Windows 7 Intel RST and Windows 7

Recently I was asked to repair a Dell desktop PC running Windows 7. It had multiple problems, one of which was Windows update didn't work. I suspected corrupt system files. Running system file check did not help, nor did DISM. I looked at the registry and Windows services, but neither were of any help in solving the problems. I was stumped for the time being and thought about this for a week and did quite a bit of research on the web. It turned out the Intel Rapid Storage Technology application that came installed on the Dell PC was broken. Trying to figure out which version of RST was compatible with the OS and hardware turned out to be an adventure, but everything is working again now that RST is reinstalled and functioning properly.

This is my first post here, and I don't normally hang out on forums like this, but I thought I'd share this in case it might save others the same trouble. I realize it's entirely possible that everyone knows about this problem and fix but me.