Microsoft Error 1500 in Vista

I am stuck with an annoying Error 1500 message when I try to install a new program on a laptop I am testing Vista out on. I have seen the Microsoft articles on how to fix the problem, but nothing seems to work. I also tried downloading WindowsSDK to fix the problem, but when it will only install a 1/4 of the way and then it stops. Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.