DDM 2.3.2.20, cannot install, gives a security error

Tried that. AI answer?

As reported by Nessus :

Hi everyone,

Dell Engineering is aware of this issue and is actively working on a resolution.

Hey! Any updates? Got the same issue

Same issue here, waiting for fix. :)

We in Social have not heard any updates. DDM 2.3.2.20 is still the latest version offered. As of May 2025, DDM (Dell Display Manager) and DPM (Dell Peripheral Manager) are going EOL (end of life). They will be replaced by the new unified DDPM (Dell Display and Peripheral Manager). All you and we can do is periodically check the FAQ above or a specific model to see if a new DDM is released.

There is a workaround, which is to pre-create a folder C:\System32\Config, which is what the installer falls over looking for when run as the system account.

However, you should tread carefully here, as you would not want a system level process able to execute something from a user-writeable folder. If you can't wait for a fix from Dell, I would suggest:

1) Exit if folder exists

2) Create folder

3) Apply permissions blocking users from writing there

4) Run installer

5) Delete folder

@Dan Gough​ What folder do we need to create. I'm assuming the folder name is important as the installer is looking for it during the installation process. 

Confirmed that @Dan Gough solution works.

We automate the installation using PowerShell.

Create folder: New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path C:\System32\Config

Install DDM: ddmsetup.exe /verysilent

Remove folder: Remove-Item -Path "C:\System32" -Recurse -Force

@RobertMiranda-MeshNetworks.ca​ The C:\System32\Config folder is a default folder in Windows. Your confirmation of Dan's solution seems to imply that you are both creating a folder, C:\System32\Config, that should already be there. I'm missing something in both yours and Dan's description of the process. Can you explain that for me please? 

These are two different folders.

C:\Windows\System32 is a default Windows folder - do not touch or do anything with this folder.

C:\System32\Config are folders you must create first before attempting the installation.

Dell have reported to my support case to say they should have this issue resolved in the next release, that they were aiming to get out today.

I'd just wait for it if there's nothing you urgently need from 2.3.2.20.

Just take note of my previous statement that there is a security risk applying this workaround if users have write access to put content in that folder.

@Dan Gough​ and @RobertMiranda-MeshNetworks.ca​ 

I see what you are both saying. I saw the C:\System32\config folder in my C:\ directory, not making the connection that it shouldn't be there knowing System32 is a normal folder, likely because I manually ran the DDM install during testing to see if it would install, which it did. During the installation it created that folder instead of accessing the correct location, C:\Windows\System32\Config.

Dell has written the program so that it creates a new folder, C:\System32\Config, instead of installing it to the correct folder C:\Windows\System32\Config where it would have been safe to do so, using system, which does not have permission to write to the root directory in C:\. 

Anyone who manually updated the DDM program using the older version may want to delete the C:\System32\Config folder that it made during installation. I have done so and the program works correctly without any issues. 

Thank you both for the thorough explanations. We will wait for the fixed version to be released.