Hello quirklyblues. I understand you are experiencing an issue with Support Assistance. I would like you to uninstall and reinstall the program, but follow these steps when doing so:
Uninstall the program utilizing Microsoft Fix it. You can locate the download link for this program here: http://support.microsoft.com/mats/Program_Install_and_Uninstall
Afterward, before installing the software, I would like to perform a clean boot. Please reference this Microsoft document for instructions on how to perform this task: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/929135
Now, please visit this website to download the most recent version of Support Assistant, available for download: http://h18021.www1.hp.com/helpandsupport/hp-self-support.html
Following the successful installation, do not update it or perform any scans. Let it work untouched and observe if the issue returns or not.
Mario