Intel Driver & Support Assistant won't install/initialize — stuck on "Initializing" screen — Acer Ni

[Macerick]

Hi everyone, hoping for some help with this.

Laptop: Acer Nitro 5 AN515-54 (model NH.Q5BAL.004)
CPU: Intel Core i7-9750H
GPU: NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1660 Ti (Optimus setup with Intel UHD Graphics 630)
OS: Windows 10/11 (will confirm exact build)

Issue: The laptop sat unused for several months. After powering it back on, I'm trying to install the Intel Driver & Support Assistant (DSA) to update my Intel drivers, but the installer/app gets stuck on an "Initializing" screen and never progresses, regardless of how long I wait.

What I've already tried:

• Running the installer as Administrator
• Checking Task Manager for leftover Intel processes before retrying — none found

What I haven't tried yet:

• Downloading a generic Intel graphics driver directly from Intel's site (bypassing DSA entirely) to see if the issue is DSA-specific or system-wide
• Running a full Windows Update pass first (suspect there may be a backlog from months of being powered off)
• Checking/repairing .NET Framework, which DSA depends on

Has anyone run into this exact issue — DSA hanging at "Initializing" during install — and found a fix? Trying to figure out if this is a known DSA bug or something specific to my setup before going further. Thanks!

[Shane_Intel]

Hello Macerick,

Thank you for reaching out to us. We understand that you have devoted a lot of time to test and find out the cause of the problem, and to make up for that, we will work with you to quickly find a solution to your concern.

To further assist you with your concern and to provide you with the best possible support, could you please provide the following information?

• Can you share the screenshot of the error you're encountering with?
• What is the browser you're using to access the IDSA?

I look forward to your response.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Best regards,

Shane E.

Intel Customer Support Technician

[Shane_Intel]

Hello Macerick,

Did you have a chance to review the previous post? Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions. Thank you.

I look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Shane E.

Intel Customer Support Technician