sp1 update error, safe mode absent to restore

I've installed sp1 on my Home Premium pc. After restart, it stuck at an error screen for 0xc01a001d. I rebooted with Vista reinstall cd, tried restore, but just sat at the startup repair screen for a few hours. I shut it down, went to bed, and now have attempted to restore again. Gave me a new error which indicates a .dll file(the first time it was "Registry\Machine\COMPONENTS...).
Now am trying to use f8 to get to safe mode and attempt a restore point there, but there's no option for starting in safe mode at all.
I do not have a clean Vista install cd..only one that came from the manuf.(Dell) for reinstall.

Hello, and welcome to the Vista Forums!

This is not a good error to have Your best hope is the try a System Restore, using Method 2 here: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/76905-system-restore-how.html

Try your Dell CD. However, if that doesn't have the "Repair your Computer" option, use another computer to make one here: http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/141820-create-recovery-disc.html

Thanks, and the best of luck!

Richard