Vista - Side-By-Side Configuration is Incorrect

Last night I was using my computer and playing games, It was working fine. I shut it down and the next morning when I turned it on it asked me to restart to finish the windows updates... so I did. (it was an update for vista x64 systems) After it started back up none of my touch buttons worked, mouse pad, or any of my programs besides my Internet Explorer x64 which is what i'm using right now... Anytime I try to open any program it gives me the message (The application has failed to start because its side-by-side configuration is incorrect. Please see the application event log for more detail.) I tried restoring my system to before the update which didn't work, so I tried restoring it from about a week ago and that did nothing... I need some help with this....

Thanks in advance.

This may give you a clue as to what your message means.

I believe that "Side by Side" architecture uses a trick in a file called a 'manifest' to call a special system file instead of the regular Vista system file (a .dll). The error is saying that finding that special dll written for that application is not working somehow. (side-by-side configuration is incorrect).
Something has changed those special application files. Perhaps disk corruption, perhaps conflict with something new.

You should check in Event Viewer for more details.
Start - Search - Type in Event Viewer - Windows Log - Application.

yup its a missing or corrupt .DLL file JMH suggestion Event Viewer - Windows Log - Application

there may be a sisdebyside error entry , that should tell which dll is corrupted , from there you can download another

however it would be easier to reinstall yuor touchpad drivers and that may put it right

or try typing sfc /scannow into an elevated command prompt (run command prompt as administrator) that will search the dll library for missing or corrupt dll's and repair them (you will need you os install dvd)

Im not sur if that'll work though as its not an operating system dll at fault

I'm having the exact same problem. I just tried the sfc /scannow and it said there were some corrupt files but that it couldn't fix them. Has anyone solved this problem?