Windows vista 64-bit having side-by-side error #33

I've been running into a problem on my windows vista 64-bit, starting this morning, and can't seem to fix it. I tried opening itunes, mozilla, crysis, and other programs, and every time I do I get the error 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 checked in my event log, and it says the side-by-side error is number 33, if that helps. I've been online for hours now, and can only find the solution to download Microsoft Visual C++ 2005 SP1 (file name: vcredist_x86.exe) but as soon as I try to run the program I get the same side-by-side error.

any help would be appreciated