Sorry, MOSDOS and Flavicus, but none of the links worked.
Great Blog MOSDOS,
anyway,
Sigh,
Don't you hate it when you search through forums trying to find an answer and can't find any,
I posting two workarounds in case anybody is reading this has the same problem,
Here is an alternative way to download windows updates,
http://www.technize.com/2009/05/31/5...omment-page-1/
I like this one
WindizUpdate
Here is a program that will look for updates for your programs
http://cleansofts.org/view/update-notifier.html
Here is another, which looks for security holes
Download - Personal (PSI) - Vulnerability Scanning - Secunia.com
And, finally, for an alternative to windows update, you might have to go with a third party program to backup system files, such as this,
RestoreIT 7 Data Backup & System Recovery Software
Just search for system restore alternative in google to get other programs.
Oh well, I learned my lesson, never install Microsoft service packs from a dirty computer with tons of programs. Always install big service packs after a fresh reformat.