuring optimal performance, security, and reliability of your system is within your reach. Failure to update devices exposes them to security threats, slows their performance, and makes them incompatible with the latest software applications.
To install updates via the Dell Command Update tool:
1. Launch the Dell Command Update tool as administrator from the Windows Start menu.
2. Once the Dell Command Update tool opens, click CHECK on the Welcome screen, as shown below, to connect to downloads.dell.com and search for available updates.
Below, you can see the tool is checking for updates.
3. Now, when updates are found, click VIEW DETAILS, tick the boxes of the updates you wish to customize, and click INSTALL to install the updates.
You can also have Dell Command Update automatically restart the system after installing updates by selecting Automatically restart the system (when required).
Dell Command Update provides different types of updates based on their importance. These update types are categorized into Critical, Recommended, Optional, and Dell Docking Solutions.
Customizing the Dell Command Update Settings
Dell Command Update is set to check for and download updates by default automatically. But perhaps you wish to customize the settings to suit your needs. If so, you must go through the advanced settings and the ability to control the installation timing of updates.
To customize the Dell Command Update settings, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the Settings button (top-right) of the Dell Command Update main window to access the settings menu.
2. Next, configure the basic Update Settings with the following:
- Automatically check for updates – Choose how often the tool should check for and install updates. You can choose between daily, weekly, or monthly updates.
- When updates are found – Choose an option for the Dell Command Update tool to take when updates are found.
3. Navigate to Update Filter and customize how to filter updates:
- What to display – Choose to display updates specific to the system configuration or all updates for the system model.
- Customize Updates – Customize the updates you wish to receive for your system further based on the following categories:
| Category | Details |
|---|---|
| Recommendation Level | Refers to the preference for updates that the manufacturer recommends. |
| Update Type | Refers to the specific type of update, such as drivers or BIOS updates. |
| Device Category | Refers to the specific hardware device for which the update is intended. |
4. Now, configure the General settings with the following:
- Download File Location – Choose the default download location for the updates.
- Update Source Location – Specifies where the tool should look for updates. This source location is used when updates are downloaded once and shared across the network of Dell computers.
- Internet Proxy – Lets you optionally configure how the tool connects to the internet.
5. Lastly, navigate to BIOS and configure the following:
- System Password – Specify the BIOS password if you have set one, as it’s required to perform BIOS updates.
- Suspend BitLocker – Temporarily disables the encryption allowing the updates to proceed without issues.
The other settings come in handy, as follows if you are faced with compatibility issues after an update:
Advanced Driver Restore – allows you to restore a driver’s previously installed version.
Import/Export – allows you to export and import the Dell Command Update configuration settings.
Automating Updates via a Command Line Interface (CLI)
Enjoying the Dell Command Update tool’s features so far? But apart from clicking through a GUI to keep your Dell apps up-to-date, Dell Command Update offers a CLI suitable for batch and scripting setups.
This CLI enables system administrators to automate the remote deployment of updates with the dcu-cli.exe command. But it is worth noting that the CLI does not offer all features available in the tool’s UI version, like scheduling updates at a specific time to avoid interruptions.
The syntax for the CLI is as follows:
dcu-cli.exe/<command> -option1=value1 -option2=value2 -option3=value3...To automate updates via the Dell Command Update CLI:
Launch the command prompt (or PowerShell) as an administrator, and navigate (cd) to the PROGRAMFILES%\Dell\CommandUpdate directory.
cd PROGRAMFILES%\Dell\CommandUpdate
Instead of navigating to the Dell Command Update directory each time you access the tool’s CLI, you can add the full path to your system’s Path environment variable.
Now, execute the dcu-cli.exe command below to specify the download location (path) for updates.
dcu-cli.exe/configure -downloadLocation=path
With this CLI, you can perform various tasks, such as checking for available updates, downloading and installing updates, and rebooting the system after the updates.
To see more options available for the CLI, run the below command:
dcu-cli.exe /help
Conclusion
Dell Command Update provides a comprehensive and user-friendly way to keep Dell systems up to date. And in this tutorial, you have learned Dell Command Update’s automation features to manage updates efficiently and without complexities.
But besides updating, Dell has different software solutions, like Dell EMC OpenManage Enterprise and Dell ImageAssist. Why not explore these software solutions that help set up devices, track them, and update their software?
