I have a whole series of issues with impulse.  The first thing that happened to me, was that impulse gave the "cannot connect to server" error when I tried to log on.  I'm trying to update Sins of a Solar empire from version 1.095 to version 1.096.  I successfully used impulse to update it two weeks(ish) ago when I got the game.  So then it started giving me this "cannot connect to server" error.   I reinstalled impulse, and uninstalled AVG (a antispyware I was running).  No success. 

I ran a connection diagnosis from impulse and everything was successful until it got to BITS download.  Under that it gave a "cannot connect to server" error. So then I figured it was working 2 weeks ago, so I did a system restore, set for two weeks ago.  I had to install impulse because it was not installed at that time.  When I tried to do this a Just-In-Time debugging dialogue box gave me the following error, "System.IO.FileLoadException" at the beginning of the installation, followed by an unspecified error.  I click "OK" for both and it continues through the installation normally. 

Following the installation when I try to start impulse it gives the same (or at least a very similar error) and does not start impulse.  I System restore back to the original day and restore to a different day, it gives the same Just in time debugging error.  So I system restore to the original day again, I try Impulse again and it again gives the cannot connect to server error.  Then I noodle around on the internet, and find out it could be an issue with my .Net framework, so I uninstall microsoft .NET framework 2.0 service pack 1.  Then I attempt to reinstall it.  The reinstallation gives me some sort of error.  It also doesn't fix the "cannot connect to service error".  I try to install .net framework 3.5 and it gives the same error as 2.0 sp 1. 

So I figure this is bad, so I system restore to about 1 week ago, hoping that Impulse is both already installed and is still working.  Impulse is installed on that day but when I try to start it, it gives the Just-in-time debugging error.  I figure correctly this is no good too.  So I try to system restore back to the original day.  This time the system restore fails, due to lack of disk space =-(.  Apparantly all of these system restores have been eating hard drive space. 

When I get into Windows shortcuts to impulse are mistargeted on the desktop and the start menu.  When I go into the C drive and manually click impulse.exe I get the just in time debugging error.  Any attempt to uninstall impulse fails.  I can't reinstall impulse from the setup.exe because I get the just-in-time error then it hangs on the install.  I tried the full_setup.exe but it can't find where to uninstall impulse from.  I figure there are registry errors, I get a registry checker, it doesn't help.  I then delete the impulse files and use regedit to edit the remove the "uninstall" keys (HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Unistall\impulse).  This gets it off of add/remove programs.  But the setup.exe files still think it is on the machine for some reason.  I can't get back to where I started, and wouldn't know what to do even if I could.  I downloaded Stardock Central, but the update I need isn't hosted there.  I'm frustrated and tired of fighting with impulse to update my game.

Any of the following would be helpful:

-Some sort of workaround to get the update without going through impulse

-A list of the things I need to do to totally remove impulse from my machine manually so that I can do a fresh install

-A solution to the cannot connect to server problem

-More information about how system restore works

or

-A new laptop

Not that you guys owe me any of this... but hey, can you blame a guy for trying? 

(If you do feel like sending me a laptop, I would be more than willing to pay shipping and handling, as well as praise your name everywhere I go)