I'm not sure why this particular linkage. My present thought is that this
is a defect of sorts in the initial disk image on these Dell systems--this
complaint is so persistent.
It's easy to fix, though.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;290301
The above URL is for the Windows Installer cleanup utility. Install this,
and find the listing for the Dell backup program. Remove just that entry in
the list. I would then advise uninstalling the Windows Installer cleanup
utility--it can be dangerous if abused, and you don't really need it lying
around.
This kind of linkage, both in the installation and in the operation of
Microsoft Antispyware seems fairly common--I've also seen the same
phenomenon with some other applications--notably Adobe Reader 6. I suspect
it is a combination of an imperfectly written installation routine along
with some existing conditions on the machine which bring out this
appearance.